Growing up in Denmark can be traumatising for car people. When I started to take an interest in cars at age 7, there were no V8s among normal people, only ”millionaires”. Normal cars were powered by 1.2 or 1.3L 4 cyl engines. A 1.6L was a very powerful car. My family had 2 cars, only one in my class whose parents had a car each. Unfortunately they were both Beetles, a 1.1L and a 1.2L. The 1.1L was bought in Paris where my father was stationed, so it had ”US bumpers” (cool) but also a MPH speedo, so I constantly had to tell my class mates that, no it was not only capable of 90 km/t, but towards 90 mph.
I’m sure you understand the environment I grew up in. But during my youth 3 things happened that made me realise that I had to have more.
1. At the age of 10, I saw a movie with a musclecar chasing either a motorcycle or a snow scooter. On snow. The chase ended when the motorcycle/snow scooter collided with a snow thrower, and the snow thrown to the side changed from white to red. (Does anybody know the name of that movie?). What absolutely blew me was the sound of the musclecar when it was started. Sounded like a mix between thunder and a bomb. I’m pretty sure it was a 70-72 Mopar product, probably with a Hemi. I saw/heard that scene maybe 100 times on my parents’ VHS
2. As a teenager in another town with quite big shopping centres on both sides of the main street, I saw and heard my first Pantera. It was silver, and he apparently knew the nice ecco these buildings created, so he really let the Pantera have it in a low gear. Fantastic. But Panteras were exotics for select few, never thought I’d have one
3. 18 years, license, and my first car. A Triumph Spitfire MkIII. Beautiful car, convertible, quite a girl magnet (maybe also because I was the only guy at school with a car). 1.3L 75HP to 700 kg, 0-100 km/t 12.5 sec. Not bad, I was quite happy. But then it happened again. During a vacation, in a town square, three Swedes in their musclecars were visiting. We’re in the 70s, so their cars were of course customized with strange paint and all had hi-jackers, trying to copy the Funny Car look. But the sound. They didn’t sound like my Spitfire. Then and there I knew what I had to do. I started saving up, working after school, and at the age of 20, still studying, I bought a 1968 Camaro SS350. Terrible rust bucket, you always make a mistake on your first performance car. But as you can imagine, I had one of the fastest cars in town
Since then I haven’t been without V8 power at any time...
