July | 2014 | The Dodge Kid

Throwback Photo- Circa 1983

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After graduating high school in 1980, I joined the Navy and used my first Challenger to make several trips up and down between Palo Alto and San Diego between 1981 and 1982.

When I was assigned to a seagoing unit out of Hawaii in January 1983, I chose not to transport the car and instead stored it in my parent’s backyard.

Eventually someone made and offer to buy my car and I sold it while I was away.

Had a lot of good times with that car.

The fastest road trip my car made was being driven by my brother, a Highway Patrol Officer, from Thousand Oaks to Palo Alto where we left around midnight and arrived around 4am driving up Highway 101.

First Challenger a 1971 as in the area it was stored while I was away serving overseas in the Navy after 1983.

First Challenger a 1971 as it sat in the storage area (with cover off for photo) while I was away serving overseas in the Navy after 1983. My choice of mag wheels and exhaust dump offs (which flared out after the mufflers and before the rear axle) were inspired by one of the Palo Alto High School English teachers named Barry Bergstrom who had the American Vectors and “Bergstrom Pipes” on his orange Chevy Nova that he drove to school and sometimes bracket raced (from what I heard). Also credit the Dukes of Hazzard County for wheel selection. PALY upper classman 1979 grad Dan Kirby said these wheels looked great when I was peeling out because you could really tell they were spinning … which I often felt obliged to do every time he gave me the “stomp on it” hand signal.

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