These Are Your Favorite Childhood Cars

OG Viper. I remember when it came out, Ferraris and Corvettes had like 300 horsepower V8s and looked pretty bland and dated. The Viper was like something out of a fever dream. It was as if the concepts of Testosterone and Poor Impulse Control met up with Engineering at a bar and got absolutely out of control. It looked absolutely wild, and it was, with a 400 HP V10. And side pipes, because side pipes (and burn scars from side pipes) rule. No roof, because convertibles are for wimps. Not even any windows or door locks, because shut up and drive the dang thing.

Still want one.

Ah, a person of taste, I see. The first generation Dodge Viper was such a cool — and stupid — car. It’s like it was made specifically with children in mind, and we love Dodge for that. The company just appeals to the toddler in all of us, doesn’t it?
Submitted by: Give Me Tacos or Give Me Death

As a kid it was this. As an adult I’d probably look for the Morningstar Farms vegetarian version of this.

I am an adult, and I still get excited whenever I see the Wienermobile. There’s just something so marvelous about a 27 foot long hotdog on wheels.

Submitted by: dug deep

C5 Corvette. 5 year old me thought this thing ruled so hard. 27 year old me does too.

The C5 was one of the first cars I loved, too. My uncle had one back when I was a toddler. RIP Uncle Walt. You were a real one for letting me sit in the driver’s seat when I was seven.

Submitted by: Mosko

My maternal grandparents owned a 1965 Dodge Monaco 2-door hardtop.

I associate this car with going out for ice cream after church on Sunday and the trip to pick-up my mother and newborn baby brother from the hospital.

I also remember my father once borrowed the car and was clocked doing over 100mph on the Atlantic City Expressway.

i was in the front seat, unbelted of course.

As the cop walked away after writing my father a ticket, my father turned to me and said “How old are you?”

“Six” I replied.

“If you want to live to see seven, don’t tell your mother about this.”

I appreciate that you have a story behind your Monaco love other than “it looked cool in parking lots.” I’m also going to assume you never told your mother about it, as you are still alive and posting this.

Submitted by: Earthbound Misfit I

Why? Because, in 4th grade I did a report on cars, and the book in the library at the time stated this was the fastest Porsche.

So, I wanted it.

Ah, a child of taste. Cheers to you, my smart friend. Fastest is always best, especially when you can count your age on two hands.

Submitted by: Knyte

Ford Capri Mk2 (AKA Mercury Capri).

My dad had a white ‘77 Capri with the 2.3 when I was in elementary school, and I just thought it was the coolest damned car ever because NOBODY else’s parents had anything remotely like it, inside or out.

I’ve really liked the way the Capri looked ever since it was featured on Top Gear like 10 years ago. It’s just clean. I also find myself missing Mercury a lot. Is that weird? I don’t care.

Submitted by: Mattwrotethis

My favorite childhood car is still my favorite 30 years later: the first-gen Acura NSX.

Just don’t ask me which celeb crush I wanted to drive around in it, though. Because it wasn’t Cindy Crawford. Nope.

That’s interesting, because I really didn’t start to appreciate the first-gen NSX until I was older. I thought it was goofy that it had less than 300 horsepower, and I always thought Acura/Honda was boring. Silly me.

Submitted by: paradsecar

At five, the 1961 Imperial. It’s like it was designed for a 5 year old boy!

That right there is one wacky fella. I like it a lot. Bring back fins. I do not care of they are dangerous. We need them.

Submitted by: XL500

I wasn’t really into cars until I owned one, but as a kid the Neon ad was catchy and I used to spot them on the road:

The OG Neon was so goddamn cute. How could you not love it? Just look at its little face. What a nice feller it was.

Submitted by: Ninety-9

Fucking Bigfoot, all the way. Still is

Hell yeah, brother.

Submitted by: RedRaiderEducator

996 911 Turbo, specifically the one from Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2

The 996 is super cool... especially because it’s the only 911 I’ll ever even be able to dream of affording. I was also a NFS Most Wanted guy, but that’s just me.

Submitted byL ExGavalonnj

I’ve always liked the Fiat X 1/9. Pop-up headlights! Mid/rear engine! Removable tops! It was a teenager’s dream. Forget that it was low on horsepower and questionable on the reliability. I’d still take one.

Fun Fact: X 1/9 is also the name of Elon Musk’s 11th child... probably.

Submitted by: Papa Van Twee

Thirteen year old me, who, upon my birth, took my first car ride home from the hospital in a 1979 Fox Body Mustang and knew nothing but Fox Body Mustangs my entire life to that point thought this was absolutely revolutionary in 1994.

Turns out, it was more evolutionary than I ever knew at the time.

This has bothered me since I was a child, and it still bothers me now. I think the SN95 looks great, save for one thing: the rear quarter windows. It’s like the design just stops and they droop down into nothing. I hate it. It honestly drives me nuts.

Submitted by: John Static

Translation: show your age in the comments.

My father’s Triumph TR4.

Yeah, I think it’s safe to say I’m younger than you. However, maybe your dad is into it as a classic car, not a new car. Perhaps you’re actually younger than me. Who knows?

Submitted by: GodDamnTheseElectricSexPants

I love Mazdas (still today). Everything about this car to me was what was great about the 1990s.

I really like the way the RX-7 looks, but I will never understand why people say it looks timeless. To me, it very much looks like a car of the mid-1990s. That isn’t a bad thing, mind you.

Submitted by: DLu

I was into Corvettes because my best friend told me I had to be.

But I vividly remember this commercial from 1996

I remember how cool I thought it was, and how cool Dodge must be because of that commercial. I was about 12 at the time, and was starting to decorate my room in more “grown up” posters and stuff. So alongside my posters of Jenny McCarthy and Cornholio, I had this gem

I didn’t know what any of those specs meant, except that 400 horsepower sounded like a lot. But it was a “cool” poster that wasn’t going to get me made fun of by friends who came to visit.

Looking back on it, Dodge’s entire lineup seriously fucked in the mid-90s. Not a single skip in the numch.

Submitted by: dbeach84

Aside from all the most obvious ones, I’ll go with the 2001 BMW 740i M-Sport in silver. When I was in second grade, the school counselor drove one and always parked it right next to the pickup zone, so I always got a good look at the car for 15 minutes while I waited for my mom to pick me up.

Gotta say, nothing was quite as eye-catching as that simple, elegant design, back when BMW actually knew a thing or two about style. The image of it just sitting there is deeply committed to memory, and seeing the rare few still being driven around gives me more joy than spotting the usual exotic cars on the street.

Pierce Brosnan is the best bond. I do not care what you say.

Submitted by: Lil Xanos

Superbird.

My friend’s brother had one. His father owned an auto body/repair shop. He painted it a different color every year. Originally Alpine White. I think this was the first re-paint in Blue Fire Metallic.

As a kid I was surrounded by guys with great cars so no bonus points expected. I peaked at the Superbird and kept peaking ever since. All my favorite childhood cars were the shit even by today’s standards.

Oh man, that’s just so sweet. MOPAR OR NO CAR, BABY.

Submitted by: 900turbo