Ron J
Active member
Before i begin sharing a memory of my younger days,i need to mention a couple of things.First,i have been a "car" nut since maybe 12 or so.Second,i had an "idol",a guy a couple of yrs older than i,Jack R,who always had "cool" cars.Third,is Chebbaco Road,a wooded,dirt road,connecting Hamilton Ma. to "Manchester by the Sea".It's maybe 5 miles of mostly winding curves.All my friends knew the road by heart,after all,back in the 60's it was THE BEST place to go "parking" with your honey!! Its still Dirt today!
Let me begin... I think i was 20 or so,and worked till 7 most nights at the Datsun dlr.It was Winter,so it was nighttime. I hopped in my pride@joy,a 1961 OlDs Starfire convertible.Maroon in color.Was heading home,only ten minutes away.I turned the corner onto Bridge st.and as i started to straigten out,a dimwit in a White 63 Bonneville conv. stopped suddenly in the middle of the street,to pick-up a hitchhiker.I swung around the Bonne,almost hitting it.Next thing i see is highbeams in my mirror,almost kissing my bumper!! I did not appreciate that,and like any other 20yr "knowitall" I immediately gave this @#$ a good ol BRAKE JOB! He did not appreciate that either!! Now i only needed to drive another 1/8 mile,to turn on my home street,but Mr.@#$hole was attempting to pass me,before i got there!! There was NO WAY i would let him,booting it,he kept up.. I was now approaching Ralph's Market,and saw a car wanting to pull out.I slowed to let it out,and Mr.#$% passed me and the car i was letting out. That was IT!,i needed to teach this guy a lesson!!I booted it to catch up,seeing his tailights ahead.Getting closer,and then he stops in the middle of the street again,to let the hitchhiker out! Now was my chance to get in front of the idiot! I DID! AND was his headlights on my arse!! I had noticed thru the lights and shadows,multiple heads.No way was i gonna stop,for fear of my life...We were now flying up Rte 62,me,thinking,"I'am gonna teach these @#$holes a lesson in driving!" After all,i Was a 20yr knowitall!! AND i knew right where to go to loose these jokers,CHEBBACCO ROAD!!!!
We continued booting it,to RTE 128!! I was thinking,either i'll loose them,or i'll make it to CHEBBACCO RD,about 10 or 15 mile away!! Once on the Highway,i accellerated to 75 or more,i sure.The Bonne,right on me,trying to pass me on either side.I would'nt let him,by cutting the wheel towards him,like i would ram him! We were both swirving from passing lane to breakdown lane.Finally i pulled away,almost loosing him,Almost.. Atlast,CHEBBACCO!! I flew down the ramp,knowing,in seconds i'll be on the only straight part of CHEBBACCO,then the curves!! The headlights behind me were getting distant,suddenly i started to loose it on the snow covered dirt road.I pulled out,and made it around the first corner!! Man,i kept going,seeing headlights flashing/reflecting of trees in the night.Going thru the curves,the road narrowing because of snowbanks,barely enough for two cars beside each other,if they were hardly moving... Nearing the end of the curves,i lost it,and slid sideways between the banks.Quickly manuevering to get out..Suddenly noticed headlights flashing at trees,not moving.. I kept going,headed back to Beverly,no one tailing?? It was now about quarter to eight,i needed to pick-up Brian,my employers son,at driving school,so headed downtown and got him.I was stilling shaking from ride,and told him what tranpired..We were both curious,and headed back to CHEBBACCO!! Down 128,off at School st exit,onto Chebbacco,around the first curve,could see lights flashing through the trees,not just headlights,BLUE lights too!! OH OH!We decided to procede,taking a few curves,there was MR.POLICE car,stopped,leaving inches for me to crawl by.Up 10 ft or so,on abanking,there was upheavled snow,broken smaller trees,and THE BONNE,against a big mother!! As i crawled by the cruiser,couldn't help but see the officer,standing with 5 or 6 rather LARGE BRUISERS,maybe my age? Didn't appear injured,but i was more concerned if they recognized my Starfire!! Nope! No one said anything,but didin't appear too friendly!! We just kept going,like we were blind!Couldn't get away fast enough!!! I went cruisen for an hour or so,dropped Brian home,and went home myself thinking of the event...Boy was i lucky..
The next day,at work,i tried to keep the event to my self,but could'nt,but knew i had to be careful,for fear of getting a major beating!! I finally told BUTCH,Brian's BIG brother what happened.He told me it sounds like that Bonne belonged to a Senior at his Highschool,and warned me to be careful.He knew the bunch of jocks who hung around together,and were Muscleheads! Ooops.. Around mid morning,Butch's best friend,Skip comes in the shop,asking me and Butch,if we heard about the ACCIDENT last night,where someone cut so/so off the road?? We knew we could trust Skip,so i told him what truely happened.We all had a good laugh,Skip didn't care for that crew,himself,BUT,like Butch,advised me to keep quiet. AND i did,for years,and I mean decades!!
Here's where "JACK R" comes in,much later. Like i said earlier,i always thought Jack was "COOL" like "COOKIE" on "77 SUNSET STRIP" (remember that program??) or like the FONZ,for you younger readers. Jack always had fancy cars,even had his own Business card!!How impressive was that,back in the 60's! It HAD his name,of course,but "JACK O" instead of JACK R.He even had a VANITY plate back then! "JACK O" of course!! What i didn't know,was that JACK envied ME for the fancy cars i drove! I still had the 61 STARFIRE.A 61 Starfire was the first year,with 6" aluminum mouldings going down the center of each side.All 61's were convertibles. They weren't too common to see.I purchased every one i could find. Well i sold Jack a Brown 61 Starfire,his pride@joy,like my Maroon one.Jack was also known a telling agreat tale,that always stretched the truth abit.But that was okay,he was still "COOL" to me. One night,i visited Jack,at a shop he had.He was doing something to his Olds.This was maybe 6 months after my event.He started telling me,how he was in line at "Burgerchef" in Salem one night,gonna order some chow,when 5 or 6 BRUISERS come in,and holler,"Who's Starfire??"
Jack,being MR.COOL,tells me,he replied "ME!WHAT OF IT?" He could handle himself,so the Bruisers invite him outside.He told me he had an idea,he was in for a beatin!! As they walked outside,one of the Bruisers,says to him,"Hey! How long you had that Vanity plate? (JACK O) Jack replied "for 2 or 3 yrs.Why?" The Bruiser replied,"BECAUSE IT JUST SAVED YOUR LIFE!!" Man,i almost $hit my pants,as he told me this story!I started laughing like hell,as i told him about my RIDE!! I had never told him before,and was the first time i knew he was tellin the whole truth!! RJ
Let me begin... I think i was 20 or so,and worked till 7 most nights at the Datsun dlr.It was Winter,so it was nighttime. I hopped in my pride@joy,a 1961 OlDs Starfire convertible.Maroon in color.Was heading home,only ten minutes away.I turned the corner onto Bridge st.and as i started to straigten out,a dimwit in a White 63 Bonneville conv. stopped suddenly in the middle of the street,to pick-up a hitchhiker.I swung around the Bonne,almost hitting it.Next thing i see is highbeams in my mirror,almost kissing my bumper!! I did not appreciate that,and like any other 20yr "knowitall" I immediately gave this @#$ a good ol BRAKE JOB! He did not appreciate that either!! Now i only needed to drive another 1/8 mile,to turn on my home street,but Mr.@#$hole was attempting to pass me,before i got there!! There was NO WAY i would let him,booting it,he kept up.. I was now approaching Ralph's Market,and saw a car wanting to pull out.I slowed to let it out,and Mr.#$% passed me and the car i was letting out. That was IT!,i needed to teach this guy a lesson!!I booted it to catch up,seeing his tailights ahead.Getting closer,and then he stops in the middle of the street again,to let the hitchhiker out! Now was my chance to get in front of the idiot! I DID! AND was his headlights on my arse!! I had noticed thru the lights and shadows,multiple heads.No way was i gonna stop,for fear of my life...We were now flying up Rte 62,me,thinking,"I'am gonna teach these @#$holes a lesson in driving!" After all,i Was a 20yr knowitall!! AND i knew right where to go to loose these jokers,CHEBBACCO ROAD!!!!
We continued booting it,to RTE 128!! I was thinking,either i'll loose them,or i'll make it to CHEBBACCO RD,about 10 or 15 mile away!! Once on the Highway,i accellerated to 75 or more,i sure.The Bonne,right on me,trying to pass me on either side.I would'nt let him,by cutting the wheel towards him,like i would ram him! We were both swirving from passing lane to breakdown lane.Finally i pulled away,almost loosing him,Almost.. Atlast,CHEBBACCO!! I flew down the ramp,knowing,in seconds i'll be on the only straight part of CHEBBACCO,then the curves!! The headlights behind me were getting distant,suddenly i started to loose it on the snow covered dirt road.I pulled out,and made it around the first corner!! Man,i kept going,seeing headlights flashing/reflecting of trees in the night.Going thru the curves,the road narrowing because of snowbanks,barely enough for two cars beside each other,if they were hardly moving... Nearing the end of the curves,i lost it,and slid sideways between the banks.Quickly manuevering to get out..Suddenly noticed headlights flashing at trees,not moving.. I kept going,headed back to Beverly,no one tailing?? It was now about quarter to eight,i needed to pick-up Brian,my employers son,at driving school,so headed downtown and got him.I was stilling shaking from ride,and told him what tranpired..We were both curious,and headed back to CHEBBACCO!! Down 128,off at School st exit,onto Chebbacco,around the first curve,could see lights flashing through the trees,not just headlights,BLUE lights too!! OH OH!We decided to procede,taking a few curves,there was MR.POLICE car,stopped,leaving inches for me to crawl by.Up 10 ft or so,on abanking,there was upheavled snow,broken smaller trees,and THE BONNE,against a big mother!! As i crawled by the cruiser,couldn't help but see the officer,standing with 5 or 6 rather LARGE BRUISERS,maybe my age? Didn't appear injured,but i was more concerned if they recognized my Starfire!! Nope! No one said anything,but didin't appear too friendly!! We just kept going,like we were blind!Couldn't get away fast enough!!! I went cruisen for an hour or so,dropped Brian home,and went home myself thinking of the event...Boy was i lucky..
The next day,at work,i tried to keep the event to my self,but could'nt,but knew i had to be careful,for fear of getting a major beating!! I finally told BUTCH,Brian's BIG brother what happened.He told me it sounds like that Bonne belonged to a Senior at his Highschool,and warned me to be careful.He knew the bunch of jocks who hung around together,and were Muscleheads! Ooops.. Around mid morning,Butch's best friend,Skip comes in the shop,asking me and Butch,if we heard about the ACCIDENT last night,where someone cut so/so off the road?? We knew we could trust Skip,so i told him what truely happened.We all had a good laugh,Skip didn't care for that crew,himself,BUT,like Butch,advised me to keep quiet. AND i did,for years,and I mean decades!!
Here's where "JACK R" comes in,much later. Like i said earlier,i always thought Jack was "COOL" like "COOKIE" on "77 SUNSET STRIP" (remember that program??) or like the FONZ,for you younger readers. Jack always had fancy cars,even had his own Business card!!How impressive was that,back in the 60's! It HAD his name,of course,but "JACK O" instead of JACK R.He even had a VANITY plate back then! "JACK O" of course!! What i didn't know,was that JACK envied ME for the fancy cars i drove! I still had the 61 STARFIRE.A 61 Starfire was the first year,with 6" aluminum mouldings going down the center of each side.All 61's were convertibles. They weren't too common to see.I purchased every one i could find. Well i sold Jack a Brown 61 Starfire,his pride@joy,like my Maroon one.Jack was also known a telling agreat tale,that always stretched the truth abit.But that was okay,he was still "COOL" to me. One night,i visited Jack,at a shop he had.He was doing something to his Olds.This was maybe 6 months after my event.He started telling me,how he was in line at "Burgerchef" in Salem one night,gonna order some chow,when 5 or 6 BRUISERS come in,and holler,"Who's Starfire??"
Jack,being MR.COOL,tells me,he replied "ME!WHAT OF IT?" He could handle himself,so the Bruisers invite him outside.He told me he had an idea,he was in for a beatin!! As they walked outside,one of the Bruisers,says to him,"Hey! How long you had that Vanity plate? (JACK O) Jack replied "for 2 or 3 yrs.Why?" The Bruiser replied,"BECAUSE IT JUST SAVED YOUR LIFE!!" Man,i almost $hit my pants,as he told me this story!I started laughing like hell,as i told him about my RIDE!! I had never told him before,and was the first time i knew he was tellin the whole truth!! RJ
