[Thomas Owen]

It took me 5 days off and on to read this thread all the way through and all I can say is "I am probably alive today because I grew up a long way from Mulholland".

At 15, my first 'car' was a VW I shortened with a fiberglass dune buggy body. I ordered that body out of California and waited forever for it to arrive. Wish I could remember the manufacturer... When I turned 16 and drove it to High School for the first time the general reaction was "what the h$ll is THAT?"

I graduated high school in '72 and had the '69 Z28 and got in trouble many a time, but if Mulholland had been in my neighborhood there is no telling what would have happened! We had the regular meeting places for a quick drag race, but nothing like this twisty road course with a viewing area for the spectators....man that must have been something.

One funny story I have is about fuel for my car when I was in High School. The Z used more than I could afford so I would siphon some out of my Dad's company car every other night. About a month later he comes home drving a different car and we ask why - "The motor pool is trying to figure out why I am only getting about 1 mile per gallon". If course then the loaner started getting the same poor mileage and they thought it was how he drove the car...
Make a long story short, one night my Mom comes out to have a cigarette on the sly and catches me with the can and siphon hose. At that point we both made a pact - she to keep quiet about the gas, and me to keep mum on the cigarettes. She is 83 now and my Dad has passed away but we can still laugh about "that night" and the secret pact!

The interest here for me is reading about what guys my age were doing during the late '60's and into the '70's on the West Coast, and it is truly amazing the amount of action and friendship that grew from the area.

Thanks so much to all that provided input to the thread - it is without a doubt the most interesting I have followed since joining here in 1999.

Chris Banning - when is the second edition of your book going to come out? Where is the first edition available?

Best Regards,