Remember Whensday No. 20 - Zoom Zoom!

Hey! Hey! It's Remember Whensday time. This week, it is me and my Mazda. My very first car.

Zoom Zoom!!

My father gave me the car the summer between my junior and senior years in high school. I was so excited to get it. It was a hand-me-down, but I didn't care. All I can remember is that it was an early 70's RX4.

It had the classic rotary Wankel engine and I zoom-zoomed before that became the catch phrase for Mazda. I remember doing a bit of street drag racing in it. It was quick off of the line. The only problem was the backfiring! I'm sure it scared more than one person. Oh, but I had fun, fun, fun!

One late spring day in 1977, I was enroute to watch a friend compete in a track meet at Annapolis High School (in Maryland). I was stopped for a traffic light at Ritchie Hwy and Jumpers Hole Road. Wham! I got rear-ended by a 1963 Pontiac Bonneville which in turn sent me into the bumper of the car in front of me. It was driven by a young girl not much older than me on her way to the beach and she didn't stop for the red signal. It caused quite a bit of damage to the car but I was still able to go to the track meet, albeit a bit shook up. And then I spent the next six months in physical therapy as a result of the accident.

What happens when a tank (aka '63 Pontiac Bonneville) runs into your car

Even the sides crumpled and dented
(FYI - that's my Basset Hound, Bridget)

The car got repaired and no sooner did I get out of PT, then WHAM! I was broad-sided by an older woman who only had her driver's license for less than a year. She ran a red light and into the passenger side of my car. Back for more physical therapy.

By this time, I was beginning to think the car was jinxed. It is said that things come in threes and I was not willing to risk it. I didn't get the car repaired from the second accident and instead sold it.

I ended up buying ANOTHER silver Mazda, same model year, but this one had a black vinyl roof. End of jinx. I just can't remember what became of that car, though. Oh well. :-)

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