NO HEADLINE

My Favorite Car

1957 Chevy Bel Air Two-door Hardtop

Name: Gina Putnam, Spokane.

Acquired: In 1974. My stepdad Vernon Massie took me into the garage and asked me if I were to choose, for my 16th birthday, between the 1962 Impala convertible without a motor and the 1957 Chevy Bel Air two-door hardtop with a motor, which would I choose?

I said I’d like the ‘57 Chevy because it was closer to running and my birthday was just around the corner. I’m not sure how many nights he spent in the garage to get this motor running before my birthday. On Dec. 9, 1974, I opened my birthday card with a key on a leather key chain. We headed for the garage and I fired up the car and headed for the gas station in the winter snow with $2 and my younger sister Dina at my side.

Why I love it: I am still the owner of my “57 Dream” – as my license plate reads. After 30 years of still owning my first car, I still want to “THANK YOU DAD!”