Caught it around age 3.5-four. My Dad was a copywriter at McManus, John and Adams, the ad agency that handled the Pontiac account. I'd go to the office with Dad from time to time to stock up on promo models courtesy of his co-worker, Mr. Wangers, who also happened to have the real deal in steel. An angry red Goat. The Car & Driver one. The one that was already a local legend - at least to the big kids on my street who knew the Woodward score. Long story short - as they tended to be with that car - an impression was made. And no small one. Was already a car junkie, but this was my first visceral taste of what a hot car was. The sounds, the noise, the smell, the heat from the fender wells mixed w/the cooler ambient temperature - any time I caught a dose of any of it from then on, it always harkened back to that car.
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