If you could drive any car across USA...,

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Thanks for the lyrics... Anybody here ever own a high performance version of the 409? Another car I would drive across USA was my 1988 Ranger, never had a problem that would have left me stranded... it had the 2.0 drove that thing from Frostproof FL to Alliance NE 1750 miles... left on a Friday at 5 arrived in Nebraska on Sunday at 6...
 
In 1961 a friend and I drove a Model T from Tampa to San Diego. It took about two months and was the experience of a lifetime. There were no freeways that I remember and we became really good at fixing that Model T. We received a lot of help on the way and were invited into a lot of homes for help with repairs, meals, and a place to sleep. I think that it was a trip that can never be repeated. We made a lot of lasting friendships and I found my Father's grave stone in Taft, Texas. The trip was slow and eventful and I'm sorry but the 1912 Model T was not quite as fast as a Z06. On a good day with a tail wind and the top and windshield down you could cruise at 45mph and at that speed you are totally involved in the process of staying on the road. I can say that we did not have one computer failure and we were able to read all the codes without a Scangauge. We were also able to custom tailor the ignition advance and the carburetor air/fuel mixture on a moment by moment basis. We did not have a water temperature gauge but when the steam stopped coming out of the radiator we know it was time to stop and add water. We also never had to rotate the tires. Fixing flats took care of that. A state trooper in West Texas took us home where his wife fed us and washed our clothes and he rebuilt the coil boxes for the ignition and we washed and waxed his patrol car. We let the trooper drive the T and he took his family including his elderly father for a drive around town the next day. His father taught the trooper the mystery of the three pedals and told him what his father told him about driving a Model T. In a panic you just hit any one of the three pedals and you will slow down. The joke is that only one pedal is the brakes. The others are the low gear pedal and reverse, hence the idea that any pedal will show you down. Anyhow, if I had my choice and the time, I’d pick the same Model T.
 
Awesome story Lonnie. If only that were completely possible these days. There are plenty of good people today, but to find enough to get you cross country the way you and your friend did, well.... I was going to say my choice would be a F350 CrewCab dually with the big block desiel, but I will take your Model T trip in '61 above all the other choices.
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Well Lonnie, the image you conjured up were just awesome...how about more. Maybe a book or short story? I quarantee one of the car mags would publish it. What ever happened to that Model T?
 
Well, this is as relevant as anything.
I just moved from San Diego to northern Kentucky. I took my '96 Lexus LS400 with 245,000 miles and loaded it up with all of my stuff (except my mattress, which was shipped over), and drove it. It did perfectly. Even though I was HEAVILY loaded down with over 1,000 lbs of stuff and the rear end was almost touching the ground, the car got over 25mpg average for 2,300 miles, most of it at 80-85mph.
Oh, I started Sunday evening and arrived Tuesday morning.
 
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In 1961 a friend and I drove a Model T from Tampa to San Diego. It took about two months and was the experience of a lifetime.

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Great post! Reminds me of the Joad road trip in Grapes of Wrath, except much more entertaining.
 
I drove the car around for a couple of years, just on weekends. I got drafted and sold it to someone that restored it. It was his barn that I stored the car in when I arrived from Florida. The son of the guy that bought it still has it and I've driven it a couple of time. The owner and I agreed that it's a time machine.
 
I like the proportions of the wheel/tire combination on your Cougar much better than the more modern look of the wagon wheel with the rim protector tire.
 
Both of the Cougars are HOT CATS! I do prefer the white one, as the bright yellow one would definitely draw Smokie's attention Merkava! The older I get the more I like the more easy going colors. Nothing wrong with bright yellow, just not for me. That White Cougar is gorgeous. One could order the 428 in the Cougar and have themselves a truly WILD CAT!
 
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which car would you choose for the journey? Imagine it's Summertime, somebody else is picking up the tab on gas, food, hotel, etc. you just have to drive...

I have never driven one, but I am quite sure a new Corvette would be a blast on the interstates...

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I drove a new C6 Corvette 2600+ miles from Bowling Green, KY to Northern California in May of 2006.

http://dmab.org/BG Trip/

I managed to avoid the Interstates for the most part and stuck to old US highways and some state highways. If you are driving cross country for the trip rather than the destination, get off the interstates.
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