1957 Plymouth Convertibles Do Not Float

Okay, one more car story. Plymouth made a car with the shifting buttons placed on the dash board and all you had to do was push a button to engage the transmission. Back then it seemed like a pretty good idea providing you are careful. Once again my buddy and myself were over at a pier on Lake Michigan fishing for perch. It was during the summer and we took a few days to go fishing and camp in our tent, hopefully eating fish. The pier was a long cement one which was wide enough for cars to drive out on. The pier sloped down a few feet to a flat portion where you could sit and fish. The lake was another 10' down from the lower edge of the pier. It was a nice sunny day and we walked out the very end of the pier where the water was deeper and therefore colder and better fishing for perch. There were others like us fishing on the lake side of the pier and some girls had laid out blankets on the sloped portion and were sun bathing.  

 A few cars had driven out on the pier to let fisherman out and left as I don't recall that parking was allowed. There were a few people just sight seeing and one young college age guy with a Plymouth like the one in the photo drove out to the end of the pier and turned around and stopped to talk with the girls that were sun bathing. A Plymouth convertible with a nice looking college guy drew the girls to that car like a moth to a flame. We could hear them talking behind us and he was telling the girls how powerful his car was. They dared him to 'lay rubber' and we turned to watch. He was turned so the driver was nearest to our side of the pier. Smiling he punched a button and floored it at the same time and shock and amazement registered on his tanned face as he shot off the end of the pier backwards. The car seemed to be suspended in the air for a short while and then went into the water where it quickly went to the bottom of the lake. The driver managed to swim to a rusted ladder at the end of the pier and climbed up onto the pier dripping lake water.

We all stood in amazement as he made it back onto the pier and had to walk the length of the pier in humiliation with the giggling of the girls in his ears. I learned two things from watching him. That showing off for girls is stupid and it is even more stupid to try to lay rubber in reverse.

Okay, no more stories about fishing... but hmmm, I actually do have a few more which I'll save for another time.