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WILKES-BARRE — Growing up in the 1960s had many benefits that will never be enjoyed by current or future generations.

One of those benefits was the iconic cars that we took for granted back then, but not without much admiration, adulation and desire to get behind the wheel of one.

For me, it was the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, silver blue, white rag top. Man, I’d still love to take one of those for a spin. I did come close, though, when my dad got me (us) a 1966 Pontiac GTO, light metallic blue, white interior and white convertible top. Man, that car was sweet.

Except for it being a mechanical piece of junk, the GTO sure did draw attention in the neighborhood and at every stop along the way. The only problem was that when you parked it, you were never certain it would start again. It was more like an accessory than a reliable mode of transportation.

But I digress. One of the most popular cars of the ‘60s was the Chevrolet Impala, a truly iconic name in car manufacturing and sales. General Motors recently announced it is discontinuing production of the Impala and other Chevy cars because America prefers SUVs these days over sedans and such.

Long live the Chevrolet Impala — it sure will remain in my memory bank forever.

In our neighborhood, cars were always of great interest. Charlie Kraynack came home one day with a beat-up 1953 red MG that he would restore and then re-restore, ending up with the authentic English racing green color with all authentic parts. Charlie still has the MG and it has won many ribbons and trophies at car shows all across America.

As kids, we marveled at the sounds emanating from Chubby Novitski’s Chevy when he pulled up Reynolds Street. And we always enjoyed seeing some of the muscle cars parading up and down Main Street as we held up the parking meters in front of C. Matus News.

And there were so many of them — each with their distinctive looks, 4-barrel carburetors and competitive horsepower. You knew at first glance what each car was — the year and the make and model. There was no confusion, unlike today when you have to actually look at the back of those SUVs to see what car company made it and what it is called.

Back in the day, it was a special occasion when Mr. Miklosi would come home with his new Chevrolet Impala. We would all run up the hill to check it out and Mr. Miklosi was always happy to show us his new wheels. These were the days when cars were cars, right down to the chrome bumpers.

We wondered what special equipment did the latest model have — a radio? AM/FM? leather seats? power steering, or windows? a vinyl roof? an 8-track tape player? No way!

And some days, Mr. Miklosi would take us for a ride, just around the block, but oh, that new-car smell was intoxicating. A neighbor getting a new car was indeed a special occasion — one not occurring often, but cherished every time.

Alex “Ecky” Kraynack had a 1958 silver blue Chevrolet, a Biscayne or Bel Air, not sure, but it was a beauty. That color was so beautiful I would paint all my plastic model cars the same color, or candy apple red — especially the seven 1940 Fords I painstakingly glued together.

And Ecky had a Ford station wagon for a time too. We would ride in that to go fishing at Lake Silkworth or Harveys Lake. And Ecky would have silver ice-filled coolers of fish when he returned from his annual June trip to Canada.

My dad once had a 1960 Chevrolet Biscayne that was as big as a house. I mean, you really could live in that car. It was huge. He gave it to me to use for a while. Nice!

And when the GTO was laid to rest, dad gave me his 1964 Plymouth Valiant with push-button transmission and he bought himself a new car. Dad got a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner! I doubt he realized that the Road Runner was considered quite the muscle car. Dad liked the style, the dark green color and the fact that he could get from Plymouth to Leslie Fay in record time.

So when the Impala is no longer an option, our memories of those great cars will remain.

Nor shall we ever forget the Volkswagon bus, or the Beetle, Plymouth Duster, Rambler, Ford Galaxy, Dodge Dart, Buick, Studebaker, Mercury, Pontiac, or the Chevy Corvair and many more.

Bill O’Boyle
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_Columnshot-5.jpg.optimal.jpgBill O’Boyle

By Bill O’Boyle

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Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle, or email at [email protected].