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my favourite car

This article is a part of the My Favourite Car Story series, where we are asking readers to submit their most memorable stories.

On a typically warm summer day in the 1960s my mother offered to drop me off at my part-time job bagging groceries on her way to work.

The only problem was we had a 1961 Chrysler Valiant and mother, at the time, was an inexperienced driver. I still remember the car well. It had a three-speed manual shifter on the floor, bench front seats and a foot-operated parking brake.

My mom didn't get her license until she was in her mid-30s and Dad insisted that the car always be in neutral at red lights. Mom agreed to follow this rule.

That morning, Mom realized that, due to a slight incline, she was going to have to learn immediately to feather the clutch, keeping the car still by matching clutch pressure with just enough gas. Anyone who drives standard knows the situation well. Without being able to balance the car on the hill without using the brake she stalled the car.

Flustered, she pushed in the clutch and turned the key— just as the car rolled into the bumper of the car behind us. The other driver and I both jumped out and agreed because there was no damage we would go our separate ways. I got back in the front seat and just as mom moved the car forward off the bumper she immediately stalled again.

I suggested the parking brake. Listening to my father's voice in her head, she carefully put the Valiant in neutral, and moved her left foot from the brake to the parking brake. Yep. The car rolled backwards, same result - a collision with the car behind us.

We did another check for damage and again nothing. At this point my mom was shaking with emotion as she started the car again. It lurched forward and then stopped as my Mom realized I was still outside. I opened the door, got in and the car stalled for a third time. My mom gazed directly ahead, pushed in the clutch and reached for the ignition -as the Valiant yet again rolled into the same bumper.

Just then we heard a knock on the driver's side roof. We looked up and saw the driver of the other vehicle standing over our car.

"Lady," he said, "I'm just going to leave my car against your bumper until you get going. Or would you like me to push you across the street?"

To this day my mom will not acknowledge the event, but I remember it well.

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