My First Car: '35 Dodge Travelers Coupe, Al Sandefur, 76, St. Petersburg

'35 Dodge Travelers Coupe

This is my first and favorite car. Boy, do I wish I had it today. In 1953, I painted a neighbor's house and she had this 1935 Dodge Travelers Coupe sitting in the garage. It had been sitting there since her husband died many years before. When payday came and I went to her to collect my $75, I asked her if she wanted to sell the car. She said, "Yes, for $75." Of course I took the car.

It had those chrome, teardrop headlights, a covered spare on each fender, spoke wheels, a rumble seat with a chrome fold-out luggage rack. Right in the middle of the wood-grained instrument panel was a huge speedometer with "Floating Power" printed on it. I never did figure out what that meant.

I was out of work and left Henderson, Ky., heading for Los Angeles in this car with $12, eight bologna and cheese sandwiches and a change of clothes. I made it as far as Kansas City, Mo., and ran out of gas, food and money at about the same time. I got a job at the General Motors plant there in the Fairfax District and traded up to a '48 Pontiac.

I stayed in the Kansas City area until 1991 when I moved to St. Petersburg. I wish I could have driven down here in the old Dodge.