I was born in late 1981. I know, the big 4-5 awaits. Don’t remind me. And as much as I pride myself on being a lifelong automotive enthusiast, the first vehicle I ever rode in was one that the auto industry has pretty much unanimously declared a lemon: a 1978 Mercury Bobcat.
My first car ride as a newborn baby took place in a 1978 Mercury Bobcat. Go ahead and get the chuckles out of your system. I even have a picture of the car (the lead photo on this story), complete with a sporty white hockey-stick accent stripe and 13-inch steel wheels with hubcaps. What compelled my mom and dad to buy such a vehicle? I’ll have to ask them sometime.
The Bobcat, in theory, wasn’t such a bad idea. It was sold from 1975-1980 as essentially a rebadged, more luxurious, and “premium” version of the Ford Pinto. And it did have plenty of merits – most notably, its incredible fuel efficiency during a time when there were major constraints in the oil and gas supply chain.
The car was sold as a three-door hatchback or two-door station wagon, and it was set apart from the Pinto via its different front-end styling and unique taillights. Available powertrains included a 2.3-liter inline-four and a 2.8-liter Cologne V-6. The latter was good for about 90 horsepower and was exclusively paired with an automatic transmission.
Of course, the Pinto and Bobcat did draw plenty of criticism (and both were subject to a major recall) because of safety concerns regarding fuel tank’s vulnerability in rear-end collisions. Luckily, my mom and dad didn’t have to contend with that. They went on to replace the car with a new Chevrolet Cavalier in 1982, followed by a new Chevrolet Celebrity in 1986.
I’d love to conduct an informal poll via the comment section. What was the first vehicle you ever rode in?
