10 of Hagerty readers’ fondly remembered getaway cars
In lieu of rounding up our favorite pink (or red) color schemes, or writing a teary-eyed ode to our own classics, we decided to do something different for this Valentine’s Day: Hand the microphone to you. This being a family-friendly site, we know better than to ask for vivid memories of automotive-adjacent romance: Instead, we asked you to show us your wedding “getaway” cars.
You responded with great enthusiasm, sharing treasured memories and faded photos of the cars that whisked you and your spouse away from your wedding ceremony. The submissions span bucket-list American classics, including a 1964 1/2 Mustang, and eclectic imports, like an 1969 Renault 8 Gordini. It’s the unlikely heroes, however, that might be the most romantic—the “it’s just what we had then” vehicles, like a borrowed ’90s Chrysler Sebring or a 1988 Toyota Camry.
Without further delay, here are ten of our favorites from your submissions.
1964 1/2 Ford Mustang
Mustangs were one of the most popular vehicles included among your responses. This 1964 1/2 coupe, however, wins the award for best (or most thoroughly) decorated. Can you have enough carnations on your bench-seat getaway chariot? For user FlyingD in 1971, the answer was clearly “no,” and we approve. 50 years later, they paid homage to this decked-out pony car by celebrating their anniversary with a 1965 coupe. Bravo!
1978 BMW 320i
The Chevrolet referenced in user 79Corvette’s internet handle is now his “fun car,” kept company by his wife’s 2021 Paddy Hopkirk Mini Cooper S. The two set a standard for automotive excellence early in their relationship—before their marriage was official, in fact. They bought this maroon 1978 BMW 320i new and cruised through their honeymoon in it autobahn-style, driving from Quebec to Toronto in five hours. “My wife is still putting up with me,” he writes. We’d hazard a guess that the spicy little Mini Cooper can also keep up with that Corvette …
Mercury station wagon
User BobinVA draws attention to a common threat faced by any high-zoot getaway car: The white shoe polish inevitably used by friends of the happy couple to advertise their newly married status on the vehicle itself. Several of you, wise to the plots of your groomsmen and bridesmaids, used a bait-and-switch tactic. BobinVA was one such crafty fellow. He protected the silver paint on his 1965 Mustang fastback with the sacrificial lamb above, a far more humble Mercury station wagon owned by his newly minted brother-in-law. The woodie wagon escorted the couple to a super-secret shopping mall where the Mustang had been stashed, and all was well: The bride and groom rode off in style, and the Mustang’s paint remained unmolested.
1972 Corvette
These are the before-and-after pictures we love to see: The faded vintage shot of the getaway vehicle—whose decorators here thoughtfully eschewed shoe polish—and a shot of the same car, decades later, looking to be in fine fettle. User EdVette72 puts it simplest and best: “Still have the car, still have the wife, still having fun.”
1966 Volvo 122 S
Here’s another vintage ride that’s stayed with the couple for years since the ceremony: “Just in time for my 10 year anniversary this month!” writes user r32rennsport. “We set off into the sunset in a 1966 Volvo 122s coupe back in 2012. Still have both and love them more with every passing day (and mile!)” This 1966 Volvo 122S is sitting pretty on what appear to be tastefully upgrade Cragar-esque rims. Old school charm brought into the 21st century—we couldn’t approve more.
1957 Chevrolet
User Racer50 and his wife were married in 1984 but they didn’t know which vehicle would usher them away from the ceremony until they walked out the church doors and saw a classy, red 1957 Chevy waiting by the curb. A friend of Racer50’s father-in-law had volunteered his classic and drove the couple from the church to their new house. Now, years later, Racer50 is giving back in similar fashion: “I have used my ’66 Mustang for my son’s wedding and for my niece’s wedding!”
1965 VW Bug
A first-gen Mustang might be peeking out of the garage in this photo, but it’s the humble VW Bug that gets the shoutout for post-wedding chariot. The decorating team was evidently quite committed to the Bug’s celebratory ensemble … hopefully the weather cooperated and didn’t turn it into a soppy mess. “Still have it,” writes STOGIE. “It’s part of the ever-growing car family!”
1959 Ford Country Squire
User Squire can trace his history with this 1959 Ford Squire—which he owns to this day—well before his wedding day in 1980. His family bought it new, and gifted it to him upon his high school graduation in 1968. His bride arrived in another classy vintage: her uncle’s 1953 Hudson.
1970 Mustang Mach 1
Several among you rolled away from your weddings in some serious street-fighting muscle, and user SeaX5 is among them. The 1970 Mach 1 pictured here was this lucky fellow’s first Mustang, and in 1979 he and his wife rumbled away to their honeymoon in this brawny beast. Just imagine the smell of tire smoke and lightly toasted rice … so romantic.
1964 Chevelle convertible
User RSLarson chose a more laid-back cruiser for him and his bride in 1965. This 1964 Chevelle convertible carried him and his wife to their honeymoon in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—and speaking as Michiganders ourselves, a red-over-white droptop in an Up North summer sounds like one heavenly road-trip recipe.
