According to You: What vehicle took you to prom?
Wow, your feedback was certainly impressive for this question! Seems like everyone participating in the latest installment of According to You had a vehicle worth sharing: a car that was worthy of a special night spent dancing as a teenager. Our prom memories are just as diverse as our tastes and life experiences, so we’ve selected some examples from the Hagerty Community to share with everyone. (You can have a look at all of them here.)
Let’s get into it, and see what vehicles took us to the big dance!
The Deuce and a Quarter
@Mike: For my 1973 prom, I took a 1970 black Deuce and a Quarter [Electra 225] that had Dad recently gotten as a trade at the Buick dealer. Beautiful ivory-colored brocade interior. I did 120 mph and got the car airborne! (On a 35 mph street, no less.) No damage, and we lived through it. My date was surprised. Tough car–I drove it to the junkyard in 1982.
A Sterling mode of transport
@Mr. Ed: Mine was a Lynx Bronze 1988 Sterling 825 SL that my dad had purchased the previous fall. Connolly leather–wrapped seats, Recaro front buckets, reclining rear seats, authentic burl-wood interior trim—the works.
The Brits know how to put an interior together and build a great suspension, but they can’t make an electrical system to save their lives. Still can’t believe Rover went with a Lucas electrical system instead of the Honda/Denso system in its Acura Legend cousin.
Even more luxurious yachts
@Steve: My uncle had a brand new, 1968 Continental Mark III in triple black that drove my date and me to the senior prom in 1967. We were stylin’!
@Bob: To both junior and senior proms, I took a 1950 green Olds 88 coupe with the big, four-barrel engine. After a few wrenching sessions, it was the fastest car in our town.
@WAB: Junior prom (in 1977) was in a 1972 Chrysler Imperial Coupe—super impressive, and comfortable luxury everywhere you looked. My [ride to] 1978 senior prom was a 1977 Monte Carlo, triple Firethorn Red, that I had inherited from my father a couple years ago with 3000 miles on it. Wish I had that Imperial Coup … have been looking for an excellent one for years.
@Tom: I had a 1941 Series 61 Cadillac Sedan (in very good condition) that had been sitting up on blocks in a neighbor’s garage for 15 years. When my friends and I were young kids, the owner would allow us to play in the car as if we were driving it. As I approached my 16th birthday, the neighbor said that, if I got it in working order, I could have the car for $100. I was able to do so under the guidance of a local service station owner. When I received my license in 1967, I became “that guy” who all my friends wanted to double date with as it had a very roomy back seat. Needless to say, there was no double dating on prom night for any of my friends.
High five for the Tri-Five
@DUB6: A 1955 Bel Air hardtop with stock 283 and three-speed floor-shift. Green interior—bench seat up front. The car was mostly white but with a tan hood and one blue fender, plus several spots showing my early attempts at body work, protected with yellow primer. (Where/why did I get yellow primer? Hey, it was the psychedelic ’60s, folks!)
After the dance, we headed downtown, where I promptly got pulled over for drag racing, which was an automatic $50 fine in those days. Not having that much cash, I got to spend the night in a cell, with my Chevy parked out front—minus my date, who had had to call her father to come get her. (Needless to say, we never dated again after that night.) When I scrounged the $50 from friends the next day, I in my powder-blue tux with white bucks sashayed out to the ’55 to the hoots of my assembled buddies and—quite red-faced, I assure you—headed home to face my folks. Memorable prom night? Yup!
@Ray: 1957 Chevy Bel Air 283. It was the family car, but during my high school years, after I got my license, it was mine pretty much any time I needed wheels.
Greatest Of All Time?
@Ken: I took a 1967 Pontiac GTO in 1972. Two proms, two girlfriends at the same time. Too much fun, too much car for a 17-year-old kid, and did not get into too much trouble (with the car or the two girls).
@Frank: In 1975 I drove a 1967 Pontiac GTO, Fathom Blue with black interior, Hurst dual-gate automatic, no power steering/brakes, and no air conditioning. Bought the car in December of 1974 for $700 at age 17. My first car. Remember everything about the car, and it was in very nice condition.
@DUB6: Ah, the days when you could buy a “very nice condition,” seven-year-old GTO for $700—please, please, please take me back!
The bench-seat Monte…
@Tim: I took a 1986 Monte Carlo SS, and it was one of the few I have seen that came with a front bench seat. It came in handy that night! Drove it to my prom in 1987.
A Pinto punchline?
@Jim: 1978 Ford Pinto wagon, four-speed. Beast!
Mopar muscle
@John: 1967 Plymouth GTX, midnight metallic blue, white interior. 440 Commando, dual quads, and A-727 Torqueflite.
@Steve: For my 1970 prom I took a ’66 Plymouth Satellite with a 440, 727 auto, Keystone Klassic wheels, and redline tires.
@Patrick: 1960 Dodge Dart Phoenix: monstrous fourdoor with a 318. Great beer wagon.
Dumps like a truck?
@Richard: In the early ’80s my son was going to a prom with no date. The company I worked for had an ole Mack dump truck. He asked me if I’d drive him there in the ole beast. I said, “Hell yes.” He worked on that truck until it looked like a rough show truck. We made a statement for sure; some 40 years later, when he sees old classmates, they say, “Hey, you’re the kid that came to the prom in the dump truck!”
@Steve: A 1966 Chevy C-10 stepside–I had pulled out the six-cylinder, dropped in a 327 V-8, and added a nice set of oversized aluminum slots with a fresh paint job in Corvette blue. The best part was the bench seat! Ended up getting married to that girl.
@Gred: In 1979, I took my 1971 Ford Ranchero GT, 351 Cleveland 4V carb, light green w/wood paneling, skinny rims, and tires w/dog-dish hubcaps. That car was such a sleeper.
Down to Cougar town!
@Steve: In 1977, ’78, and ’79 (with the same girl) I drove my ’67 Cougar (my daily, but I was proud of it). Girl is still a friend, and I recently bought the car back after a 15-year absence. It was partially stripped and almost hopeless, but it’s been fun to try to get it back to what it was when foolishly sold.
Stay in your (Fair)lane?
@John: 1974 or 1975 (can’t remember which) prom, drove the 1965 Ford Fairlane my father bought for me to drive when my aunt was going to trade it in. Visualize a shoebox, you have the styling for that car (1966 and 1967 models looked a lot better). My brother got to drive our parents’ 1969 Galaxie 500, a nicer ride. Anyway, it wasn’t an impressive ride, I was a hopelessly shy and awkward nerd and she was quite a looker, so she moved on to more impressive guys.
She heard he had a Mercury …
@Len: I took my own car to the 1956 prom, a 1951 Mercury convertible.
Malibu with my ‘bu!
@snailish: Mid-’90s prom, and I got to borrow a driver-quality 1970 Chevelle Malibu (dark blue with the black Malibu interior) convertible for that. Sadly the car was sold away from the family while I was away at college (for cheap, too). The next owner did a $50,000 restomod (in late ’90s dollars) to turn it into a red-with-black-stripes SS clone.
Prom-prom-prom?
@Sam: I took a 2004 Mazda 3 for junior prom. Hopefully I get something better for my senior prom! LOL!
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Went to the 1969 prom in my 1960 Chevy, 3 speed on the floor, 283 V8 Impala. Did get lucky that night in that my 60 Chevy got us to the prom and home afterwards.
Drove my 1960 MGA Twin Cam to my junior and senior prom. Kinda hard to fit my date’s big puffy dress in but managed to fold it all in and slam the door..used to double in that car too!
My first prom in my 57 Chevy Bel-Air two door post. 283 with power pack and a turboglide. (KInda rare i think) I bought it when i was 15 and sold it to buy my 64 GTO at 17. So first prom 57 Chevy second prom 64 GTO. I knew i was lucky but now realize how lucky. Frankfort Mi H.S.
My parents friend loaned me their red, pagoda roof Mercedes 250SL. A dream for a car nerd like me.
1965 GTO. Ahhh…memories!
Junior prom, a ’66 Chevy Impala 327, 4 speed. Senior prom, 67 Chevelle SS 396/350 4-speed
Wish I had those cars now.
I wish I had seen this earlier, I drove a 1970 Chevy El Camino SS with a bored and stroked 454 to a 496 that was pushing north of 700hp for JUNIOR prom (mind you, I had my license for just over a year and he didn’t trust his own son who was 24 to drive it). It is my boss’s car, he was in South Dakota (we’re from Wisconsin) at the time and told me how to break into his house and grab the keys. Best part… he told me he didn’t need the tires anymore. I did 140mph in that car as well as countless burnouts and I would argue the bed was the most useful part, not the bench seat. That car is forever imprinted on my mind as the most fun weekend of my life, even if it cost nearly $200 in gas
I took my 1950 Mercury coupe to my 1958 prom.
1978 Prom I drove my dads 1977 Plymouth Fury, dark blue with a 318, it looked just like the Maryland State Police unmarked car. 1979 Prom I drove a 1972 Nova, repainted firethorne red, bench seat with deep dish cragers and air shocks. It had a 307 so it looked faster than it was.. Had another couple in the back so the tires rubbed everytime you hit a bump. It rained both nights.
1971 senior prom in a 1970 American Motors Rebel Machine with the red, white, and blue paint job. Was married to my date for 39 years. The car was her father’s. Guess he liked me…
1966 UGA prom
1965 bad GTO. It was quick fun and fast
I attempted to take my Mom’s brand new 91 Thunderbird SC to my senior prom. Unfortunately one of the fancy BBS style wheels the dealer installed had a defect and went flat. I was a pretty good mechanic even then but I was wearing a rented tux (I did not want to ruin) plus the tool to remove the center cap broke. I gave up and got towed to the dealer. Naturally they blamed me for it, my mother told the service manager to screw and I did not cause the issue. They made it right in the end. I took my 91 Escort GT instead. The after prom activities made up for the fiasco.
Took my 68 Camaro to the prom.
1967 & 1968 I drove my Dad’s 67 Camaro Coupe. Granada Gold, 327/275 HP, automatic, and a bench seat.
Growing up in Sin City Las Vegas Nevada, presented a different tradition for junior senior prom. A hotel show was always involved. I double-dated in my dad’s 1967 Impala Hardtop, we went to the Alpine Village German restaurant and then headed over to the Hilton to see Tom Jones. As I drop the car at valet parking I heard the attendant step on the gas and the next sound was the fan hitting the shroud, he broke the motor mounts. I wasn’t excited about seeing Tom Jones with his pants stepped full of rags but the motor mount was on my mind the whole evening. The next day I told my dad about the motor mounts and at first he didn’t believe me he thought sure it was me, but I told my dad I would never do that to his car. So we drove up to the Hilton Hotel and talk to the Head valet guy, and explain the situation and the hotel paid to have my dad’s car fixed 55 years later I’m still friends with the lady I took to see the broken motor mount