According to You: What vehicle took you to prom?

Chevrolet

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

Mecum

@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

Sterling

@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

Lincoln

@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

1955 Chevrolet Bel Air side view
GM

@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?

Mecum

@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…

Chevrolet

@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?

1978 Ford Pinto Wagon front three quarter
Mecum

@Jim: 1978 Ford Pinto wagon, four-speed. Beast!

Mopar muscle

Mecum

@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?

RTI Auctions

@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!

Mercury

@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?

Ford

@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 the OP

@Len: I took my own car to the 1956 prom, a 1951 Mercury convertible.

Malibu with my ‘bu!

Hmm, it’s possible this photo will upset @snailish. Sorry about that! Mecum

@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?

Mazda

@Sam: I took a 2004 Mazda 3 for junior prom. Hopefully I get something better for my senior prom! LOL!

 

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Comments

    I had a friend in high school who got a brand new 65 GTO for graduation. He got it a little early in time for the Prom. He dated one of the prettiest cheerleaders in the school and was something of a football star. Our school had a tradition that on the day after the prom everyone went to Daytona Beach, about an hour away. So here he was driving up and down the beach with a beautiful blond and a brand new GTO. Years later I reminded him of that time and suggested that when Springsteen wrote “Glory Days” he was thinking about my buddy. It brought a smile to his face…

    I didn’t go to MY prom in 1976, but in 1978 I took my then-girlfriend to HER prom. We went in my 1965 Cadillac DeVille which I still have today!

    Just the best ride at the time … 1967 Red GTO for my 1968 Senior Prom in San Francisco at the the Mark Hopins Hotel … it was a real head turner and the prom too🤗🥂

    Hey, I was very fortunate. My 1st car was a 1958 Corvette 283 w/ twin 4 barrels both hardtop & convertible.
    My next move-up was a 1966 GTO, 389 , 1 4 barrel, 3 speed. It was what I call a “Good Lemon”. Not good for drag racing, but Oh the top end speed was incredible! Would rap 0-120 & keep climbing to 60 & still winding. Raced a 427 vette & ate his lunch @ 160.
    Like many of you, wish I still had them

    No. Even with the aftermarket and Tremec, on summer only GYEagles, with vastly superior aero and suspension, my ’04 GTO tops at just over 150mph. A ’66 GTO 389/3spd isn’t going over 120mph unless you pitch it out of an airplane. Calling this one BS.

    My 1936 4door Dodge didn’t have a license, insurance, inspection, muffler, or only a learners permit so no prom in 1961…next the Navy. Date would have been the Vice Principals daughter and he didn’t like me.

    Sr and Jr proms, was a new 1975 Chrysler Cordoba. Had every available option including the police pursuit 400, Corinthian leather- and great for the prom were the buckets without console that had center armrest so date could sit next to me. 75 had NO lean burn and for mid 70’s a powerful new car. Funny thing… I owned 3 nice rides including a LS5/454 1970 Corvette, but wanted a brand new car with no console to show off my future bride in.

    Prom in 1984…in a 1979 Pontiac Parisienne. That car was very luxurious compared to a bare-bones late 70s pickup truck that was the other family vehicle. Driving the Pontiac felt very special.

    1967 Cougar XR7. Twenty seven years later I bought 1968 Cougar XR7 which I have been driving regularly ever since.

    The Prom dump truck story wins it for me! That is epic on many levels, not to mention way outside expectations of “classic car” stories!

    I had to be picked up for prom by my date’s father! I had a beautiful ‘67 Fairlane 2 door hardtop, Clearwater Aqua. The afternoon before prom I washed it, waxed and detailed it, vacuumed the interior and even the trunk (yeah, I was a neat car neat freak even at age 18).

    Only one problem. Somehow, I locked the keys inside the trunk and with a fixed back seat, there was no way to get into the trunk. My dad had the second set of keys, but they were at their vacation house.

    So I sheepishly called my date and she sent her dad over to get me. Fortunately, another couple we knew were able to pick us up at my date’s house and take us to prom.

    It wasn’t all bad though. I’ve been married to my prom date since 1975!

    1975 I took my future wife to the prom in a 1967 International Scout with a 196 ci 4 banger. About 25 years ago we bought her brothers 1976 Pontiac Trans Am. We are restoring it for my 50th class reunion in 2026

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