Your first love is never forgotten. That’s why, together with enthusiastic car owners, we look back on their very first car. Today, we’re going back to the 70s with Carla’s Fiat 124 from Heemstede, when car ownership was not yet a given.
A snow-white Fiat 124 as your first car. How did that beloved Italian end up with you?
“I got that car from my aunt Ria. I was eighteen years old and had just gotten my driver’s license when she invited me to come visit. I didn’t think anything of it, so I went. We were having coffee when she suddenly jumped up from the chair and asked if I wanted to walk to the garage with her, because she had a gift for me waiting there. The garage door opened and there was the Fiat. Aunt Ria pressed the car keys into my hands and said: this is yours now. That moment was 45 years ago, but I still remember it like it was yesterday.”
What a wonderful gift to receive from your aunt.
“I was overjoyed and didn’t expect it at all. My father came from a large Catholic family and I was one of Aunt Ria’s seven godchildren and I was lucky that I had just gotten my driver’s license. My aunt suffered from back problems, which meant she could no longer drive. Turns out she had decided to give me the Fiat 124. The older I get, the more I realize how big and meaningful that gesture was.”
One of the first rides is still etched in your memory?
“Absolutely. Those were different times and car ownership was not a given at all. Suddenly you were free to go wherever you wanted and that was a very special feeling. I felt like I was on top of the world and just went driving because I could. I took my first ride with my niece. We were so happy and joyful. There we went, singing behind the wheel on the road. She thought it was some kind of Lada from the Soviet Union that I was driving up in. In part, she was right, of course, because the Fiat 124 was running under license as a Lada 1200 from the assembly line. Later I often went out with a friend. We took a blanket and some snacks and went picnicking on the side of the highway. It was still so quiet on the road that something like that was fine. What a joy it was.”
There came a moment when you suddenly had to share the car?
“My husband Erik, whom I was already dating at the time, was in military service and stationed in Ermelo.” Whether he could use my car during that period to go to the barracks, so that he could travel back and forth quickly and we could see each other more often. Giving your car away for half the week to your man, that’s true love, right.”
What made that car really special?
“It was a very simple, reliable car that never really broke down. The interior had that skai upholstery and there was a radio in it. That was something. Actually, I mainly remember the steering wheel well. That was really such a thin, old-fashioned hoop that felt great in the hands. I regret that I never kept that steering wheel.”
What eventually happened to the Fiat?
“We had it for five years until it was sold to a scrapyard for fifty guilders. It was really done. The brakes were getting bad, but I can’t remember why we didn’t just have them repaired. Maybe the rust was also becoming a problem. Because rusting, they could do that.”
What came in front of the door after the Fiat 124?
“We went in all directions. From a Corolla and an Alfasud to a series of Volvos. The XC90 was my favorite and I still miss it. Write that down as my dream car!”