The Modesto Bee newspaper used to run a weekly half page article about local custom cars. Modesto is the town that was the basis for the movie "American Graffiti", so custom cars are a big thing here. A Bee reporter did one of the weekly stories about my '76 914. The story related how long ago, when I was in high school, one of my neighbors that owned a 914 would lend it to me to drive whenever I was going to take my "now wife" out on big dates. Once each year, the Bee would post a single page of small pictures showing all fifty cars featured from that year. Readers were then invited to vote online as many times as they wanted to for their choice for the "Car of the Year" award. Somehow my teener won easily, but I didn't really know why until years later. I was looking at old forum posts on this site and discovered that my fellow 914 owners here were instrumental in the victory! Here's a link to the old forum page where members are talking about voting as many as 22 times for my car! (Thanks grasshopper!).

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=50967
hey orange,

When the Bee called and told me that my 914 had won, they instructed me to show up on the next Saturday to be featured at the annual Modesto Jr. College Car Show. I had never participated in a car show before. My teener is a nice clean driver, but I had never considered it a "show car". When I arrived early that next Saturday, the car show operators guided me into the "front and center" space designated for the Car of the Year winner. Parked on one side of my 914 was the second place car, a mint trailer queen '71 Mustang Mach 1. Parked on the other side of my 914 was the third place car, a show prepped Austin FX that was so clean that you could have dined off of the engine. I still remember, like it was yesterday, the attitude of the two owners of those second and third place cars as they paced around my first place "street legal go cart". They both had their noses out of joint as they peered down at my knee high 914, and I could hear them mumbling something to the effect of "how the heck did that car beat our beautiful show cars?". It wasn't hard to discern the obvious disdain in their voices, but I just told them that "the people have made their choice, too bad!" Thank you to any of my fellow members here that voted for my 914 for the Car of the Year award and for giving me an unforgettable day at that car show! Teeners Rule!
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I live off Orangeblossom rd in east Oakdale, (209) 605-8456