With my Dad being in the car business, and driving a new car every year (sometimes two cars per year) and me being a young impressionable kid, I was destined to become a "compulsive" car buyer. Having a older Brother who got his first car when he was 14 didn't help matters either.
Since a neighbor a few houses East of where I grew up owned a 58 Corvette, and another neighbor 2 houses West of us owned a brand new 57 T-Bird, that's probably where my love for 2 seaters got started.
Actually it was the T-Bird owner who shared some of his wisdom with me, that has pretty much been my "mantra" for car ownership ever since.
It was the summer of 1957, and he was washing his new Bird on his circular paved driveway when a precocious 6 year old kept circling him on his 20" Schwinn.
Finally I stopped to ask him what he was doing? Duh Instead of being like most 20 year old guys and telling me to beat it, he simply said he was giving his "baby" a bath. I then asked him why he had changed his car so much? (he had installed Spun aluminium disc wheelcovers "Bonneville Style", removed the fender skirts, and replaced the original tail lights with flat lenses).
He stopped what he was doing, turned and looked at me with a smile, and said, "It's really not your car until you make it YOUR car, by changing it so it looks just the way you want it to look". I guess the rest is history. MIYO.....make it your own.
By the way, he still owns that 57 T-Bird, in the same "original" condition.