The starting line

Where did my car craze begin? I'm not totally sure, but my aunts and uncles always used to give me die-cast Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars when they visited during my childhood. I recall on a Memorial Day in the early 70's, bursting into tears because I wanted to watch the Indy 500 instead of going to church! Movies played a role too: Herbie the Love Bug, The California Kid, American Graffiti, and ZZ Top videos were definitely influential.