By 1962, more than 1 million U.S. built cars were factory equipped with bucket seats; often, these were fitted with a center console containing a gear shifter and possibly other features between the seats. The popularity of the bucket seat grew with the advent of sporty compact cars (or "pony cars") such as the Ford Mustang. With the introduction of subcompact-sized automobiles such as the Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto, bucket seats were used due to the lack of seating room and the use of floor-mounted levers for the gear shifter and parking brake.

An added impetus came from Chevrolet, with the popularity of the Chevrolet Corvair introduced in 1960. The sporty Monza version of the Corvair was the catalyst that Ford needed to create the now instantly recognizable Mustang. The initial Corvair had been positioned as an economy car, but it was much more successful with the plusher trim and sportier image of the Monza model that included bucket seats and a floor-mounted transmission shifter, which sold around 144,000 units by 1961—starting a trend toward sportier cars with bucket-seats in all sizes from compacts to full-size cars. Ford responded to the compact Corvair Monza with sportier Futura and Futura Sprint versions of its Ford Falcon, and Chrysler with the Plymouth Valiant Signet and Dodge Dart GT, as well as American Motors (AMC) with the 440-H and Rogue versions of the Rambler American,[5] and Studebaker with the sporty Daytona version of its compact Lark. Other sporty bucket-seat compact cars that appeared during the early 1960s included the Mercury Comet S-22, Oldsmobile F-85 Cutlass, Buick Special Skylark, and Pontiac Tempest LeMans. Most of these sporty compacts came standard with the same economical six-cylinder engines as their more mundane counterparts, but in some cases more powerful V8 engines were at least optional along with four-speed manual transmissions and center consoles housed between the front bucket seats.

How did Ms. Johns describe the car of her abductor? Any car photos from any other suspects out there?

By 1962, more than 1 million U.S. built cars were factory equipped with bucket seats; often, these were fitted with a center console containing a gear shifter and possibly other features between the seats. The popularity of the bucket seat grew with the advent of sporty compact cars (or "pony cars") such as the Ford Mustang. With the introduction of subcompact-sized automobiles such as the Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto, bucket seats were used due to the lack of seating room and the use of floor-mounted levers for the gear shifter and parking brake.

An added impetus came from Chevrolet, with the popularity of the Chevrolet Corvair introduced in 1960. The sporty Monza version of the Corvair was the catalyst that Ford needed to create the now instantly recognizable Mustang. The initial Corvair had been positioned as an economy car, but it was much more successful with the plusher trim and sportier image of the Monza model that included bucket seats and a floor-mounted transmission shifter, which sold around 144,000 units by 1961—starting a trend toward sportier cars with bucket-seats in all sizes from compacts to full-size cars. Ford responded to the compact Corvair Monza with sportier Futura and Futura Sprint versions of its Ford Falcon, and Chrysler with the Plymouth Valiant Signet and Dodge Dart GT, as well as American Motors (AMC) with the 440-H and Rogue versions of the Rambler American,[5] and Studebaker with the sporty Daytona version of its compact Lark. Other sporty bucket-seat compact cars that appeared during the early 1960s included the Mercury Comet S-22, Oldsmobile F-85 Cutlass, Buick Special Skylark, and Pontiac Tempest LeMans. Most of these sporty compacts came standard with the same economical six-cylinder engines as their more mundane counterparts, but in some cases more powerful V8 engines were at least optional along with four-speed manual transmissions and center consoles housed between the front bucket seats.

How did Ms. Johns describe the car of her abductor? Any car photos from any other suspects out there?

IMO, I wouldn’t put any time into this case as one would have to make very big assumptions that it really was The Z. and that it actually happened. After you get over those mountains, you have lack of evidence and the unavailability of the only cognizant victim at the time. Good luck with that.

Yes there are times when I have tried to direct conversations as to what is confirmed Z evidence and eyewitness descriptions.
I started a thread called Confirmed and Unconfirmed evidence for Z. It got off on a tangent that Z lived in Presidio Heights based on
Fouke’s description of some man he said he saw that night with no way to confirm he saw Zodiac, in fact folks are still looking for a guy
who is old, ignoring the eyewitness sketch provided by the teen agers observing Zodiac with Paul Stine. I would love to see a stripped bare
set of facts which are confirmed so we can see who Zodiac really is.
People like these other scenes, like with Cheri Jo Bates, to see if they can discover on their own who the Zodiac Killer was. That is not
the same as conducting a scientific investigation.
Once again, from my own experience, Kathleen Johns sounds true. Women with Infants don’t create crisis scenarios whereby they are without
transportation on an unknown county Hiway ending with their car being burned. Please..I had three babies.

Yes there are times when I have tried to direct conversations as to what is confirmed Z evidence and eyewitness descriptions.
I started a thread called Confirmed and Unconfirmed evidence for Z. It got off on a tangent that Z lived in Presidio Heights based on
Fouke’s description of some man he said he saw that night with no way to confirm he saw Zodiac, in fact folks are still looking for a guy
who is old, ignoring the eyewitness sketch provided by the teen agers observing Zodiac with Paul Stine. I would love to see a stripped bare
set of facts which are confirmed so we can see who Zodiac really is.
People like these other scenes, like with Cheri Jo Bates, to see if they can discover on their own who the Zodiac Killer was. That is not
the same as conducting a scientific investigation.
Once again, from my own experience, Kathleen Johns sounds true. Women with Infants don’t create crisis scenarios whereby they are without
transportation on an unknown county Hiway ending with their car being burned. Please..I had three babies.

Well, in all four (LHR, BRS, LB, and SF) confirmed Zodiac attacks, The Z. either left no living witnesses or made sure they didn’t easily escape. Without analyzing the Z. letters and newspaper articles, I’ll say The Z. announced the crime details afterwards (from experience) and didn’t destroy any evidence. You add the police not taking her "seriously", perhaps, because she wasn’t convincing or able to provide a license plate #. I would have written down or memorized a plate # at some time between having allowed a stranger to work on my car, it break down afterwards, him offer me a ride, and miraculously escape from him in the middle of the night with my child.

Once again, from my own experience, Kathleen Johns sounds true. Women with Infants don’t create crisis scenarios whereby they are without transportation on an unknown county Hiway ending with their car being burned. Please..I had three babies.

People are not doubting that someone took her for a hellish ride. People are merely doubting that Zodiac was the one responsible.

Once again, from my own experience, Kathleen Johns sounds true. Women with Infants don’t create crisis scenarios whereby they are without transportation on an unknown county Hiway ending with their car being burned. Please..I had three babies.

People are not doubting that someone took her for a hellish ride. People are merely doubting that Zodiac was the one responsible.

I’ll be that guy. I doubt her story.

People can doubt her story, but please provide a valid possible reason for it. Why would she, while pregnant and with a young child, ditch her car in th emiddle of nowhere, burn it, and then make up the z story? Also, she was on her way to visit her sick mother, which seems like an odd time to try and pull a stunt like this. I have to give her the benefit of the doubt. In my opinion, at worst, perhaps it really happened, but she twisted some of it to get herself involved in the zodiac case for attention. At best, she really took a ride with Zodiac. Her story very closely resembles the very same M.O. used in this 1967 southern CA incidents in which women were attacked in this very same way but were able to escape and tell their stories. If you have not checked out that thread, you may want to do so here:
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=44

Since there is already a very good possibility Z was operating in Southern CA in the early to mid 1960’s,(Domingos/Edwards/Bates) this is not far fetched.

People can doubt her story, but please provide a valid possible reason for it. Why would she, while pregnant and with a young child, ditch her car in th emiddle of nowhere, burn it, and then make up the z story? Also, she was on her way to visit her sick mother, which seems like an odd time to try and pull a stunt like this. I have to give her the benefit of the doubt. In my opinion, at worst, perhaps it really happened, but she twisted some of it to get herself involved in the zodiac case for attention. At best, she really took a ride with Zodiac. Her story very closely resembles the very same M.O. used in this 1967 southern CA incidents in which women were attacked in this very same way but were able to escape and tell their stories. If you have not checked out that thread, you may want to do so here:
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=44

Since there is already a very good possibility Z was operating in Southern CA in the early to mid 1960’s,(Domingos/Edwards/Bates) this is not far fetched.

Re: Kathleen Johns..
Post by Victor » Fri Aug 30, 2013 10:45 am

"Well, in all four (LHR, BRS, LB, and SF) confirmed Zodiac attacks, The Z. either left no living witnesses or made sure they didn’t easily escape. Without analyzing the Z. letters and newspaper articles, I’ll say The Z. announced the crime details afterwards (from experience) and didn’t destroy any evidence. You add the police not taking her "seriously", perhaps, because she wasn’t convincing or able to provide a license plate #. I would have written down or memorized a plate # at some time between having allowed a stranger to work on my car, it break down afterwards, him offer me a ride, and miraculously escape from him in the middle of the night with my child."

People can doubt her story, but please provide a valid possible reason for it. Why would she, while pregnant and with a young child, ditch her car in th emiddle of nowhere, burn it, and then make up the z story? Also, she was on her way to visit her sick mother, which seems like an odd time to try and pull a stunt like this. I have to give her the benefit of the doubt. In my opinion, at worst, perhaps it really happened, but she twisted some of it to get herself involved in the zodiac case for attention. At best, she really took a ride with Zodiac. Her story very closely resembles the very same M.O. used in this 1967 southern CA incidents in which women were attacked in this very same way but were able to escape and tell their stories. If you have not checked out that thread, you may want to do so here:
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=44

Since there is already a very good possibility Z was operating in Southern CA in the early to mid 1960’s,(Domingos/Edwards/Bates) this is not far fetched.

Re: Kathleen Johns..
Post by Victor » Fri Aug 30, 2013 10:45 am

"Well, in all four (LHR, BRS, LB, and SF) confirmed Zodiac attacks, The Z. either left no living witnesses or made sure they didn’t easily escape. Without analyzing the Z. letters and newspaper articles, I’ll say The Z. announced the crime details afterwards (from experience) and didn’t destroy any evidence. You add the police not taking her "seriously", perhaps, because she wasn’t convincing or able to provide a license plate #. I would have written down or memorized a plate # at some time between having allowed a stranger to work on my car, it break down afterwards, him offer me a ride, and miraculously escape from him in the middle of the night with my child."

And at LB, in broad daylight and in full regalia with witnesses relatively nearby, The Z. took the time to securely bound both victims. Doesn’t seem very likely The Z. would let KJB escape so easily IF this indeed did happen AND was committed by The Z.

People can doubt her story, but please provide a valid possible reason for it. Why would she, while pregnant and with a young child, ditch her car in th emiddle of nowhere, burn it, and then make up the z story? Also, she was on her way to visit her sick mother, which seems like an odd time to try and pull a stunt like this. I have to give her the benefit of the doubt. In my opinion, at worst, perhaps it really happened, but she twisted some of it to get herself involved in the zodiac case for attention. At best, she really took a ride with Zodiac. Her story very closely resembles the very same M.O. used in this 1967 southern CA incidents in which women were attacked in this very same way but were able to escape and tell their stories. If you have not checked out that thread, you may want to do so here:
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=44

Since there is already a very good possibility Z was operating in Southern CA in the early to mid 1960’s,(Domingos/Edwards/Bates) this is not far fetched.

Re: Kathleen Johns..
Post by Victor » Fri Aug 30, 2013 10:45 am

"Well, in all four (LHR, BRS, LB, and SF) confirmed Zodiac attacks, The Z. either left no living witnesses or made sure they didn’t easily escape. Without analyzing the Z. letters and newspaper articles, I’ll say The Z. announced the crime details afterwards (from experience) and didn’t destroy any evidence. You add the police not taking her "seriously", perhaps, because she wasn’t convincing or able to provide a license plate #. I would have written down or memorized a plate # at some time between having allowed a stranger to work on my car, it break down afterwards, him offer me a ride, and miraculously escape from him in the middle of the night with my child."

And at LB, in broad daylight and in full regalia with witnesses relatively nearby, The Z. took the time to securely bound both victims. Doesn’t seem very likely The Z. would let KJB escape so easily IF this indeed did happen AND was committed by The Z.

But, of course, I could be completely wrong. The Z. needed prep time and this was a spur of the moment opportunity.

Also, don’t forget the unexpected baby and that she was pregnant. It’s quite likely that this was enough to throw him.

What I find interesting is, there are a number of people who dismiss Kathy’s allegation and won’t have it that Zodiac was involved at all and yet they readily accept and believe that Zodiac was responsible for Cheri Jo’s murder. I myself could be accused of being hypocritical in a sense because I believe that Zodiac was responsible for Kathy’s ‘interesting ride’, but not convinced in regards to Cheri Jo’s murder. But I think there is a valid reason to hold this belief. Kathy wasn’t murdered and gave a description and even pointed to the wanted sketch claiming ‘That’s Him!" Paul Stine’s sister had had a similar experience on the same highway after Joe Stine challenged Zodiac. Zodiac himself mentioned, totally unprovoked, giving a rather interesting ride to a women and her baby one evening (albeit a tiny piece did appear buried in the latter pages of the Chronicle). And how Zodiac came to be suspected as the Riverside Ripper has always troubled me. Someone phones Paul Avery and offers an anonymous tip that Zodiac first murder can be found down in Riverside in 66. If Z were responsible for CJB murder, then the person phoning the tip through either has to be aware who Zodiac is, or is the Zodiac himself in order for him to be able to offer such info to Avery. The only other possibility is the tipster is a hoaxer. Either way, at least Z offered up some info regarding K.J such as ‘ended in my burning her vehicle’ even though that was reported in the papers. Zodiac offers nothing what-so-ever in way of evidence to support his claim that he was the man who knifed CJB in 66.

Tell you what I do find very odd regarding the whole incident, and this could be something that many have overlooked, is the Company who came and towed what was left of Kathy’s vehicle said when officers asked where the keys were after a report was logged that the car was burnt-out with the keys visable on the front seat, had this to say:

Who were these two people with interest in Kathy’s vehicle the day after the incident is alleged to have taken place?

Who were these two people with interest in Kathy’s vehicle the day after the incident is alleged to have taken place?

Sorry Welsh Chappie but the report doesn’t seem conclusive on the keys being in the car. And KJ and her husband could have shown up having the keys looking at their burnt up heap.