Category: cars

so there’s an idea

Instead of doing the things I needed to do today I first had to have the Karmann Ghia towed, and completely unrelated I’m now waiting for the plumber to call and say that he’s on his way. On the upside: the bathroom floor is very clean, and the old car has a new fuel pump.

When I was at the car place this morning (they work on classic VWs almost exclusively) I was drawn to an old silver Porsche in perfect condition. I said something about it to one of the guys working there, and he surprised me by telling me the car was a fake. What I saw was a very real-looking plastic porsche-shell on top of a VW engine. According to the website they start at a little over $17 000.

you can dream

This is the front end of a 1939 Frazer Nash/BMW. The Blackhawk Museum in Danville houses truckloads of antique cars, and pretty much all the cars are fantastic. Some of them are beyond fantastic. There is one, from the 1920s, that is made from tulipwood. They seem to rotate the exhibits tho so the tulipwood one wasn’t on display yesterday when I was there.

I think what is fascinating with these cars is that they are so much about the dream of the future, and about the dream of traveling there. Cars from the 1930s look like space ships. They look fast, as if the future couldn’t get there quick enough. The romance of that is irresistible. A Toyota Prius? Dull, and practical. But does it really have to look dull and practical? There is a statement about our times in there, and it isn’t good.

There were two old guys walking around the exhibit yesterday, making conversation like 5 year old boys: “This one is mine!”. “No, I’ll go with the Packard.” Adorable.

public safety

As I was driving home this evening all of a sudden I noticed a police cruiser pulled over into the center divider in the distance, ahead of me. Blue and red lights were flashing and cars moved over one lane as they were preparing to pass. I moved over too. I wondered what was going on – the lights always look dramatic. When I got closer I could see something on the ground halfway out into the left lane. The cruiser was sitting behind this object, or person?, and an office was moving towards it. As I passed I got a better look. It was a mattress, with bungee cords still attached. It was a windy day, and it had been blown off someone’s truck. The police officer, by himself, was dragging it out of the way.

And I was thinking, thank you, guy, for being strong enough to do that. Mattresses are heavy. And I was thinking, stupid people who didn’t secure that mattress better on this windy day. And I was thinking, I’m sure he didn’t go to police school for this.