Sunday, January 17, 2010

One last look over the shoulder

I recently read an article by an editor of a car mag regarding the new Camaro and the attraction it's owners have. It was described as an attraction that hasn't been seen in a number of years.

Though cars have been far and few over the years, there have undoubtedly been cars that offer the same feeling in their owners. For me, my first car offered that sensation. My 1989 Firebird was nothing all that extrordinary, with it's TBI 305 cranking out just 170 hp and relatively rare 5 speed. Yet it injected me with an automotive passion that has lasted over half my lifetime. I remember a many times I parked my car, right after a hand car wash and blackened tires, looking back over my shoulder with a smile, often more than once.

It wasn't just the car, though I have always liked the styling. The car was fun in so many respects. The throaty V8 with Flowmaster mufflers, the low to the ground handling, the wind blowing with the t-tops out. It built an excitement, and the reason that there are cult like followings on the internet, and a growing number of aftermarket parts becoming available to restore them. Sure, the car had it's shortcomings, as dully noted to this day, such as the structural integrity being that of a wet noodle. Honestly, I'd probably have to agree, yet that did nothing to take from the thrill of the ride.

After that first car was totaled, I cried. Sentimental value aside, it was as much a part of me as anything else. The day she was totaled, I lost a part of me. The car I learned on, not only how to wrench, but how to drive. The hours I had spent both under the car and under the hood, seemed almost pointless at that point. Knowing that at any given time, all that work could be whiped out by another's disregard for a stop sign.

My next car, "The Replacement," was a 1969 Camaro. As bought, it was a good looking car, fun to drive, but it lacked the personality I had with my first car. I think a lot of that was the fact that the car was so nostalgic, had so many owners over the years, and just felt...well...used. As years would pass, my Camaro would be transformed into what I desired, and then morphed into other builds along the way. After the frame up restoration though, she was as much a part of me as my first car. Not only did it invoke the "look over the shoulder," but simply firing up the engine or dropping the hammer stood the hairs on the back of my neck up. Like an instant shot of adrenaline directly into my heart. Even on your worst days, a smile was just a Camaro ride away. Other people notice too when you drive a classic down the road, as evident by the smiles and thumbs up they forecast as they pass.

I hope that with the new "green" initiative, the building of cars people are passionate about is not lost in the mix. If the day comes when I have to drive a plug in vehicle, God help them if it looks like a damn Prius, Insight, or any other bubbly shit I've seen on the roads. If you gotta build a smaller car, then simply shrink the proportions of a car like the Camaro, Mustang, or Challenger. Offer many of the same signatures, be it the tail lights/head lights, hood design or body lines. You don't have to throw the design of the body out the window simply to build green machines.

Build me something, like my NEW 1989 Pontiac Formula I drive now, that I'm passionate about. 147,000 miles and 20 years of age, yet it still gets the over the shoulder look, and a smile....rust spots showing up and all. THAT is the type of thing that builds loyal customers who come back each time they need a new car, THAT is what gets people to park their rides to keep the miles down, and THAT is what makes a car a classic decades later.

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