Well, it needs a second page for sure!
Well, it needs a second page for sure!
Because this is an obvious troll for pictures of interesting cars, I will do it. Here's what lives in my driveway, and why. Left out is the Grand Cherokee, because it is not interesting in any way.
I like it because it's the ubersaloon icon. Alcantara headliner, leather interior, 400 hp and the ability to cross small continents in a single bound. It's our "grown up" car. It feels special in a way a 540i doesn't. You can tell the engineers got to do what they wanted with this one, and they took pride in it.
It's not fast. But it's taken me interesting places and it's hugely involving to drive. It's the sort of vehicle you pat on the dash and tell it "good job" after it's crawled over some ridiculous obstacle.
It's huge. It's green. It's just so cool. 70 mph feels fast but relaxed, and it's got a Cadillac ride. Drop all four windows and drive to Vegas. I'm starting to rethink putting it up for sale.
It makes me laugh out loud. It snorts, it tugs at the wheel, it breaks the laws of physics.
It's driving distilled to the basic elements. The car's almost telepathic. Plus the engine I built for it has the most amazing range of noises. More fun than a supercharged Ariel Atom.
Much more entertaining to drive than you might expect because it's just odd, and you see curtains in the rear view mirror. It's also a bunch of potential - you look at it and start dreaming of trips.
It's nothing spectacular as Miatas go. A little turbo, a good all-around suspension and a bit of extra sound deadening. It's done road trips. It's been a commuter. It's run on the track and the autocross course. And it's friendly like a puppy the entire time, willing to work hard and take care of you. What's not to love?
I find this one interesting because it's the obvious result of years of feedback on what a truck should be. It just does what it does really well. And with the 6-speed and tireless Cummins, it's actually kinda fun. But it's even better with a load - strap a 28' trailer with two race cars on the hitch and load up the bed, and it's awesome feeling the truck dig deep as you climb a mountain pass.
It's got the looks of the gorgeous MGB GT. It's got the heart of a Corvette. And it's got a custom-built suspension to make it work. What's not to love? Well, maybe the on-track fireballs. But I'll get that sorted. This car was the result of a lot of dreaming and planning and very little attention paid to the amount of work involved.
Almost as hand-built as the MG, and built with a very particular purpose: to go as fast as possible for days on end no matter what the road is doing. Rally suspension is awesome. Like the MG, this is the result of a lot of dreaming and planning and testing.
JoeyM wrote: Unique/different, Incorporates something I made
While Keith's summary covers a lot of meaningful ground, I'm finding the new WRX strange to drive and so far difficult to feel connected to (which is not to say I don't enjoy the way it drives). I barely remember what it looks like under the hood yet. I'm used to cars where I have specific memories of seeing and touching virtually every part and fastener. I'm not sure "pride" is precisely the right word, but if someone says "nice car" about the WRX, I'm almost embarrassed. I just gave someone some money and they gave me the car; I had nothing to do with it.
I haven't done tons and tons of fabrication, but making the tubular transmission crossmember for the late, lamented E30 stands out as among the most satisfying automotive experiences I've had, and I felt that much more connected to the car.
In reply to Keith:
Every time you post a picture of that MGB-GT I get all gooey in the man parts and start shopping.
Either put out a full photo shoot in HD wallpaper size or stop it, will ya?
I used to have a Mk4 Golf. I upgraded the suspension and put on sticky tires and played around with the aesthetics a bit. It was even the rare Jazz Blue, a color a lot of people don't think was offered in a 1999.5 GL. But I never bonded with it. I called it the sensory deprivation car, and it had so much mechanical grip that it didn't really have handling. I never really regretted selling it.
Yes, those are blue taillights. I got rid of every exterior color other than silver, black and blue - clear front markers came after this shot. Hey, this was 2000. And they're proper Hella lights that light up the correct color at least...
GPS, how big? I've got larger versions of those files. My attempt at wet-sanding the paint was a failure, so the paint looks like hell now. Or you could say it has a vintage patina. So we have to rely on the old photo shoots for now...
I need RWD, good handling, and reliability. Easy to tinker/maintain/modify helps too.
= dream car
You'll need to log in to post.
