Ununited Nations

I enjoy getting together with a good group of motorheads.  I’m not sure if it is the comradery of carburetors that draws us together or the simple fact that most of us are so passionate and opinionated about our transportation choices, that sooner or later blood will be drawn  (like the pending horror of a train wreck that simply must be watched.  Or the pain of Bobby Unser on television).   Whatever the reason for getting together, the conversation always seems to flow without pause (and often without purpose, point, or poignancy, according to many onlookers) as we dive into the history, present day, and future of mechanized transportation.

Try as we might to come to an agreement on what makes a car “great,” the segregation inevitably happens:  as the discussions continue the group breaks into smaller and smaller subcomponents, a sort of reverse-assembly line.  Eventually, everyone finds themselves grouped in with one clique or another.  This is not a choice that can be taken lightly, nor made at that very moment.  Rather, it is the culmination of choices and attitudes that one exhibits over years of development.  Some may even declare it to be genetic.

The Japanese fans quietly keep to themselves, presumably in an attempt to grasp the concept that cars might actually vary in character and personality from, say, a baseboard heater. Read more