[DeTomaso] NPC? Men and Cars essay

[gow2 at rc-tech.net]

That kind of reminds me of this. This is the average car guy these days:

http://www.rc-tech.net/cars2/WhatPeopleThinkCarGuys.jpg




> Dear Forum,
>
>
>
>           Now for something completely different.   I read this is in the
> Wall Street Journal and thought that I must share it with my fellow
> gearheads.
>
>
>
>                                    Warmest regards,  Chuck Engles
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>            When Men and Cars Were Truly Bonded              by  Joe
> Queenan
> from WSJ December 1, 2012
>
>
>
>
>
>           "In 'Skyfall', the spectacularly entertaining new James Bond
> film,
> Agent 007 initially doesn't seem terribly offended by Javier Bardem's
> sadistic depredations.  For the first two hours, Bond seems to accept the
> idea that psychopaths will be psychopaths and boys will be boys.
>
>
>
>            Invade the Houses of Parliament for the specific purpose
> assassinating the head of MI6?  Cheeky, but well within the ethical
> parameters of top-flight espionage.  Ravage the London Underground,
> destroying a dozen subway cars in the process?  All in a day's work.
> Murder
> one of Bond's best friends and send a dozen other British secret agents to
> their deaths?  Good God, Javier, you were only doing your job.  No one
> could
> hold that against you.
>
>
>
>               But then Javier goes on step too far and destroys Bond's
> beloved Aston-Martin.  To which 007's reply is, "Meet your maker,
> scumbag."
>
>
>
>          Bond's infatuation with his car underscores how little the
> average
> man has in common with 007 anymore.  When the Bond movies first appeared
> in
> the early '60s, the average guy might not own a Lamborghini or a Porsche
> or
> an Aston-Martin, but it was still quite possible that he drove a car
> exuding
> a certain measure of style: fins,  a convertible roof, a two-tone leather
> interior, fancy hubcaps, perhaps even wood paneling-inside and out.
> Because
> of this , he could deceive himself into thinking that there was a bit of
> James Bond in all of us.  Even if, like me, he was only 11 at the time.
>
>
>
>             But that was back in an era when men were men and cars were
> cars.  Now all cars look the same.  You can see it when the men come
> pouring
> out of the multiplex and pile into their automobiles.  Honda Civics.
> Toyota
> Corollas.  An assortment of vehicles that are putatively Ram-tough.   And
> maybe, for the really daring, a Lexus.  Which looks like an Elantra.  Or a
> Sonota.  Or an Acura.
>
>
>
>                 But it doesn't look like an Aston-Martin.
>
>
>
>                And don't even get me started on the Priuses.
>
>
>
>               I myself am just as guilty of this failing as anybody.  If
> Javier Bardem unexpectedly decided to rake my Sienna with merciless
> machine-gun fire, I'd say, "Be my guest.  And strafe the Camry while
> you're
> at it."  I feel the same way about the Nissan hatchback we used to own.  A
> beige hatchback.  Torch it, Javier.  I'll lend you the kerosene.   As for
> the bland, indestructible Previa we held on to for 18 years, go ahead and
> shred it, pal.  Take your time.  Enjoy.
>
>
>
>                 Sadly, this is a society in which few men own a car they
> love so much they would fight to avenge its demise.  Men would be more
> likely to protect their iPods.  'Skyfall' is the kind of film that reminds
> us that there are still some things worth fighting for.  Honor.  Country.
> Decency.  Aston-Martins.
>
>
>
>                   I have owned exactly one car I would kill for.  A few
> years back a good friend gave me a vintage 1983 Mercedes.  It was the size
> of Finland and sounded like Erwin Rommel and the boys were back in town.
> I
> loved that car.  My son loved it even more.  He appropriated it and drove
> it
> all around town during his senior year in high school.  It was the coolest
> car in the school, and he was the coolest kid in town.  Well, one of the
> coolest.
>
>
>
>                That car is long gone.  It was too old, it kept going on
> the
> fritz, it cost so much to maintain.  So I eventually sold it to a car
> lover
> on Long Island.
>
>
>
>                  From the moment he entered my driveway, I could see how
> much that car meant to him.  He loved that car.  He worshipped that car
> He
> looked like the kind of guy, who, if Javier Bardem showed up and destroyed
> his Mercedes with grenades, bombs and machine-gun fire, he'd literally
> carve
> his guts out.
>
>
>
>                Purists, take note: The Mercedes in question is the 240D.
> Gunmetal blue."
>
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