[DeTomaso] NPC? Men and Cars essay

[Bill Lewis]

I'm strolling the car sites for a 1982-1985 Cadillac Seville.  They are modern enough to be a daily driver, but have enough unique charm and style that they don't blend in with everything else on the road.    ---Bill Lewis

> From: cengles at cox.net
> To: detomaso at realbig.com
> Date: Sun, 2 Dec 2012 12:14:35 -0600
> Subject: [DeTomaso] NPC?   Men and Cars essay
> 
> 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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