I'm a Car Guy...

always have been always will be. I grew up loving cars. My father was in the auto industry & raced cars. I own a cool vintage car, love road trips & the interstate highway system. I actually like driving though not so much in the city. Who really does anyway?

I'm also a cyclist and have been since my youth in the 1970's. I worked in bike shops & as a bike mechanic. This year I'll end up riding over 8000 miles. Again. I raised my sons to be avid cyclists. One works in a bike shop & is an intern at Chainlink. The other refuses to get a drivers license.

So am I Schizophrenic? Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde? Am I sleeping with the enemy? Can you support Palestinian statehood & Israel?

I've been a member of CL since we numbered in the hundreds & I've seen it all on this forum so if you must flame me try & be creative.

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Permalink Reply by David P. on May 10, 2013 at 10:35am

Michael,

Have you seen Ate Up With Motor's latest piece?

http://ateupwithmotor.com/luxury-and-personal-luxury-cars/309-merce...

Michael B said:

Wow. Here's mine: 1970 Mercedes 280SL

Duane Waller said:

James, I too think of them as strictly transportation now. Strangely, when I began work at the antique auto place, I loved cars and everything about them. But as time wore on, I got really tired of cars (and their fanatic owners). The only cars I find fascinating anymore are older, more unique automobiles. I was lucky enough to be able to have worked on this one, Dean Martin's 1962 Dual-Ghia coupe. The car was sent to us to ready it for auction. It still had the plaque on the dashboard from Dual Motors stating it was Dean's, and it still had it's original 7-speaker radio! 7! That's crazy for 1962. There were also latches built into the back seats that held leather suitcases.

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Permalink Reply by David P. on June 22, 2013 at 11:04am

For those of you without cable who want to watch Luh Mans this weekend, here's the roundup: http://reillybrennan.com/post/52724770009/2013-24-hours-of-le-mans-...

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Permalink Reply by SlowCoachOnTheRoad on June 23, 2013 at 1:50pm

My wife and I are looking for a new car as our present 2003 Saturn Ion is seeing its last day. We are thinking maybe of going for a Subaru Impreza, which seemed right for us. We have kids so bikes are not going to cut it for all trips, for large shopping sprees, for visiting their grandparents in Milwaukee, for going on road trips, or for my wife going to work 30 miles north of us. I try to bike to work a few days a week from the north side to the Loop but also take the bus when I'm lazy or tired. But riding a car as a biker has made me a lot safer to other bikers. My biking has also reduced the amount I drive, since for short errands in the neighborhood my bike is quicker, more convenient, and just more fun. Also, we love to see our biking as saving the world, but really? We are riding on petroleum based roads. We are playing an important part in the move toward a greener society, but we must not get too big for our boots either.

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Permalink Reply by SlowCoachOnTheRoad on June 23, 2013 at 1:53pm

Oh, one more thought... if anyone has not yet read this great article critiquing cars by Andre Gorz from 1973, it is well worth it: http://www.bikereader.com/contributors/misc/gorz.html

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Bedno on June 23, 2013 at 1:56pm

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Permalink Reply by SlowCoachOnTheRoad on June 23, 2013 at 2:09pm

Okay, one last thought for real before I sign off. I grew up in France and thought they had really

cool cars. I wanted to collect French toy cars but they are almost impossible to find in model shops in the States or even from abroad. Find below a few images from my memory, an old Simca, Deux Chevaux (2 horses, or 2 horsepower, known simply as a Citroen 2CV), and an old Peugeot.

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