I am not a gear head by any means, but I do love cars. For example, this week is the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and I, of course, am glued to the news and blogs to see if there is anything that gets my blood flowing. The last few years have been very ho-hum IMHO about cars. It goes to show that I chose practicality over passion when I got my Prius v. I do love my car more than a regular Prius, but there is that part of me that wants something to blow the doors off someone at a stoplight.
Some of my favorite cars are classic cars, which is one of the reasons I love watching Chasing Classic Cars on Velocity Network. I currently can not afford anything even remotely in the ballpark that is featured on the show (there is still time), but I love seeing what Wayne finds on each episode and root for him to either get a good deal or make heaps of cash at auction.
The North American Car of the Year for 2014 is the new Corvette Stingray. There is a lot to like about this car, but for me a lot to dislike as it still looks too much like the new Camaro for my liking. I still prefer the 1963-1968 version of the Corvette the best, partially because my dad has a split-window ’63 that we still drool over.
My personal favorite car is the BMW 507 and it’s updated kin the BMW Z8. I’m not a BMW-aphile but I have always loved the look of the original 507 when I first laid my eyes on it. It was what I thought a sportscar should be. In the 1990s, the Z3 came out and I really wanted to get one (and still hope to get my hands on a used one someday). A few years later my jaw hit the floor when the Z8 came out – I was really in heaven. It was a true update to the legendary 507 and something I also would be happy to drive one day. I love all three of these cars so much that I have models of them on my desk. But if you ever want to buy me a set of cars, I’d take a 507 and a Z8! Here is a photo of them in my future driveway for reference.
(Courtesy of the Villa d’Este Concours, photo by Bjoern Schmidt)