My Imaginary Garage
If somehow, fiction turned to true-life, and I got a visit and a check for a fortune, I would pay off some debts, set the kids up with a comfortable income, take care of mama and anything she wanted…then I would head down to the car dealer.
My friend Hallerin Hilton Hill asked me to come up with my favorites from the North American Auto Show, so I have been perusing some photos and reading up on the various cars and trucks that I might consider during my imaginary shopping trip. It was a fun exercise.
One thing I learned about myself: I found myself thinking about fuel efficiency and hybrid power. For about ten seconds. People who have plenty of money and a love for performance will always pay the price for a gallon of motion lotion. But I had to assume that even I …a new member of the elite and moneyed … might run out of spare change or forget my American Express Black Card and have to think fuel efficiency for a while.
Here goes…with some photos…my favorites.
Number one on my list is this offering from the Ford Truck concept people. It’s called the Super Chief, in honor of the design lines of the famous passenger train from the 30’s and 40’s.
One of the nice things about this truck is the space inside. The floor has wood planks with metal strips in-between that run the length of the vehicle, from the interior to the cargo bed. The roof is nearly see-thru, like the old vista-rail cars. And nothing says truck like the front of this rig. This might not be my daily driver, but it sure would be nice to have when you need to haul some barn dirt or that old matress.
Next, what would likely be my daily driver: The VW Passat CC
Nice lines, understated German design. It says class. And the euro version of this car has a SEVEN speed transmission and a double electronic clutch system. I would have my butler loan me his leg for the left pedal.
Let’s get to some weekend rides:
I could play James Bond in this Aston-Martin Vanquish. The company has redesigned this car, and it has a classic look about it, with that touch that says “there could be rocket launchers under those parking lights”.
But if I felt the need for speed- this would be the whip I would ask Jeeves to warm up for me:
This is a Bugatti Veyron. It has more than a thousand horsepower…that’s right, mama…a thousand horsies under that composite shell waiting to roll. Unless something has rolled along in the past couple of months that I have not heard…this is the fastest production car in the world. It will carry you and one friend along at more than two hundred miles-an-hour. This buggy costs a lot more than three quarters of a million dollars. I found this photo of one that had a really bad day on a wet British Road:
The driver was okay, but his insurance agent suffered from dry heaves for a couple of hours.
Little cross-over cars were big at the auto show. My favorite was the Ford Verve. The show version was, of course, a lot more spiffy than the production model expected soon. But I really like the interior of this little car….er…truck….uh whatever it is. And it is cool looking, too, so the missus and I could motor down to the local cheese parlor in understated style. I like nice interiors. When you think about it…it’s the part of the car you see the most. If you buy a car for exterior looks, you are mostly buying something to entertain someone else.
This is a Bentley. But just to keep my eco-conscious friends from snorting their disapproval…this is a Hybrid Bentley. They expect to cut weight on this dude by making aluminum body sheathing, and power it with an Audi hybrid system. See- Audi and Bentley are married, sort of. I really like that deep red color. Maybe I could finally retire from radio and get that information officer job for the Knoxville Fire Department. For that matter, I could just buy the fire department and put a nifty red LED lightbar on top. Speaking of fire engines:
I would buy every department one of these Seagrave Marauder Rescue trucks. Seagrave has a new technology that can prevent a lot of roll-over accident fatalities. And these are top-of-the-line life saving machines.
Being rich means you can drive a butt-ugly car that costs the light side of a hundred grand:
And you friends will never say…”man, is that one buck toothed stepchild ugly wheel box you got there, Foulk.” This looks like a Scion. But it’s really a Mercedes G55. I think it is called a Gelandenwagen or some-such. It’s an SUV with nearly everything you want. It’s meant to last a lifetime. I have seen a couple of them around Knoxville. Neither one had a bumper sticker that said “THIS IS NOT A SCION”. But it might have helped.
Like I said before, I like nice interiors. This is the dash of the Audi R8. It can launch you down the highway about as fast as an F-18 off the deck of an aircraft carrier- all the while you passenger saying “that red instrument cluster is the bomb”. Look at those long accelerator and clutch pedals for heel-and-toe cornering. I would have about as much chance of pulling that off, as convincing Dena I bought the car for the stereo.
If I had the time, and the car…I would relish being able to cruise Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg in the summertime with my cool ride. Then I could take it up to the mountains where the oversized V-8 could breathe cool mountain air and help keep the Smoky Mountains Smoky. Okay, okay…I know hot rods are not exactly the most envior-friendly machines. But I refused to let go of some of our American Icons. Chevrolet made a dumb decision when it killed off the Camaro line. And now, they realize it, and they’ve come up with a concept car of a new Camaro. See if you see 1968 styling in this one:
The hard-top is not nearly as sweet looking. One major plus for me: It appears I would be able to get into and out of this car much easier than the cliche’d sports car the Corvette. But being rich, I would be able to hire a crew to follow me around with a bucket of Vaseline and a giant shoe-horn to help me in-and-out of anything I bought.
And finally, I want to show you a retro-designed truck that is about to hit the highways in the U-S. It’s a newly designed International. You see definite design cues from the 1939 International truck.
And the neat thing about it….the retro design is more aerodynamic and fuel saving than the flat-fronted semis. Nice.
So there you have it, some of my favorites. But there are many more cars and SUV’s that I would not mind having. Since my money is definitely NOT unlimited, I think I’d better stick with my trusty F-150 crew cab… and try to make friends with some folks who don’t have to ask “How much will that run me a-month?”.
Hallerin…about your convertible…you need it this weekend?
