The dream garages we build in our heads are epic, and when it comes to the racing machines that captivated our imaginations and held our fantasies, the sky is the limit. Pick your poison and your means of delivery. For the classic racer tastes, fill in with Duesenberg Model Js, a Talbot-Lago, and CSX2000 parked next to each other. For the drag racer, bring in one of Jungle Jim’s Novas, Glidden’s Fairmont and just for historical context, how about the “Smokin’ White Owl” that George Morris ran in the mid-1950s? You can do this with any racing category, you can mix and match to your heart’s content, and you will be satisfied with the results of your own imagination. But what if you earned the golden ticket? What if, one day, you had a truck show up with a jaw-dropper on the flatbed deck at your driveway, and the only instruction you got was a note in the seat that simply said, “Take good care of it.” What then?
The first instinct is to automatically fire up the beast, let the neighbors enjoy the symphony, and experience the legend for yourself. Right? Maybe not. Maybe the mere act of you sitting in the seat drops the value by a large percentage. Maybe you fear for the safety of such a treasure…or maybe you book some time at the nearest track and to hell with what anyone else thinks. It is an interesting position to be in, so what would you do?
I’d run it and beat it senseless, rev the engine till it screamed for mercy, drive the hell out of it, and let it die an honorable death……
continue doing what it was built for. hiding it in the closet is a worthless ambition.
I’ll preface this by saying I haven’t watched the video ( at work) but just wanted to say I loathe the term `caretaker’. Don’t ever tell me I’m a caretaker of my car…I paid for, and own, the friggin thing. If I want to oxy the roof off or paint it purple or whatever that’s my lookout. Had a guy come up to me at a coffee n chrome recently who started to have a go because it wasn’t clean (car in question is a 73 Falcon coupe – same model as in Mad Max). I was already wanting to hit this dude when he started on the `you’re only a caretaker’ bullshit. Lost it at that point and told him to fuck off. My car / house /clothes / whatever.. don’t dare tell me how to use (or mis use) my own property. Don’t like it? go buy your own