OBJECTIVELY SPEAKING? I APOLOGIZE FOR NONE OF IT.

Editor's Note: This week, Peter reflects on the personal experience and biases that all auto writers bring to their work, and also gives us a few thoughts on the car scene today. In On The Table, Peter covers some semi-interesting vehicles from last week's New York International Auto Show. And we have another historic racing video to share. This week, it's Dan Gurney's magnificent victory at the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix. Our AE Song of the Week is "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz. In Fumes, Peter presents the next chapter of his series, "The Great Races" focusing on the 1967 Road America Can-Am, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. And in The Line, we keep last week's stories up, as the racing world takes an Easter break. Enjoy! -WG

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. Last week’s column mystified some but was wildly entertaining for others. For us, it’s always good to hear from Jimmy and Sonny. This week, I’d like to address a subject that I’ve addressed before – however not in a column – but it has definitely been on my mind of late. And that is the idea that when you read car reviews of any kind, the writers always bring their personal biases to bear. In fact, it’s unavoidable.

Whether it’s a young Internet commentator or someone like the WSJ’s Dan Neil, their cumulative experiences always color how they approach a particular vehicle. In Dan’s case, he’s been a known EV advocate for many years, and his reviews often reflect that, even when he’s commenting on an ICE vehicle. He also gets to review the latest supercars, which he cheerfully enjoys (and I enjoy right along with him when he does). After all, even Dan realizes that enthusiasts can’t live by EVs alone.

 

My point here is that everyone commenting on cars and the auto industry brings a storehouse of images, experiences and observations that color everything they write about. It’s human nature. And you can multiply that exponentially when it comes to sports and of course, politics. Or basically, everything.

 

I’m no different. Yeah, I know, big surprise, right? (Cue Johnny Carson: “I did not know that.” -WG) After creating content for this website for going on 27 years, regular readers and even recent visitors have come to understand where I’m coming from. Leaving my political feelings aside – you all know where I’m coming from about that – I thought I’d comment on a few other things today.

 

I loathe the bland SUV/Crossover world we live in today, but what’s really infuriating to me is the reality that they’re so damn convenient for dealing with the urban slog. It’s just an undeniable fact, which is why I’m currently piloting a smaller crossover. It’s actually somewhat depressing that it has come down to this for me, but I’m not living near Lake Como and driving a Midnight Blue Ferrari Amalfi. I have to negotiate the mean streets of Detroit and its environs, which means dealing with bone-crushing roads undergoing constant repair and careening pickup truck drivers who seem to revel in their aggressive tendencies.

 

As for those aforementioned supercars that Dan Neil gets to wring out on a regular basis, I have the utmost respect and admiration for them, especially certain Ferrari models, like the Daytona SP3 and the 296. They’re simply exquisite. But would I ever want to own one, even if I could? Actually, no. Doing 0-120 mph bursts on Woodward and arriving at Pasteiner’s (https://pasteiners.com/) on a Saturday morning would be cool and everything, but somehow tying up a million bucks or more for that brief fleeting rush of speed seems, how should I put it, a bit underwhelming. Not that it’s even remotely an option for me, but still, you get my drift. As for my personal, ultimate daily driver - given that my 911 days are now ancient history – I have not found anything better than a VW GTI or VW R. These two machines offer everything an enthusiast driver could want. They're quick and most of all fun to drive, with a modicum of utility thrown in for good measure. Yes, they're pricier now, but they're both superb vehicles.

 

Other stuff? Design still matters to me, as I’ve written several columns about it in the past. That’s another reason I appreciate seeing exotica on the streets and byways, especially around here where it’s a sea of pickups, giant SUVs and an endless stream of crossovers. And believe me, you can see every exotic under the sun around these parts. I also enjoy seeing a mainstream vehicle with a distinctive design point of view, because it sticks out, usually in a good way. Take, for instance, the new Honda Prelude. It was a gutty move by Honda to bring this car back. A slick-looking two-door Coupe in a world dominated by giant vehicles, I appreciate the bold vision that it took to bring it to fruition. I haven’t driven one yet – I hear it could be better – but I applaud the effort nonetheless.

 

Speaking of personal biases, I’ve been criticized repeatedly for not buying into the off-road “thing,” but I have no regrets and I’ll never apologize for it. Seeing “lifted” vehicles with giant wheel/tire packages motoring around town is such a waste of time and money to me. And the fact that damn-near every manufacturer is embracing the trend makes it even more depressing. When Porsche went after the trend with its 911 Dakar so it could extract another $250-$300,000 from its duped faithful, that was the last straw for me. I don’t refer to Porsche as the “Greed Merchants” for nothing, folks.

 

I appreciate the fantastic lands that we’ve been blessed with here in America, the national parks and endless spectacular vistas, but the idea of tearing around and tearing things up in jacked-up “off-road” vehicles just because it's there is flat-out stupid to me. Will that stop the manufacturers from making and advertising these vehicles? Oh, hell no. As long as they can generate cash from the illusion of off-road cred, they will continue to do so. At least until the next “thing” arrives.

 

Let’s see, what else? The aura surrounding Bring-a-Trailer has fundamentally changed (Duh. –WG), and it’s depressing too. What used to be a website for finding interesting enthusiast cars has been overrun by brand-new – albeit with very few miles – supercars and exotica, especially custom-ordered 911s that are well into the $200,000+ range and way up from there. These cars are ordered with Paint-to-Sample colors and every option available and are clearly aimed at scrollers with a lot of ca$h-ola looking to be the first on the block. To each his or her own, of course, but after acquiring them, do you think that these machines are used as they were intended? No, not even close. Such is the “enthusiast” market today. Strange days indeed.

A final thought. As someone who was able to experience driving many 911s fast back in the day, to see the starting bids on BaT for air-cooled 70s and 80s 911s hovering around 100k is just super depressing. There’s that word again, but I haven’t come up with a better one. Everything seems to be motivated by insatiable greed these days, and it runs throughout our society, but the car “thing” has suffered the most from it.

 

I’m glad I was privileged to experience many legendary machines in period, like Sting Rays, L-88 Corvettes, 260, 289 and 427 Cobras, GT350 Mustangs, a Lamborghini Miura, a Porsche 904, and, of course the GM Styling cars like the original ’59 Corvette Sting Ray Racer, the Mako Sharks I and II, the Corvair Monza GT and SS, the Corvette XP-700 “bubbletop,” the Pontiac XP-400 and many, many more.

 

Yes, all of my accumulated experiences have colored my thinking and shaped my point of view.

 

So, objectively speaking? I apologize for none of it...

 

And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.

 

Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG