What's Italian?

[Tess McMillan <tessmc@halcyon.com>]

To Jim Hayes -

Hey Jim! Long Time No See! What's a veteran gentleman racer like you doing
getting caught in street accidents? 

GI Joe's Junior Bigotry aside, let's talk about Italian lines for a
minute. I happen to like the new Dodge bodies, particularly the -- is it
-- Dakota? which I think has a lot of Ferrari look to it. That barracuda
mouth, and stare-me-down-glazed-over lenses... although posturally, the
beast resembles more of a rhino than a panther. Who designed this SUV,
anyway? Do any of our learned members know? 

I am not always so sure that the choice of a car is a simple function
of appearance and performance. If that were so, every Joe, Dick, and Harry
would be driving the Ferrari F50 (which to me has to be the
stud-awfullest, big-ass monster ever designed -- perfect for the
steroid-chewing crowd). No, the big-ass types can afford to drive around
in sprung-up trucks, SUVs, modified Mustangs, etc. and they thumb their
noses at those of us who drive more finely detailed means of
transportation. But if you take the Jeep Cherokee, which I thought was the
first real *luxury* SUV on the market, I think it has been supplanted by
various and sundry more round-bodied imitations. The Jeep does look a
little high and dry... and *square*. Now Jim, do you really look at your
Jeep with an appreciation of its lines, or an *affection* for what she
does (hauling, daily driving, etc.) Inquiring minds want to know.

With all the glut of SUVs on the market -- and here in the Pacific NW we
have *more* than our share, I can't help but wonder what (if any) an
Italian model would look like (please let's not get into a discussion of
LM002's). Perhaps it's just a US 'thang' -- as we seem to be the only
country aside from Canada that has the mentality of vast stretches of
the untamed forest waiting to be tamed -- and the land to prove it. Seems
to me you have a little bit of a 'vastness' problem in Europe or Asia,
where population is much more dense and the locals perhaps more civilized?
(And of course down under, it's all uncivilized... right Les? &:-P)

Just a few cents... or nonsense ... whatever

Tess




A website about sportscars?!
http://www.halcyon.com/tessmc/