spirited driving

[ascher@domain.elided]

   adam wrote about a t.v ad he saw recently...
"...of someone in a something-or-other pasting a map up in thin-air. Then
get back into their 
'driver's car' and drive into the maps twisty roads that we apparently 
lack in the US. It dawned on me that there are increasingly more of this 
type of advertisement"...."Certainly the highly" paid 
"geniuses that dream up these ads have their fingers on the pulse/wallets

of America, and realize that people really do like spirited driving"


having had this discussion with a friend of mine last night, i thought
this a great opportunity to get this discussion off to a healthy roll. 
there is no doubt that the u.s. has some intriguing car ads, especially
these days: cars twist through windy roads, race jets through the desert,
and suv's climb over boulders.  but as we all learned in ___ 101 these
are images presented for us to immerse ourselves - imagine the glory,
admiration of others, "freedom" associated with these products, etc.  not
many dreamers/buyers of these products ever replicate any lifestyle
remotely resembling these images.  suv's are probably the best example
(when was the last time the soccer mom that inhabits so many digest
threads climbed anything bigger than a tall speed bump?).  NOTE: TO SKIP
A VERY LARGE TANGENT, SKIP TO LAST 2 PARAGRAPHs.

in fact, my experience is GENERALLY, not always by any means, the
opposite.  living in this incubator of bad, quasi-urban, habits known as
long island, new york i am privy to some of the finest examples of
disinterest and "misplaced" interest in driving anywhere i've witnessed. 
for the most part everyone  follows the accepted norm of believing he
"needs" a car for transportation.  good driver, bad driver, barely
driver: this need extinguishes any doubts of one's ability to handle a
3000lb. piece of metal at 60mph or more.  the result is a general
population that believes it his/her god-given right to share the road no
matter what the implications.  there is no incentive to improve as a
driver.  the end  result is some seriously idiotic driving and some very
dangerous situations.

of course, the misplaced emphasis on drivers' licenses, drivers
education, etc. by this highly overegulated society adds rocket fuel to
this situation, and in many ways fosters it.  there is a tendency for one
to believe that because he/she knew 7 of the 10 street signs on the
written test, passed the parallel parking test on the first try, and in
turn is handed a license he/she is a skilled driver.  mandatory auto
insurance relinquishes one from that otherwise smidgen of incentive to
drive better: there is no reason for one to look behind for any reason
because if a person in the rear of you hits you his insurance must cover
the damages.  likewise, news reports that focus on the expired license of
the culprit in a car accident imply if the driver were licensed he might
somehow be less dangerous.  remember, more people are victims to bad
driving by licensed drivers than unlicensed drivers! :-)  relatively big,
car-buying power and the ability to buy large displacement engines make
powerful machines accessible to almost anyone.

and perhaps because these are available to anyone, my observation is that
many americans have an unbalanced preoccupation with speed and power. 
with roots in a muscle car era that is beyond the scope of my
understanding, car discussion seems to center almost exclusively on blind
horsepower, acceleration, and top end speed: obviously important
components and an acknowledged, sliver of the pie.  i've gotten dozens of
questions on the alfas, and they all turn first or exclusively to "how
fast 'it' is".  last year a guy told me he bet my 78 spider was very
fast.  i lied and said "yes"!.  this type of tunnel vision seems like a
lazy way to participate in a very active, but highly malnourished, car
culture.

i do see the tide turning a bit.  firstly, american car companies were
forced to get their acts together in the early nineties after standing
idle for twenty years previous as japan and europe ate away at what was
exclusively their market.  cosmetic designs improved, so did fuel
economy, and so did gas mileage.  i can't speak for handling as i was way
too young.  because of the dandy economic situation gas mileage then sank
in the order of priorities until very recently.  but in my opinion design
and sophistication continued improving, and as european/japanese cars
became more american (size,displacement,amenities, etc.) american cars
became more european/japanese.  american cars in america (as
distinguished from american cars for the euro market) might have reached
a new high recently with the ford focus and lincoln LS.  these are two
undeniably successful cars.  i would love to see them steal some market
share from their respective competitors, and wish them only the best of
luck.  still, it is interesting to watch as the lincoln LS's steering
wheel is clutched by the driver, it winds through perfectly wet roads,
and changes colors with photoshop mastery,  - all after the driver shifts
the automatic shifter into drive.

i do not mean to contribute to any of that occasional eurocentricity that
periodically rears its ugly head on the digest.  i happen to think that
americans have been relegated to a range of stereotypes that is about as
narrow as a view as that of europeans as artsy-fartsy types who wear
french scarves and discuss existentialism at happy hour.  not that i have
anything against the french or scarves, and i loooove happy hour!  and i
don't mean to suggest that there aren't many americans with a significant
taste and skill for driving's many facets.  and yes, i know that as
opposed to long island there are many areas where automatics are the
exception.  these are my observations.  they're also some of the reasons
i do not get as excited as i used to about american car progress. 
unfortunately, every time i sit behind those in the fast lane happily
going the same speed as those in the right lane,  pass dozens upon dozens
of guys leaned over toward the middle of the car with their arms plopped
up on top of the steering wheel, or drive my unnamed relative's, new ford
taurus (pass the seasickness pills, please) i find it hard to hold
outright respect for the average american driver or average american car.

ascher
91 164S
91 164L (auto - "i want to be in a commercial too")
78 spider   
- ------------------------------------
      ascher@domain.elided
- ------------------------------------

------------------------------