I have been an automotive enthusiast for my entire life. As one, I cannot simply look at a vehicle as merely a means of transportation. Not simply an appliance no better than a refrigerator or toaster, but rather an entity that has a personality of its own. They are entities that have style, emotions, and talents.
When you think about it, our cars and trucks really are embodiments of the people that use them. Cars are imperfect objects in the same manner that people are imperfect. The way that cars break down and need repair, people get sick and need to be remedied. How some cars are sporty and stylish while others are slow and seemingly unattractive is not dissimilar to how some people are fit and good looking while others are unfit and unkempt.
Just like people, automobiles have an acute ability to extend common courtesies. For instance, your door chime reminds you that you are about to lock your keys in the car and is trying to spare you from a great inconvenience in your day in the same manner that one person can remind another at the supermarket checkout to not forget one’s keys. Conversely, your cable actuated gas door may seize at the gas station, requiring you to find the emergency release somewhere in your trunk or requiring you to pry the door open by other means. This is also not dissimilar to the way the supermarket cashier might close their register at the precise moment you approach requiring you to further search for an open register.
As you can see, I have spent exuberant amounts of time defining exactly why it is that I am such a fan of the automobile. I often find myself critiquing people’s cars and trucks as if the entire roadway were one never ending car show. In my coming posts, I will be sharing the details of a project I am undergoing on my own personal vehicle with the intent of improving its overall fuel economy. The series will be filled with pictures of the project, accurate measurements of weight savings and fuel mileage improvements, and useful tips on how you can improve your own fuel consumption.
Drive Safely,
Greg
