How do I love thee?
It’s no secret that many of us have a love affair with
one or more of our old cars.
And
yes, some of us do talk to them in very endearing terms of love and praise and
occasionally utter a few disparaging comments when they act up.
It
is amusing to see how people express their love for their cars in different
ways. Not only the owners, but many nonowners can show love and admiration for
a beautiful old car. It may be when they pass you on the road
and give you a “thumbs up” sign or a toot on the horn and show a sign of No. 1.
Sometimes
while stopped at a traffic light, they will make a comment like “nice car” or
similar remark. When they ask questions, they always want to know what year it
is and ask “What is it worth?”
Of
course, at a show we hear all types of questions and hear stories of cars they
have owned or that they knew someone who had a car “just like that one.” It is
amazing the number of people who have pleasant memories of some LaSalle in
their past. These people all have vicarious love affairs with old cars in their
past.
As
owners, we love these old cars for various reasons and in various ways. For
some, it is the pride in showing them and winning trophies. For some, it is a
“collecting thing” and they spread their love among many cars. Sometimes all
their cars are from the same era, certain styles or specific years. Others by a particular make or in some cases, the more variety, the
better.
In many cases, the love is in the actual restoring and
hunting for the parts to bring the car back to original. Many times the love
affair will cool down once the car has been restored and they have shown it and
driven it a few times. The challenge is over.
Of
course, you will find a few people who look at these cars as investments and
get their kicks out of the buying and selling and hopefully making a profit. On
the other side of the coin, there are those among us that once a car or parts
are acquired, the only way they will ever part with it is through the estate
sale.
A lot of us old duffers admire and love the pride of
craftsmanship put into these old cars and our favorite saying is some form of
“They don’t build cars like they used to.” The really ardent love affairs are
apparent when you see one of us driving our “beauty” on a tour or just out for
the pleasure of driving it. I have to admit that I enjoy the feeling of pride
when people admire our old LaSalle and that they wished they owned one too.
There are some out there whose love is for a specific car
that has been handed down to them from a family member. It has a particular
sentimental value and brings back beautiful memories.
By
now, you are trying to figure out into which category you fall. Don’t worry
about it if you love your car for several reasons and even some I haven’t
mentioned. If some people think you are a little crazy for being in love with a
car, just remember, they have a problem, not you.
When they give you strange looks when you talk to your
car, just forgive them as they know not! A little pat on the dashboard at the
end of a trip with a comment of praise is kind of like a goodnight kiss after
making love.
As for our ’40 LaSalle we love dearly, it is really hard
to pin down the main reason we love her. We know there are many beautiful
memories, the admiration of engineering and craftsmanship, the enjoyment of
driving, the car’s noble history, her beauty and sleek lines, and on and on and
on ad infinitum. I guess we just have
to quote from an old classic piece of literature and say “How do I love thee? Let
me count the ways.”
See
ya next month.
—Walt