We had to make an unplanned automobile purchase last month as my wife's Nissan Versa gave up the ghost. We welcomed into our driveway a 2017 Mazda 3 Grand Touring. We both love this car (I may be a bit Mazda biased). Now my Miata has a big sister! ... View more

I imagine we all have stories of "the one that got away" or "the one I wish I still had." Mine is "the one I almost had." It was oh so close. It went like this: It was 1978, and I had just bought my long sought after "proper" British sports car; a 1974 Triumph Spitfire. I was proud of it and myself, having bought it solely with my own earned money at 22 years old. I pulled into my driveway, and saw my dad working in the garage. Couldn't wait to show him my new to me sports car.   "What's that?" he said. "It's a Triumph Spitfire dad. What do you think?" "Get rid of that thing. It's a coffin on wheels. You'll get killed in it."   My dad was a Cadillac guy. A big car guy. He bought Caddies not only because he liked the marque, but because they were big, safe cars. Same reason folks buy the behemoths on the road today.   "I'm keeping it. I paid for it, I'm keeping it."   And so it went all night, neither of us budging. The next morning, he knocked on my bedroom door. "We going to start again?" I asked. "I'll make you a deal." he said. "You get rid of that thing, and I'll get you a Corvette."   My dad was in the auto parts industry, so he had lots of connections. I always had a soft spot for Corvettes, but even to this day, never pulled the trigger on buying one. He knew that. I started to get excited, Then asked; "Who's going to pay the insurance on it?" Let's see: New York, Corvette sports car, 22 year old kid. Hmmmmm....   "That's on your dime son."   I kept the Triumph.     ... View more

1969. The Summer of Love. My sentient being odometer just clicked over to teenager. Too young to participate in love, sex, and rock 'n roll. But cars were entering into my stream of consciousness, right behind girls. I came into my love of cars honestly. My dad had a successful auto parts retail/wholesale business for forty-five years. While working for him, I saw everything, almost. Dad was a Cadillac man, of which I had no interest. But he would bring home some cool cars, and buy mom a few I wish I had now, like her 1970 Monte Carlo 350 4bb. But it all came into focus for me that summer of '69. Dad loaded us all into mom's station wagon (remember those?), one Sunday for a day at the beach. Park the car, walk through the parking lot, and OMG there it was. The car that cemented my love for sports cars to this day: a Jaguar E-Series convertible! In British Racing Green no less! My love for two seat roadsters soared. Dad talked to the owner and swung me a stint in the drivers seat. Wow! I never did get my hands on one, or even really tried. British car unreliability and all that, you know. Oddly enough, my first proper "sports car" was a Triumph Spitfire. Never had an issue with it in four years of ownership, believe it or not. But to this day, I occasionally think of that Jaguar in that beach front parking lot and smile as I reminisce how I fell in love with sports cars in the Summer of '69. ... View more

Many car and motorcycle enthusiasts do, myself included. But not always. For me, a name has to flow, never forced, fit the machine itself or it's character. Of all the motorcycles I have owned, only one was christened; my Honda ST1300. With it's big V4, it was a rocket ship for a Sport Touring bike. Torque monster that she was, I could lug the engine down to 2000 RPM in 5th gear, whack open the throttle, and she would jump to warp speed. Only one name was fitting for her: The beaST.      The one truck I ever had, a Ford Explorer, was given a name by my wife. Even before the Ford aged and became a money pit, my wife called it the Ford Exploder. "Babe, can I borrow the Exploder today?" The name stuck. I never had a vehicle where I tried to come up with a name, until now. When I brought home my Mazda Miata, my wife asked me what I was going to name her. "She's awful cute. How about cutie pie?" Really? It took two years and a road trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway to summon up a suitable name. Our lodging in Bedford, VA was the Peaks Of Otter Lodge, right on the BRP. On day two, we took a hike up Sharp Top Mountain, accessed right from POO property 😁 . Once at the summit, the views are outstanding. From our vantage point, we could see down to the lodge and the parking lot. Visible in the lot were five cars side by side, my Miata being one of them. They all looked very small. I said to my wife, "check out our Miata and the cars in the lot. They look like a set of matchbox cars." Light bulb! We both looked at each other and said, "That's it! Matchbox! That's her name!" The name stuck.   To this day, she's known as Matchbox. Even when my driving buddies call to go for a drive, it's "Hey. Wanna take Matchbox for some exercise today?" Fits her perfectly. What is your vehicle's name history? ... View more