chuck.goolsbee.org

Which photo do you like better?

Recently there was an editorial posted on The Truth About Cars asking “are new cars ruining old car shows?” It went on to complain in typical “your music is too loud, and get off my lawn” language that the inclusion of new cars (code for “young men”) in car shows was a sign of the apocalypse, the decline of western civilization, or at least really really annoying to old farts.

I decided to write a “rebuttal” of sorts and blasted through it only to find that what I was really arguing against was car museums more than cars shows. The analogy I used was that of dead bugs on pins, and pasty animals suspended in formaldehyde, compared to seeing the real animal, in the flesh, in its natural habitat. Shows are an unnatural habitat for sure, but at least closer to reality than museums. I never finished the editorial, as I had a starter to fix and a rally to run… you know keep MY old car running in ITS natural habitat! Perhaps I’ll revisit it and Mr. Farago will publish once I get the logic sorted out within the 800 word limit. We’ll see. Meanwhile I was perusing my server-stashed stack of old car photos for a CPotD and noted these two photos in close proximity. Two nearly identical cars in two completely different modes of presentation… in a way making my point for me.

The top one is in a museum. The car is buffed to a high sheen, and kept under subdued lighting as if to enhance the shiny condition and leave the viewer in awe. The bottom photo is in a parking lot after a day’s hard running. Bugs, rain, and road grime. I honestly prefer the latter. Even more so when earlier that same day I took these photos of, and from within, the very same car:

Perhaps it was my recent experience at the Blackhawk Collection that has left me feeling this way. Mind you some of those machines are one-offs or things which make no sense to on the road, but seeing them roped off and preserved like dead animals posed by a taxidermist left me cold.

In a way car shows do the same for me. Too much emphasis is placed on cleanliness and untouchability, and not enough on utility, history, and use.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, as perhaps they’ll help me organize mine more coherently.

Can you spot the (obvious) oddity?

Apologies for the CPotD hiatus. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been away for a while. Actually I was away for the better part of two weeks in mid-July, then back for two weeks, but catching up on all the things work and life related while I was gone… not to mention spending every free moment repairing the E-type (replacing a starter motor, one of the more difficult things to be done on an E-type!) Then this past weekend my Dad & I ran the Monte Shelton Northwest Classic Rally in Oregon. My access to the Internet was spotty to non-existent on this trip so I wasn’t able to update the site. I’ll try and catch up over the next few days. Meanwhile here’s a photo I snapped on the way home from Central Oregon yesterday. Taken in the midst of the newly constructed large wind farm that straddles the Columbia River, this is a shot of the Jaguar at the Maryhill Scenic Overlook on the Washington side of the river. I drove US 97 down to central Oregon last November and the turbines were not there (nor can they bee seen on this video from last years’ Maryhill Loops Hilclimb) but they suddenly appeared when we drove down again earlier this summer. I knew I’d have to stop there and get some photos with the Jaguar. Perhaps again on some evening when the light will be more dramatic.