Sunday, November 14, 2021

A Horse, A Horse...My Kingdom for a Horse...

 Or at least 225 horses in an in-line 6-cylinder engine. One of BMW's finest engines.

When I was growing up in the wilds of South Carolina, my mother was what I am today – a car nut.  In retrospect, I suppose I learned that passion at her knee. She traded cars every year, with some excuse or another, but I think she just liked having a different car when her passion faded.  Her favorite was Mercury made by the Ford Motor Company and now a defunct division.

Once, she had a 1964 burgundy Chevrolet Impala Super Sport with really fancy wheel covers.  The style at the time was to remove the wheel covers.  That was cool. So, cool that we were two girlfriends and I borrowed Mom’s SS and headed to Myrtle Beach to cruise the strip.  We didn’t meet any boys at ‘where the boys are’ but we had a wonderful time.

My particular affliction is the sports car, which love was fostered when my Dad helped me buy a Jaguar E-Type at the ripe old age of 18.

Does anyone remember "Dead Man's Curve" by Jan and Dean?

  Well, the last thing I remember, Doc, I started to swerve

And then I saw the Jag slide into the curve
I know I'll never forget that horrible sight
I guess I found out for myself that everyone was right
Won't come back from Dead Man's Curve.

The car they were talking about is, I believe, the E-type Jag.

That love affair has persisted to today.  I had 4 Miatas, (this is the last):


 then fell in love with the BMW Z3   (probably my favorite of all time).  Z3PO was my best buddy.  I then bought a 135i 



that I didn’t really love.  A new Miata came next, but my libido began to stir, and I started doing on-line searches for a Z4.  Wings here was the result.


When I wrecked my SUV (brief stint as an SUV owner), I did a search on a Z3, exactly what I wanted.  He popped up in Macon, GA.  My aunt and I drove down (about 4 hours), and I drove Zippy Z back.  He's  a 2002 Sterling Gray Z3 3.0i, and the love of my life. Zippy is an exact replica of Z3PO, except that this time I opted for an automatic transmission.

Happy Trails and Happy Holidays until we meet again...

Linda N.

~*~

I write across the genres in romance, particularly otherworldly heroes, and invite you to check out my books on my Amazon Author Page

7 comments:

Nancy Gideon said...

I learned to drive in that same Impala! But my favorite will always be my first car, a used '67 Toranado with hidden headlights, a front end that was a block long, and electronic everything that could go from 0-70 in 5 seconds and empty a tank of Premium gas - at $.57 a gallon that was an extravagance. It's where I learned to drive with a Detroit lean (seat way back and tilted so you could hardly reach the wheel or the pedals!). In its only winter with me (one of the worst I can remember) we were the only vehicle on the highway after practically the entire state of Michigan closed - just me and Toro on our 20 mile drive home from work with the snow plows closing the highway behind me. Loved that car!

Diane Burton said...

I loved my '67 Cougar (Mercury version of the Mustang). red with ivory interior. Good thing I didn't have kids. LOL Back then, cars rusted out in a blink of an eye. Hubs said he married me for my car--he could drive it to the steel mill and not worry about the "pickle" acid eating it away (and let me drive his brand new Monte Carlo). It did and soon you could see the pavement through the open trunk. I have fond memories of the trips my sister, girl friend, and I did in that car.

Jessica E. Subject said...

I've never really been a car person, but in February 2020, right before the pandemic, I went to a car show in Toronto with my family. My son is crazy about cars, especially hyper cars, and he wanted to see the Bugatti La Voiture Noire. There, I saw some futuristic concept cars, and EVs. Those were the cars that finally caught my attention.

Mary Morgan said...

Great post, Linda! Loved the photos. The gene for cars skipped a generation in my family. Me and my siblings were never interested in cars. They were merely a vehicle for transportation. Yet my father was fascinated with cars--any car, lol! And my children have inherited the gene. My oldest daughter has a limited edition (orange with black stripes) Camaro (Hot Wheels edition). And her (along with her sister and brother) can take apart an engine and put in back.

Tena Stetler said...

I’m an SUV and truck person. My bright red Dodge Durango goes anywhere and I love that. Or 1 ton dodge truck Crew cab that pulls are 38 foot fifth wheel like a dream. Enjoyed reading about your sports cars. Thanks for sharing!

Marilyn Barr said...

My husband loves his 5-series BMW. I was so mad at him while writing my debut novel I gave the hero the same car - just so I could total it. We laugh about it now.

Nancy Gideon said...

LOL, Marilyn!! Only another writer would understand that.