As a counterpoint to my “shafted” articles about Toyota I’ve decided to add a shining example of good old fashioned moxie. (Am I allowed to use the word moxie? Does it still have meaning? Hell yes I can…because it’s my blog and I’m a curmudgeon. And this guy’s got it.)
My favorite radio show, Garage Logic, pointed me to Jonathan Klinger and his web site 365 Days Of A. Mr. Klinger intends to use his 1930 Ford Model A as his daily driver for one full year. His logic is unassailable:
“Why? Because not everything a person owns should contain a computer.” Jonathan Klinger
He’s on day 127 of his adventure and I have no doubt that he’ll pull it off. It important to note that he’s not talking about restoring a garage queen for rides on Sundays. He’s from Michigan and has been commuting in the snow all winter. No cupholders for this guy! He gets instant membership into my incredibly exclusive list of “the unstoppable”.
This inspiring image is not from me. I'm a loser and I drove an SUV most of the winter. It's from 365 Days Of A. The photo is linked to his site. Click on it and go there. Now!
His web page is video heavy and documents his beloved A and it’s maintenance in the kind of detail that will make non-motorheads pass out. But I love it. I’m sick of yahoos insisting that I need a $30,000 SUV to get to the grocery store and that the vehicle in question should fall apart in ten years. Screw that…I’m all for 80 year old cars. The world needs more men who can fix whatever goes wrong with their simple steed; too many of the thundering masses need a tow truck for a flat tire. Long live old cars!
P.S. If you haven’t heard of Garage Logic…fire up whatever iDevice Steve Jobs has foisted upon your household and listen to a few podcasts. (I of course use the ancient and long forgotten technology called AM radio. Which might sound nice from the cab of an Model A.)
My uncle, an independent mechanic, HATES new cars. His advice has always been “If it doesn’t have It, It can’t break.” He drives around an old Studebaker truck.
“If it doesn’t have it; it can’t break.” Amen! I wish we had more options like Studebakers!
“Cars without crap” are no longer sold new in America but the rest of the world isn’t so restricted. In Europe I once rented an ugly little puddle jumper called (I think) a “Punto”. It was as “Spartan” as a car can get. It had hand crank windows, the roof was a metal slab, door locks were non-electric, the brakes were plain drums, and (praise to heaven!) it had a stick shift (as all cars should!).
It was a go-kart compared to a bloated minivan yet I loved driving it. It was just plain fun.
There’s nothing wrong with a gadget laden barge but a Curmudgeonly few are being robbed of our desire to operate a “clean” machine. Without my motorcycle I’d have no refuge.
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