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Auto culture
Random Shots
A road sign with a sense of humor?
I have long thought that American government could communicate more effectively if it used a senes of humor once in a while. Thus, I was intrigued by this sign on an obscure rural highway in […]
Quotes
Remembering the dark side of 1960-70s American ‘muscle cars’
“Don’t want to rain on the parade of a nice article, but reading about Duster 340’s always makes me sad. Back in 1970 a close friend skrimped and saved all his money from summer and […]
Photo Essay
Willapa Bay can be a surreal drive back and forth in time
(UPDATED FROM 2/26/2022) Willapa Bay can be a lonely place, with mile upon mile of tidelands with nary a gas station in sight. Instead, vast expanses of mud flats are occasionally punctuated by dead trees […]
Random Shots
Moss grows fat on a decaying seat belt
This seatbelt from a 1962 Ford pickup has been rusting for decades in the Olympic Mountains of Washington state. Go here for a photo essay. “Random Shots” is a regular feature that captures sublime and ridiculous moments […]
Drive-By Musings
How typical was car snobbery in postwar high schools?
(EXPANDED FROM 2/6/2023) A few years ago Curbside Classic reposted a comment from a guy named Rob who had a “soul-crushing experience” driving a 1959 Rambler American to high school hangouts (Niedermeyer, 2023). In 1968 […]
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Quotes
Observing the ‘frictional violence of speed’
“As anyone who has broken down on the motorway will know, to stand at the side, waiting for rescue, is a revelation. Nothing better conveys the frictional violence of speed. Whatever impression you may get […]
Readings
Lamm and Holls’s ‘A Century of Automotive Style’ is epic but uneven
(UPDATED FROM 3/23/2023) A Century of Automotive Style was first published in 1996, so it is a fairly old auto history book. Nevertheless, I would rank it as important enough to be updated. I say […]
Random Shots
Unofficial road signs were better than the real ones
A few years ago residents of a Lake Quinault neighborhood posted a number of do-it-yourself, speed-limit signs. However, when I drove through this neighborhood last summer I didn’t notice any of the signs. If they […]