One of the more exhausting parts about the modern auto world is that it seems like every vehicle has to be bombastic, disrupt something, have “dynamism” or something otherwise crazy amazing.
Jason loves to look at old car advertisements, and lots of car manufacturers weren’t afraid to have a little fun, and even layered on self-deprecating humor. William Domer:
What’s lost is self deprecating humor. We needed that humor back then as the world was pretty much a shit show. We need these ads again for ‘reasons’. I think Slate would be a candidate. And again my rant regarding VW: your effing name means peoples car, not $50,000 SUV’s. You are lost in the wilderness and birds have eaten the bread crumbs you dropped to lead you back. Sad.
(I started with a Karman Ghia and followed that up with Bug, Another Bug, a bus, a square back, a Westphalia, a Jetta, a Rabbit GTI, a cabriolet, another cabriolet and sort of wanted a new Bug. Their offerings and pricing have humped the damn shark.
To William’s point, consider this Subaru commercial:
Matt had a story in Friday’s Morning Dump about how Rivian’s RJ Scaringe thinks AI will be as accessible as running water someday. Username Loading pulled no punches:
‘I Think Artificial Intelligence Will Become As Accessible As Running Water, Or Electricity’ RJ Scaringe
Probably correct since AI will make both running water and electricity more scarce.
I love car ownership stories, and Mark’s Shitbox Showdowns are a treasure trove of them. Today’s matchup was a 1988 Toyota Van vs a 1992 Geo Tracker. 86TVan:
Well, my Autopian handle is a nod to the Van, so that’s what I’m going with! My parents bought a Toyota Van in 1986. It was an LE in Burnt Sienna paint with the dual-sunroof, refrigerator/ice maker, and captain’s chairs. Even had custom pinstripes that looked amazing. Loved that van SO much, it became mine when I started driving in 1995. Served as the band-van for my 3-piece bar band and then in college we used it to follow phish and festival camping. Even though it wasn’t powerful, that mid-engine / rear drive layout made it fun as hell. Love and miss that van…
Finally, I wrote about how I slept under a car cover that was doused in cat pee and gasoline. The Murano CrossCab was also the worst car I ever slept in because of the permanent rear seat cupholder. 3WiperB pointed out something I missed:
The Nissan Cross Cab feature list includes a hostile architecture interior.
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Top graphic image: Citroen
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