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About Me
My work has appeared in a number of major publications either as writer, photographer, or source. I enjoy talking about all things automotive. Recent Posts
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CarSpace Hudson's BlogAll around the car world there are stories and these are just a few of them. A new blog is posted every Monday. Sometimes more often. Feb 12, 2008 - Car LoreCars are stupid. The idea of personal transportation that pollutes and uses a finite fuel makes no sense. That doesn't mean I don't love cars. It just means that I'm a bit insane. Any person who thinks through the idea of the automobile will agree. But there's just something to the car. Something that makes a car a special consumer product and one that garners a very personal connection and very personal experiences. We love our cars. And it's not just car people who have these feelings. Almost every American (and many more people around the world) has some story about a car...many have multiple stories. Some of these stories are negative, some are positive, almost all leave an impression forever. Some of these stories even become folk tales. Years ago, I met a guy who presented a paper on "car lore": tales of the automobile that are passed from person to person and generation to generation. These stories range from the bizarre to the comical. While there are variations in many of these tales, they will have the same basic theme. They're like the urban legends of the automobile. My favorite of these pieces of "car lore" starts with a man and his Rolls-Royce. On a trip one day, the car stops working and leaves the man stranded. He calls Rolls-Royce for assistance and in a short period of time, a mechanic arrives. The car is repaired and the man sent on his way. Weeks later, the driver still hasn't been billed for his roadside repair, so he contacts Rolls-Royce. When the driver inquires about his bill he is politely told that there must be some mistake, "Rolls-Royces do not break down." Like urban legends, these stories have some kernel of truth, but are largely fabrications. And there are so many of them. Some of them are so well-known that versions are adapted to each region of the world. Even versions of the above Rolls-Royce tale include a comment that the hoods are actually welded shut at the factory. Do you know any such tales?
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