Why do we love to drive so much? Pared down to the very basics, an automobile is a machine designed for transportation. Point A to Point B, if you will. But, we all know driving is so much more than that. Whether blasting a powerful automobile through curves and over hills, or puttering down a dirt road in an old pickup, driving gives us thrills and feelings unlike any other.
The vehicle we choose for everyday use speaks volumes about us. Whether functional for work, for sport or for family, our cars become part of us. We name them. We pamper them. In many ways, we treat them better than we treat ourselves. We may even become angry at them, but we always forgive them. We keep them, sometimes much longer than we should, because we are unable to let go.
Without a doubt, the automobile is one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. Just as the personal computer and internet would do some 80-90 years later, the Model T suddenly made the world a lot smaller. Henry Ford’s vision was to “build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one – and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God’s great open spaces.”
Thank you, Mr. Ford. You clearly had much more in mind that getting from Point A to Point B. Keep Cruisin’! –J.
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