Purpose Defeats Passion.(automobile passions)

Byline: Kevin A. Wilson

People used to fish and hunt to eat but now get groceries at the corner, and these pursuits are more enjoyable as a hobby. City folk rode horses to get around, but now pursue riding as a luxury. Similarly, I find those most engaged by the car-as-hobby are least dependent on it in their daily lives.

Some of the most passionate car guys I know have short commutes, less than 10 miles. Mine, at 32 miles, used to be a huge part of my car involvement. No more, in part because the soul-sucking commute is as often now a telecommute. I test-drive cars in other settings.

This is not a fault in modern cars, but the inevitable reflection of their success. Too many people in too little space all trying to drive someplace at once is no way to stir up positive emotional responses to driving. It becomes chore more than delight-little wonder that so many find distractions enticing, so few find the task engaging.

Enemies of the car will win in the end not by destroying the thing we love, but by insisting upon its perfection as a transit system. What enthusiasts love about cars-their machine-ness, the hard-learned mastery to control them properly, their roles as expressions and extensions of our personalities-are qualities antithetical to the transportation role.

Enthusiasts share the general public's appreciation for ...