Friday, April 17, 2009

Young ladies & cars sometimes are special

Slim, sleek, somewhat non-descript; it's all in her personality.

Ice Ice Baby ....

To say I have been neglectful of more than a few things the past three months would be an understatement. It has been a bad winter for me in several respects. Today, I decided to take out my 1991 Mustang, which has been resting idle in the garage, untouched since early January. You guessed it. Dead battery.

I bought this Mustang new. In another two years, with 20 years under her belt, I understand she will be considered a "classic car." The odometer reads 55,251. Know of many 18-year-old automobiles with only 55,000 miles? She is a GT with a 5.0 engine and a five-speed transmission = one hot car. I blew the speedometer on the day I bought her, and never fixed it. Give me one reason why I should.

She is not a vehicle in which a person wants to drive on a journey much longer than 50 miles. She runs close to the ground; the suspension is stiff and tight. This car is meant for running fast and taking sharp curves at high speeds, also meaning she is not designed for driver or passenger comfort. No lean, no sway, no drag, no bounce. She wants to challenge the wind whenever she is on the road, and the driver's butt and back pay the price for the thrill. Your body feels every ripple in the road that her body feels.

Before this one, I had a 1982 (you guessed it again) Mustang GT with a 5.0 engine. She had the words, “Ice Ice Baby,” painted on each side of her. If you cannot figure out why or where those words came from, do some research. I am not your daddy. (At least, I do not think so.)

It was not wise in dollars and cents for me to sell my old baby when I did, but I am not a late night talk show host who hoards vehicles. (Although, I did have five cars at one point -- dumb.) A stunningly beautiful young girl bought my former baby (at a discount price; wonder how she managed that?) so she could have a Mustang which matched her boyfriend's Mustang identically. Absolutely unbelievable. That girl is one in a million or a billion or a trillion. Really, have you ever heard of that?

This young girl would have been willing to pay a premium price for my baby. No way. This young girl was too special to pay a premium price. And, if you think I was "snookered" by a pretty face, I tell you this: I saw both cars, side-by-side, at a car show about a year later. My old baby never looked so fine when I ran her. She is well loved and she knows it and she shows it. I knew this would be true from my first meeting with the young girl who bought her; a young girl cannot hide her love for a young boy or for a particular automobile. Real, real love, I tell you true.

My current baby gets to rest another day with a battery charger to keep her company. I have a lot of words and gifts to give her to make amends for my neglect this winter. But, she is a real lady, and I am sure she knows I still love her. We all have bad times, and she understands that, and maybe even is grateful for being allowed to hibernate throughout this cold, snowy winter.

Saturday is tomorrow. We will talk it over then, and she and I can run a couple of roads. We will turn up the music and outrun the wind. We will shake more of the winter dust and cobwebs from ourselves. We will fall in love all over again.

Music Note: Listening to Queen ....
Specifically, "A Night at the Opera" ....
Some lines from "I’m in Love With My Car:"

I'm in love with my car

Gotta feel for my automobile
Get a grip on my boy racer rollbar
Such a thrill when your radials squeal

Told my girl I'll have to forget her
Rather buy me a new carburetor
So she made tracks sayin'
This is the end now
Cars don't talk back
They're just four wheeled friends now

When I'm holdin your wheel

All I hear is your gear
When I'm cruisin' in overdrive
Don't have to listen to no run of the mill talk jive

I'm in love with my car
Gotta feel for my automobile
I'm in love with my car
String back gloves in my automolove

14 comments:

TheChicGeek said...

April 17, 1964, anniversary of the introduction of the first Ford Mustang! Very cool and timely post! I think all the Mustang enthusiasts will be out this weekend showing their muscle :) My baby sister had one and she sure had fun in that car...LOL
What was that whizzing by? Oh, there he goes, Fram...speeding down the road! Have fun...I'm sure your baby forgives you for the winter neglect. You can make it up to her tomorrow :)
Ice, Ice baby...I know that one :)

Fram Actual said...

A very coincidental post, Kelly. The fact that Mustangs were "born" as "1964 ½" Mustangs in the spring of 1964 is branded into my mind, but if I ever had heard the exact date, it had slipped away.

My 1982 I bought new, too, and kept it until 1991, so the pair of them overlapped for 10 years. I will swear I actually left the ground a few times in the '82 when I would hit the pedal to pass another vehicle. It really was something.

Pretty girls and Mustangs seem meant to go together, I think, just like sunny days and sandy beaches.

Natalie said...

Yeahhhh, Mr. Fram,
Horses are not the Vikings’ passion…
Sorry, I can’t comment on your writings as I (almost) never owned the car!

Fram Actual said...

Then you don't know what you've been missing, Natalie.

I would say a bright, red, Mustang convertible with an automatic transmission would suit you fine. Then you could be a "girl racer" as I am a "boy racer."

Natalie said...

I would rather walk in ...high heels!!

kiyoteekisser said...

How romantic! I thought loving a coyote was different. I did have a 68 Comero convertible long ago....It got me into a lot of trouble.

Katy said...

Gosh, I'm most impressed Fram at your long-term devotion to your 'baby'. I hope you had a great Saturday of screeching around corners with the windows down and the music playing way too loud :-)

Rachael Cassidy said...

Funny you post on the love of a vehicle- My little guy and I had the honor of riding in a 1966 Ford Fairlane for our city's Kool April Nights cruise. Classic American pastime, reminiscent of the "good" old days of cars made from real metal and loud pipes and burnouts! So easy to get caught up in the absolute decadence of exhaust fumes and burnt rubber!!
I have not had love affairs with cars. Most of mine have been not only just modes of transport, but not that fun to look at either. The only one that stood out was my first car- a 1969 VW Bug. It was orange and had a major bruise on the driver's side front wheel well. I was told by my parents that they'd match whatever I earned the summer of my 16th year toward a car. I earned all of $400 being a lazy young woman.... But that car was a true adventure!!!

Fram Actual said...

Well, CoyoteeKisser, at least you can receive kisses from Yippee. I've never met a Mustang that shows that manner of affection in return.

Camaro vs. Mustang has been a competitive rivalry for decades. Both are fun cars.

Fram Actual said...

I'm more of the "head out on to the highway" type than a whipping around the corners guy, Katy.

Adding more fun for me was the sound of gunfire mixed with the sound of rock music. I found my way to the range for some "heavy metal" work with a Colt 1911, a Glock 30 and a Smith & Wesson 629. If I could only find someone to clean them later.

Fram Actual said...

Sounds like you had a fun time, too, Rachael.

Yes, easy to get caught up in "the absolute decadence of exhaust fumes and burnt rubber." Some day, I want to spend a week watching the big boys race at Talladega.

The VW Bug was a status symbol for young girls, as I remember it.

daijoji said...

Very sweet car, Fram. I love cars too, and I'm going to do my driving licence this year. And then I want to earn enough money to by... Hmm... I don't know how to say it in english, but I would like to have such a country car, quite big and safe, and suitable for driving with my dog and cat! :-) Bye, bye :-)

Fram Actual said...

Hello, Magdalena .... I have been running around, and just returned to my blog. You are different than I in the sense I had my driver's license as soon as allowed where I lived -- at age 15.

This model car was called a "chase car," and used by the highway patrol in several states to run down traffic violators. It was meant to be fast, and nothing more.

My day-to-day car is an Audi, German, closer to your country than the origin of my Mustang. It is fast, too, designed for the autobahn, and much more comfortable to drive.

A Cuban In London said...

Hahaha! I just could not help smiling when I read what you were listening to and what you posted about. I absolutely love that tune. In fact I love the whole album. Most Queen enthusiasts will go for 'You're my Best Friend' and 'Bohemian Rhapsody', yet to me the two jewels are 'The Prophet's Song' and 'Seaside Rendezvous'. And what to say about 'Death on Two Legs'? The perfect album-opener. About your Mustang, SHE looks hot, boy! Only twenty years (almost)? SHE is seethingly hot!

Greetings from London.

Something special ....