# What's the most interesting car you saw today? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 21, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889 "2014-05-21T02:35:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 287
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2023, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5727 "2023-09-17T17:37:20Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > I’ve also been told that the give in the slushbox transmission helps dissipate the impacts as the plow hits the snowbanks. Good point. Didn’t think of that. They sure get the shit beat out of them. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5728 "2023-09-18T00:39:24Z")
Just got back from a local car show noted for it’s eclectic selection of cars. I saw a [Supercharged 1934 MG NA Special](https://cars.bonhams.com/auction/27194/lot/25/1934-mg-na-magnette-supercharged-sports-chassis-no-na0431/)l. What an amazing piece of machinery for it’s time. For those familiar with MG’s they have a keyhole in the front to make it easy to get a tool in there to rotate the motor. They put a supercharger and carburetor in front of the radiator grill with a shaft to the engine. Dual electric fuel pumps and a pop-off valve for the compressor. The transmission looked like an automatic but you shifted to the gear you wanted and when you pushed the clutch in it shifted. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5729 "2023-09-18T02:47:35Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Ford made a winner when they brought back the Bronco. Agreed! Both my friend and I want one. But then today we spotted a new F-150 Lightening on the road behind us and were happy to let it pass so we could get a real good gander at it. Hmmm. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5730 "2023-09-18T13:25:34Z")
> **[Preselector gearbox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preselector_gearbox?wprov=sfti1)** > > A preselector gearbox is a type of manual transmission mostly used on passenger cars and racing cars in the 1930s, in buses from 1940-1960 and in armoured vehicles from the 1930s to the 1970s. The defining characteristic of a preselector gearbox is that the gear shift lever allowed the driver to "pre-select" the next gear, usually with the transmission remaining in the current gear until the driver pressed the "gear change pedal" at the desired time. > The design removed the need for the driver ... They’re very confusing to drive at first! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5731 "2023-09-18T20:54:55Z")
I learned about that back when this video was making the rounds. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8P-6_RLUN_Y/hqdefault.jpg "Bus driver shifting with care") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P-6_RLUN_Y) ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5732 "2023-09-19T00:21:14Z")
> [@JacobSwan](#): > > They’re very confusing to drive at first! It makes sense in racing if it avoids double clutching but I can’t believe I’ve never heard of it before. It was only because it looked like an automatic shifter that was out of place in a 1934 racer did I even ask about it. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5733 "2023-09-19T02:22:42Z")
Ford envy! ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5734 "2023-09-19T02:23:40Z")
Now **THIS** is a recreation vehicle! A badass, highly modded Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Looks like a lot of fun! [![](https://i.imgur.com/177g8fo.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/177g8fo.jpeg) (You can spot my humble white Grand Cherokee parked on the street in the distance) [[Album] Now THIS is a recreation vehicle! ![](https://i.imgur.com/KxKQCEy.jpeg?fb "Now THIS is a recreation vehicle!") ](https://imgur.com/gallery/MPJsyFZ) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5735 "2023-09-19T02:45:01Z")
I bet that makes picking up groceries super easy! ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5736 "2023-09-19T11:48:07Z")
If only it could park between the lines. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5737 "2023-09-19T13:37:20Z")
This weekend was cloudless blue skies, 79° & low humidity & yet I saw _two_ Z4s driving with their tops up. WTF? Why would one spend money for a convertible & then not use it on the about the most perfect weather for a top-down day? & then there was the guy who (easily) talked his way into VIP parking (regular parking was a bit rough of a field) with a 427 Cobra, & the license plate BADSSSS; not sure how he got _that_ thru. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5738 "2023-09-21T18:19:42Z")
Sorry for the bad angle, I was grabbing my phone to take a picture of the next car and saw this one as I was slow rolling through the parking lot: [![](https://i.imgur.com/4Rbvs7z.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/4Rbvs7z.jpg) 62, I think, Bel Air. [![](https://i.imgur.com/Tao9KC4.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/Tao9KC4.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/rgG68DU.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/rgG68DU.jpg) Presumably the Sony rabbit ears are aftermarket [![](https://i.imgur.com/QW1EvR5.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/QW1EvR5.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5739 "2023-09-21T18:38:39Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > 62, I think, Right! ---
**Author:** ![deltogre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deltogre/32/5041_2.png) [@deltogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltogre)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5740 "2023-09-21T18:48:28Z")
On three separate occasions, I have seen a Maserati on the freeway (I-70) between Dayton and Columbus. It is completely unassuming, and definitely a production model, if that is even a thing with that company. It honestly looks like a Hyundai. White sedan, totally blah. That makes me ask, “Why pay all that extra money for the tag?” THEN, just the other day, I saw a Maserati SUV crossover-type car on the outerbelt here in Columbus. NOW, my question is…Where in the hell is there a Maserati dealership, locally? Also, why do they make a crossover? Also, also wik: Why in the hell would anyone BUY one? ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5741 "2023-09-21T18:55:10Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > This weekend was cloudless blue skies, 79° & low humidity & yet I saw _two_ Z4s driving with their tops up. WTF? Why would one spend money for a convertible & then not use it on the about the most perfect weather for a top-down day? I notice the same sort of thing all the time – I’ll be out driving my Miata with the top down, and I’ll pass another Miata, or a Z4, or some other convertible driving around with the top up. And I’m like “Why?” Sometimes when I see this the weather is a little warm, and maybe they would rather sit in air conditioned comfort. My my thinking is I bought a convertible; I want to put the top down at every possible opportunity. If the weather is too hot I’ll blast the A/C with the top down; it still cools you off a little bit. That said, I don’t like driving on the freeway with the top down; there is a difference between a 55 mph wind in your hair and a 70 mph wind in your hair, and the latter starts to get kind of unpleasant after a while. So if I plan on driving on the freeway for more than a few exits, I will put the top up. And then I wonder if people are thinking the same thing about me. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5742 "2023-09-21T19:11:48Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I notice the same sort of thing all the time – I’ll be out driving my Miata with the top down, and I’ll pass another Miata, or a Z4, or some other convertible driving around with the top up. And I’m like “Why?” Sometimes when I see this the weather is a little warm, and maybe they would rather sit in air conditioned comfort. My my thinking is I bought a convertible; I want to put the top down at every possible opportunity. If the weather is too hot I’ll blast the A/C with the top down; it still cools you off a little bit. Earlier this month I pulled into a pizza place for lunch, next to a VW Golf with it’s top up; we both got out of our cars at the same time & then ended up sitting next to her eating our respective slices. She was wearing her work badge around her neck, with a lanyard from her US Gov’t agency named on the lanyard. When I said something about she should have the top down today she stated that she had too many work papers loose in her car & was afraid they’d blow away. That car has a trunk or ever hear of a briefcase??? > [@WildaBeast](#): > > That said, I don’t like driving on the freeway with the top down; there is a difference between a 55 mph wind in your hair and a 70 mph wind in your hair, and the latter starts to get kind of unpleasant after a while. So if I plan on driving on the freeway for more than a few exits, I will put the top up. And then I wonder if people are thinking the same thing about me. I have short hair but she has long curly hair; I love running her up on the parkway; ‘Ole Faceless’ makes Cousin It look tame in comparison. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5743 "2023-09-21T19:45:23Z")
I just went out to pick up lunch, and on the way there I saw a 1963 Corvette Stingray, with the split rear window. And on the way back I was behind a Mustang convertible, with the top up, on a sunny day with temps in the upper 70s. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5744 "2023-09-21T23:10:59Z")
I saw a Lucid last evening- sharp! The thing they made me look twice was the LED strip instead of highlights; since it was just getting dark at the time, it was really eye-catching. I had to slow down a bit to let it pass me so I could see the make, since I’ve never seen one before. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2023, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5745 "2023-09-22T02:37:49Z")
We were driving from Durango to Silverton earlier this week, and must have seen 15 super cars coming the other direction. I think they were all McLarens, but there might have been some other makes. I tried to ID at least one, but the road is very steep and narrow, and I didn’t want to go off the edge… I think some of them were P1s, based on the distinctive exhaust outlet. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2023, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5746 "2023-09-22T13:25:36Z")
There’s an annual supercar/leaf peeping tour that does the Telluride-Durango-Silverton-Ouray loop every year. Most likely that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889.md?page=286) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889.md?page=288)