Dream Car

Can you guess what this is?

When I was a little girl, Mailbu Barbie's dream car was THE BOMB. 
It's as true today as it was back in the day, as evidenced by this scene (and others) from the "Toy Story" series of movies:

"Tour Guide" Barbie gets all the guys AND Ken, yo!

I had other cars I really liked, like the one described in a Nancy Drew series of green cloth-bound books that my mom borrowed from her cousin Nina, so I could read them all. Nancy Drew had a little red Miata that she tooled around in, solving crimes and beating traffic (and criminals) with her boyfriend Ted, going from book form to movies, and groovy 70s t.v. shows:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/belongings-nancy-drew-author-auctioned-sunday-toledo-article-1.1540850

I also liked "Herbie, The Love Bug" as a kid, but in real life nothing beat the good ole sex appeal of an American-made Mustang, because it's hot and cool at the same time. Like so much in my life, it was no surprise when I saw one parked in the lot next door, colored a light yellow that almost matches a certain Dutch farmhouse on a street named after a boy named Henry. It's perfect for me, n'est-ce pas? 

It's got a cute lil' nose, right? Such nice personality for a car!

Happy motoring out there today, friends. It's finally warm enough to take the top down and drive around, in beautiful New York state. Enjoy the ride!

What else, but a Mustang in pale yellow with removable hard top?

Sting Ray!

Sting Ray in the sun.

If this car doesn't conjure up "Mad Men" type associations, like excellent James Bond movie getaways and hip, swingin' jazz tunes, you ain't alive. Feelin' it, and feeling groovy about it: that's diggin' classic cars in a hugely serious way, kids. 

P.S. - The paint set on this ride is so iridescent, it's like there's small, glowing points of starlight mixed into blue finish: a real tight job that only shows it's true colors up close and personal, master craftsman-like. Yeah, baby!

Old Cars: Thunderbird

Wow! Some car.

I've written prior about my love of old cars, for their great lines and cool designs, (http://mariedoucette.blogspot.com/2013/10/old-cars.html), and I'm not someone who's typically into retro for retro's sake. It's just that the designs were simply better in the past. Anyway, since I see so few cars that reflect my taste, I become a big fan when I finally spot one I like. It's like discovering while channel surfing one day that you've always liked NASCAR but you never knew it. 

The perfect robin eggshell blue.

I don't, but that's the rare feeling I get when I discover an automobile that flashes "cool": I didn't even know I liked those kind of cars until I saw one in person. Great design, like great designers, achieve a kind of commonplace, every day immortality that's also shockingly stand-out different, too. 

Check out the lines...

Someone once wrote that a being famous designer is like being a famous dentist, and the same can be said about automotive designers: gifted, but not heralded in the same way as their work, like a clothing designer who sees you wearing their shirt as (s)he passes you on the street but says nothing. And that's the particular beauty about an anonymous kind of fame; it's quiet, gentle, but still very powerful.

The classic American Thunderbird.

Here's a pic of me, taken on Memorial Day.

Welcome back, readers. 

Memorial Day, Spring 2014.