Old cars on old roads
Getting the most out of the classic car experience
Photo by Stéphan Valentin on Unsplash; Text & Errors by: Chris Breeden
It is a fact that a certain section of the population enjoys old cars. They spend most of their free time, and some of the time they should be working on other things, thinking about, working on, and driving around in old cars. Old cars are noisy, fussy, inefficient, and, if we are honest with ourselves, dangerous.
But if the internet, social media, and television are to be believed, so is everything we encounter daily.
Photo by Wade Lambert on Unsplash
So really, people who choose to drive old cars are doing the world a favor, in that they outwardly show just how crazy they are. And haven’t we all wished, at one time or another, that crazy people were required to wear signs?
I could spend the rest of our lives explaining why people like old cars, but I won’t bore you with that. Instead, I’m going to bore you with another equally preposterous concept. Namely, in order to truly appreciate old cars you should be driving them on old roads.
Think about it, every time we get into a regular car to do mundane tasks, we always complain that we never see anything on modern roads. The longest trip I ever took was from San Diego to Tennessee. That’s 18 hundred miles, 7 states, 4 interstates, and 3 time zones. On that trip, I saw nothing of interest. It was one of the most boring trips I’ve ever done, Why? I was in a modern car on roads that exist for one purpose only, to get you from point A to B as quickly as possible.
Photo by Brendan Beale on Unsplash
I know every road, ever created, was built to get people and things from one point to another as quickly as possible. Yes, you are correct, but the latest technology combined with an apparent complete lack of modern consideration for landscapes, means that roads are straighter and more level than they have ever been.
It’s the main reason why ancient Romans are so jealous of us… well, that and the fact we are alive… Take that Caligula!
So due to past limits in technology and the lack of desire to permanently scar the planet, old roads are bendier and hillyer than modern roads. That contributes to better overall driving experience you get on old roads. Modern roads are as boring as most modern cars. Those kinds of roads are useful for getting you to the big chain restaurants and box stores, but where’s the fun in that? If you’ve seen one Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Old Navy, you’ve seen them all.
Old roads, show you old America. Nothing is standard about the stores, restaurants, and service stations you will see alongside old roads. Isn’t that the point of taking a ride in the first place? To see things you’ve never seen to get to know the area that you call home. The real area… not the cookie-cutter shopping centers and miles of suburban identical houses?
Take my word for it… The next time you get that classic car out of the garage, take a trip to a place that's been around for a few decades and use the roads that people would have used when your car was new.
I promise you will have a far better trip if you use that advice!
Photo by Jake Blucker on Unsplash
