Never Stop Driving #55: Freebird, speed traps, and the most compelling new sports sedan in years
This week, I’m laughing at a 41-second clip my son showed me, on Father’s Day, of a NASCAR stock car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Chevy stock car ran in the race as an exhibition, in a class of one, and was considered a blunt and crude instrument in a field of more sophisticated sports cars. In the video, it passes a car while Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Freebird plays. While the finishing order was irrelevant, Chevy’s effort scored massive publicity and inspired a special edition Camaro ZL1. There are dozens of similarly clever clips. I love the creativity.
Stock cars of a different sort found their way into an unlikely place, The New Yorker, which posted a Father’s Day video about a dad and his kid bonding over racing and wrenching. This one hit home to me because it highlighted how a community and family in rural France enrich their lives through cars—in this case, beat-up old Renault and Peugeot hatchbacks. Sure, many hobbies offer similarly positive family activities, but cars are unique: they’re life-size, often raucous objects that need regular care and feeding, ideal canvases for curious hands. My two sons and I spend more time maintaining and repairing our cheap-o fleet than we do behind the wheel. I’m forever grateful for these mechanical, positively analog objects that teach so many valuable life skills.
My kids learned plenty when we prepared a 1969 Chevelle wagon for a cross-country trip. For reasons I can’t remember, we decided to swap the iron cylinder heads for aluminum ones, a job I had never performed. The modifications did not go smoothly, which in hindsight probably taught them more than I hoped. It gave us stories to retell later, which help create the tapestry of a family.
If we were to plan that trip today, we’d think twice about crossing Nebraska. A recent report detailed a 24-mile section of Interstate 80 where police are unusually aggressive about seizing property and cash discovered during traffic stops. The stated motive is to reduce illegal drug smuggling, but it’s also an opportunity for overreach.
The piece got me thinking about the numerous speed traps—sections of road that have unexpectedly low speed limits and police patrols tasked with generating ticket revenue—that have ensnared me over the years. I imagine it’s an uncomfortable position for our mostly dedicated and hard-working officers. I once got a speeding ticket while on an entrance ramp before I’d even seen a speed limit sign. The ticket felt unfair enough that I went to court to fight it.
There was no court that day; instead, I was brought to a cramped room where an officer told me I had little chance of beating the charge. I was far from an angel back then and already had points on my license. This new ticket would have put me one additional infraction away from a suspension, a problem for a guy who drives cars for a living. I could, the officer told me, pay the fine and go to a traffic school and then I would not accrue the points. Or I could roll the dice with the judge. I went to school.
Not long after, the section of road was outed as a speed trap. The town’s police chief was sent to jail for a list of crimes that included embezzlement. The interesting thing about my experience was the traffic school. I expected a weekend of “speed kills” lectures but instead the instructor provided a useful seminar on breaking bad habits. Our repeated behavior behind the wheel is what landed us in a dreary hotel meeting room, and paying fines, he said. Maybe we should recognize our patterns and adjust? Then he showed us how. My ticket was probably unfair, but that was not a wasted weekend.
As you head into your weekend, don’t miss Jason Cammisa’s latest video. For this episode he focused on the Tesla roadster and explained the company backstory that you probably didn’t know (hint, Elon didn’t start it). The original Roadster has now depreciated enough that we put it on the Bull Market list in 2022.
Our writers are on their usual tear, churning out new and compelling stories daily. One of my recent favorites is Grace Houghton’s profile of John Delorean’s daughter who is working to make her own car. Steven Cole Smith reported on the $1 billion lawsuit filed by Carlos Ghosn, the automotive executive smuggled out of Japan in a box. Aaron Robinson drove the new Acura Integra S, the most compelling new sports sedan in a decade. And it only comes with a manual transmission. Drivers, rejoice.
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Have a great weekend!
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With all of the gloom and doom available to us in the media on a daily basis, I find it entirely heartening to sign on to Hagerty Media and read plenty of interesting, enlightening, and instructive content about people and vehicles (two of my favorite subjects). Thanks to ALL of the Hagerty staff who give me this respite!
I recently had a surprise visit from our oldest son and youngest granddaughter. We pulled the old Pontiac out and took a drive to a lunch spot – taking several photos of her sitting behind the wheel. Then she rode my vintage mini-bike around the field (after replacing the rotted starter rope that busted on the first pull). It was a thoroughly enjoyable time and involved coming together in a classic car and at the workbench with a wrench in our hands.
And we are lucky to have you sign on and comment, DUB6.
The Institute for Justice is a non-profit that is making a real difference in stopping civil forfeiture practices like the Nebraska example you mention (where they take your money for no reason and you are guilty until proven innocent, which is often impossible).
https://ij.org/issues/private-property/civil-forfeiture/
https://ij.org/ll/trucker-gets-savings-back-after-long-haul-litigation/
https://ij.org/case/us-private-vaults-administrative-forfeiture/
I’ve got a question, wasn’t sure where to post it. What happened to the “Manifold” daily newsletter? Please bring that back. Thanks!
I clicked on the link and read the Route 66 road trip article and it brought back a flood of great memories of my Son and my Dad on multiple spring break road trips a decade ago.
Thanks for the Wonderful Memory Refresh Larry, it really made my day.
Thanks so much for reading! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
On a trip to the States from the U.K. a few years back I was driving from the Keys back to Kissimmee on SR25. It was late at night and as far as I was concerned observing the speed limit. I had just entered the town of Moore Haven when I saw a flashing light behind me so obviously stopped. On enquiring as to why I was stopped I was told I had been speeding doing 55mph in a 30mph limit. I pointed out that the limit was 40mph in town and I had been sticking to it. No he said it’s 30 over the bridge. I said that I hadn’t come over any bridge but he informed me that although the road was level a river actually ran under it and thus it was a bridge. I said I didn’t see any 30mph sign and so he took me back over the so-called bridge and pointed out a small 30 sign a very long way off to the side where the road curved gently away. He had been sitting with a direct sight line on the other side of the carriageway. It was an obvious trap for the unsuspecting non local traffic. He ‘generously’ offered to cut me a deal as I was 2mph over some statuary guideline for a court appearance – I could either accept a ticket and $500 fine or spend a night in jail and argue with a judge in the morning. I often wonder how much revenue that ‘bridge’ generates.
I am a “senior” citizen and was coming home from playing senior softball and had my 84 Mustang 5.0 (first new car) out and was going through a very congested part of a smaller town outside Charlotte, NC and another Mustang was trying to “entice” me into racing, speeding up/slowing down. Well, long story short, I jumped on it to get around him and sure enough the blue lights came behind me. I pulled over as he slowly walked up, patted the passenger taillight (leave that fingerprint and dna just in case), looked in from passenger side fully expecting some young punk in his souped up Mustang. I think he was surprised to see someone probably the age of his grandfather. After he lectured me some, he gave me the ticket for too close for conditions. He then asked the year and when I told him it was my first new car, he remarked about it being several years older than him. I thanked him for his service, went home, got online and paid the ticket. Lesson learned? Probably not.
On the Tesla I was working at event facility in Charlotte in the mid 90’s – mid 2000’s and was next to a TV station and they called and asked if they could do a story on a electric car. Sure, I went out and there was a little red roadster. I walked up as they were preparing for a shoot for local news. Talked to the folks and walked away and smiled thinking yeah right, electric cars, sure buddy. How times have changed. One thing I do remember watch it scoot along, fast little bugger.
Sounds like you paid the road tax…. And yeah, those roadsters are quick!
Wow, $500 is steep. I think my total outlay was around there as well.
WE should all support the National Motorist Association. Check the NMA Blog at motorists.org/blog.
Also you should run a story on the NMA and the efforts of this organization in fighting speeding tickets.
“The welfare of the people has always been the alibi of tyrants.” -Albert Camus
Re: speed traps and other forms of policing-for-profit corruption.
The crooks committing this government corruption are tyrants.
I really enjoy Jason’s “exposes.” Keep ’em comimg!
At one time the Idaho Highway Patrol operated an “Interdiction Zone” on eastbound I-84 where it enters the state from Oregon….under similar pretenses to those mentioned in the article about I-80 in Nebraska.
While on a trip to Boise from Seattle, we were promptly pulled over less than 30 seconds after crossing into Idaho for failing to properly signal a lane change: our blinker only flashed 3x instead of the required 5x. Seriously.
We were all removed from the car (3 white and 1 Hispanic male ranging in age from mid-20’s to late-40’s), forced to produce our IDs, and questioned separately about our travels, intentions, and belongings while the entire car was searched.
Our Hispanic friend – who was in the country on a green card – was extremely shaken by the experience. We now do everything in our power to avoid the State of Idaho.
Regarding Tesla, If you want to go back to the very beginning, it was Dave Piontek – who you recently featured in an installment of “Homebuilt” – and his Sportech that provided the platform for the AC Propulsion Tzero, which Eberhard and Tarpenning then used as inspiration for the first product their new company – Tesla Motors – before their first investor, one Elon Musk, ever became involved. I was in love with the Sportech Roadster and to be honest would even today jump at the chance to own one.