Our Two Cents: The one story we wish we could write?
Our last installment of Our Two Cents certainly resonated with many folks in the Hagerty community, and for that everyone here at Hagerty media sincerely thanks you for your feedback. You are the reason why I have polled my co-workers on a regular basis. I am grateful for your comments, and I hope the following question entertains you:
What’s the one story you wish you could write about for Hagerty? There are no budget/time constraints. If you wanted to interview Carl Benz on the moon, you just go ahead and say that. Shine on you crazy diamonds!
Corinthian Leather: The making of the Chrysler Cordoba
Senior Manager of Content Joe DeMatio takes us back to the days personal luxury, the days where power was down but safety and cleaner air was met with international flair.
“I would like to write about the development of the Chrysler Cordoba in the mid-1970s, specifically the design, which I believe was penned by a French-Canadian man who was not a career automotive designer. The car so clearly paid homage to Rolls-Royce and was one of many ‘personal luxury’ coupes of the period, all of which figured largely in my childhood imagination.”
Seeking “The Great Wave” in a Skyline
Executive Editor Eric Weiner wants to do something near and dear to my heart: taking a radical vehicle and finding parallels with something bigger in society.
“My dream has always been to road trip around Japan in an R32 Skyline, the archetypical JDM performance car. In my head it’s a photo essay/travelogue in 36 parts, matching the artist Katsushika Hokusai’s series, 36 Views of Mt. Fuji, which includes the iconic Great Wave off Kanagawa that’s so ubiquitous today.
“The Great Wave is almost a parody of itself at this point. The story would be an exploration of how perspective from abroad provides only a particular view, and how the GT-R means so much more when understood in context, in the place where it was made, appreciated and understood for the audience that was intended.
“At the same time, when you make something great, it grows beyond those constraints, those borders. The changing meaning and significance is part of what makes something enduring, because enduring does not mean unchanging!”
Sawzall’d: Exclusive Interview with a Catalytic Converter
Eric gave us another gem, another story from an interesting perspective. How would a catalytic converter feel about being so desirable? Is it a type of fame that’s desirable, as in being a household name when things like EGR valves and smog pumps are easily forgotten? Or is it so toxic that it’s more like celebrities who can no longer live their life?
The Earth From the Edge of Space
Editor-at-Large Sam Smith wants to go even further, taking all the latitude I gave in my question. His idea has merit, as many of us also love aircraft, too.
“It’s not cars, I know. But riding passenger in a Lockheed U-2 would be an epic act of storytelling. Yes, it’s tangential to what we do here, but I suspect we could fudge the lines and run it anyway.”
Which motivated Ben Woodworth, our Senior Video Lead, to add, “I want a ride in an SR-71 Blackbird, spending a year or two embedded with those pilots and that program.”
Detroit & Big Oil
Ben Woodworth had another great story idea, as Detroit and the oil and gas industry have deep roots:
“Maybe this has already been fully researched and done, but I’d love to do be able to go back in time to TRULY research Detroit’s and the oil industry’s influence and long-term impact on public transportation and electric vehicles. I mean, Henry Ford’s wife drove an electric car for goodness sake!
“From what I already know from things I’ve read and a few documentaries I’ve watched, the influence was heavy and the corruption and anti-competitive behavior was rampant. It would be fun (and also super depressing) to learn what really happened in the back rooms and shadows.”
Life before Salad Dressings
Senior Editor Eddy Eckart wants to dig deep into one particular element of Paul Newman’s racing career. While there is a movie about Newman’s racing career, what about a discussion on a single season of racing?
“I’d like to have been embedded with the team that supported Paul Newman during one of his championship-winning seasons in the SCCA. What’d he do to prepare for the season? How’d he approach selecting the people he surrounded himself with for the effort? What was his pre-grid routine? Much of this story’s been told before, but I’ve always wanted to be able to see what Newman was like through the context of the minutiae of a full schedule of racing.”
Dolled Up: The Time Out Doll story
Editor Kyle Smith, wants to dig deep into the Time Out, or Corner Doll. They are still popular at car shows, so I suspect several generations of enthusiasts would love to read Kyle’s essay. He will answer questions like:
- Where did they come from?
- How do they seemingly multiply but I’ve never seen them for sale?
- Why do they appear in my nightmares?
Around the world
Managing Editor David Zenlea wants to write about something that few of us know firsthand, but most of us would love to experience.
“I want to write a story about a road trip around the world. I actually wouldn’t want a nice car for it, because the story is better if stuff breaks and I have to find a working O2 sensor somewhere in Mongolia.”
To which Eric added, the Mercedes W124 is your ride! Considering how many were sold globally, and how many are still on those roads, Eric is definitely on to something.
Ford vs. Ferrari, but in real time
Steven Cole Smith, our Special Projects Editor, wants to cover a story so iconic that we know it will be a smash hit:
“I’d loved to have been at Kitty Hawk, or when Henry rolled the first car off his assembly line, but the immediate story that comes to mind would be to cover the Fords beating the Ferraris at Le Mans in 1966. That had to be the ultimate proud-to-be-an-American moment, and I think it’s a tale my limited skillset could have really gotten behind.”
So many of these stories have been told. The Time out doll needs to be forgotten.
Paul told his own story warts and all. The U2 has been told but there is still many SR71 stories to tell.
Ford Vs Ferrari needs to be written just as it really happened and leave the Hollywood out. No time limits.
As for the Cordoba. Well eh there are just more interesting stories to tell first. I just got done reading All Corvettes are Red. It was the story of how the C5 development went. It was a very telling story not so much on just the Vette but how dysfunctional and how damaged the culture of GM was at the time. It answered many questions.
I would love to read a real story on the Ford Family. The whole deal. Too often it is just Henry for his accomplishments or flaws. I would love to read about Edsel and how we lost a true leader that really could have taken Ford in directions we never imagined. HF 2 and his messes he made while in office. Bill and Edsel 2. Too often we get bits and pieces and never the whole story in one.
I think the loss of Edsel really is a story that needs to be told today and the name just reeks failure but he was anything but. He literally saved Ford and may have cost him his life fighting his father and his cronies. His mother never forgave HF for how he treated him.