I sit now amidst a sea of brown cardboard boxes. Anosmic as I am, I have no idea if corrugated cardboard has a particular smell, but it seems like the kind of thing that should. It looks like it should fill the place with a earthy, musty smell, with a chemical twinge from the glue. I imagine that the air around me is filled with it.
The boxes were for the move. 24 miles on the dot, according to the all-knowing google, but the difference between Arlington and Oak Lawn is much greater then the distance would denote*. Our place in Arlington was part of a set of characterless tract apartments, surrounded by leafy but similarly dull suburban sprawl. Our new place veritably overflows with character, from its shady little patio to the under-building parking to the historic building in the middle of the property. We’re now just a few minutes from downtown and surrounded by joyfully odd little houses and shops. It’s a really lovely little area.
It’s also one block from the Aston Martin dealership.
My own driving has been impaired by a seemingly constant spotting of British sports car royalty. I end up slowing and craning my head any time I find myself driving by the place. The sight of a row of DB9s and Vantages lining the forecourt is almost too much to handle.
The cars you see on the street aren’t shabby either. Porsches, Jaguars, BMW M Cars: people around here seem to enjoy performance as much as price-tag. There was an Exige with probably the worst paint job I’ve ever seen on an exotic. Green and yellow stripes on a graphite gray is hideous.
I even saw a XJS, rare these days as most of them haven’t aged well. I have an terribly odd affection for the XJS, despite its terrible quality and suffering appearance. I still think that with a little work to that front end, something along the lines of a less frog eyed look, it would be a really charming car. As it stands, it’s still just nice to see someone who still drives theirs around.
* Although a much smaller distance is the difference from Manhattan to New Jersey, so maybe living in a state seven hundred miles across skews my perspective.
Tesla
With all this business about Tesla’s share price in the last week, it’s hard not to give the next wave automaker another once over. I’ve been a fan since the first day I heard about them. “Some one is making an electric car that you’d actually want to drive? Chassis from Lotus? Electric engine torque? Sign me up.” Not that I had the requisite 102 grand asking price.
And that brings us to the quick of the matter. The asking price is a reflection of the infancy of electric vehicle production. When you can spend 40% less to buy an Exige and get the same car only better in just about every way, the Tesla starts to look a bit dumb. This isn’t an innate problem with the electric drivetrain, which in theory offers some real improvements over the internal combustion system we all know and love, but a problem with the industry. Until a big manufacturer builds enough of these things to bring the costs of the materials down, the premium you pay for electric isn’t worth it.
Good news on that front, they are doing that..
I totally understand people’s trepidation about Tesla Motors, but even with that heinous price tag, they are moving units. Moreover, they are doing what desperately needs to be done to make electric vehicles into a real choice; they are making them sexy. They have mitigated that price problem by placing themselves on the market as a hip, geeky alternative to Porsche and Ferrari.
And now we hear that they are hiring away from Apple to improve their buying experience. Nicely done, Tesla. You really are the Apple of the car company right now; you should capitalize on that opportunity.
That all being said: if I had a spare 102 grand sitting around, I think I’d buy the Exige and put the rest into stocks. I hear Tesla Motors is cheap right now.