Ponderings
So, on my way to church today, I ended up behind a Honda S2000 on the highway here and it provoked a train of thought: "Is there a car where, if you see what kind of car it is, you automatically know that the person behind the wheel knows how to drive it fast?" What I mean is, is there a car where you can look at it and automatically say that the person at the wheel isn't a total yutz?
As an example, I submit the Porsche 911 which is no longer a car that fits this criteria. Back when it first came out, the 911 was a MAN's car. And what I mean by that is, if you didn't know how to drive it and you tried to go fast in it, sooner or later you had an accident in it. And you ended up dead. Sometimes. But as they've improved it over the years, with the 993 and the 996 and now the 997, they've taken all the danger out of driving that car. So you can now be a total yutz, drive a 911 fast, and not even break a sweat.
As another anti-example, I go to the top choices of the rally cognoscenti, the Subaru WRX (STi) and the Mitsubishi Lancer (Evolution). These cars are the ultimate example of cars you can go fast in and, as racerex likes to put it, feel like you're driving in "cheat mode." You can be a total yob (like me), and still get home safe and sound. Oh, sure. You may ding up your rims a little bit, but for the most part your dignity will remain intact. Unlike that guy in the early 70s 911 who backed his into the trees.
So that is the question. Can you think of a modern car (let's say available for purchase within the past twenty-five years - 1981-2006) that fits my criteria? The reason I ask is that I think there IS such a car, but I want to see what kind of answers you guys come up with before I reveal my choice.
* 1st Mix *
Okay. Just so the rest of the people on my friends list don't feel left out, I'll post the other thing I was going to write about, but forgot about until just now.
I finally got my grubby little hands on the soundtrack from Virtual On. It was nowhere to be found on the torrent sites, but by venturing into the wild woods that is the eDonkey network, I managed to snag a copy in .mp3 format. Anyways, I was listening to this in my car, and it brought back memories of playing Virtual On at U of Mich back in A^2. Both at the arcades and on the Saturn. And I remember playing in a VO tournament at some anime con, and getting beat by Ive (who as it happens was my protege). Ah, yes. The master getting defeated by their star pupil. *sigh* OH, OKAY. She was simply better than me at the game. ;)
But after reminiscing about that loss, it brought back memories of my win in an Armored Core tournament. IIRC (if I recall correctly), it was at SugoiCon in Cincinatti. And the tournament was run by kken. And at one point in the match, it looked like I might lose because I had the same problem Khan had in Star Trek 2. (I was having trouble thinking 3-dimensionally.) In fact, I think the only thing keeping me alive was the fact that I had built my core for maneuverability, and I was using that for all I was worth to dodge my opponent's multiple missile barrages. But, eventually, I figured it out. (Unlike Khan.) I was able to adapt and overcome whereas my opponent, once he was confronted by my frontal assault, folded faster than a house of cards. And I still have the Macross Plus DVD I got for winning.
And I will forever treasure it. ^_^
Okay. Maybe if I remember that OTHER thing I was gonna post about, I'll add it later. But I'm telling you, this memory of mine is starting to leak like a sieve....