I like cars.
I’ve been passionate about them for as long as I can remember. It’s a hobby that I tend to go a little overboard and obsess about with my tastes in particular brands and models evolving over time.
While I like cars in general and love to attend various events like Cars & Coffee meets or various Races, there have been distinct stages in my life where I focused on specific vehicles. Most recently it was the Mazda MX-5 Miata obsession. A hobby I picked up while volunteering as a motorsport marshal. A Skip Barber Miata crashed into my corner while working Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta and since that moment I became slightly obsessed with the idea of owning one. I started collecting Mazda / Mazdaspeed / and Miata specific swag long before I bought one. Once I did I drove it all over the place mainly to Races I was volunteering. Did a bunch of upgrades and maintenance posts about it on my blog. And eventually started meeting owners around the world anywhere I traveled from Southeast Asia to Europe to Australia/New Zealand and South Africa.
Before the Miata came along I was really into the Ford Panther platform and specifically the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. I owned 10 of them over the years buying them directly from police auctions. I’ve had a few SUV’s that I kind of liked, like my Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee but they were more utilitarian point A to point B type of vehicle rather than something to obsess about. I bought a Jeep Wrangler to replace my crashed out Miata but it did not blossom into an adoring relationship I had hoped it would. So while I use it everyday to get to and from work, I’m in the market for another Miata now.
One thing I love about cars is that you don’t have to own one to appreciate one for what it is. In my early years I loved the Ford SVT and Chrysler SRT line up. I learned all about them and attended events to see the cars in person. When I went to Australia I obsessed over their Ford FVP and to a small degree the rival Holden HSV line up, meeting owners and learning all I could about the cars. In Southeast Asia I loved the looks of the Malaysian Perodua Myvi for some reason. And at present time I absolutely obsess over various GT3 machinery of modern day and the GT1/GT2/Prototypes of yesteryear. I can’t wait to see them at racing events or at car shows. I get especially excited when I could find a tiny version in die cast form to add to my collection.
