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Photography by Afshin Behnia, Josh Clason, and Saam Gabbay
A few weeks ago we asked you how far you’d be willing to go to include your love of cars in less-than-relevant life events. But before you even get the green light from your significant other to do this, you probably need to share some of your automotive enthusiasm with him or her. And, you’ll have to forgive me but I’m going to generalize here, most non-Petrolisti aren’t too impressed by 8000 horsepower Top Fuel dragsters. While shockingly quick, they do have limited appeal even to us car nerds.
So it should probably be something a little, or a lot, more subtle. It should probably be friendly, accessible, and I’d imagine organic is better than angular. Or is it just a question of how you drive? But if you had one chance to “convert” your significant other into petrolista, which one car would be best suited to the task?
My girlfriend, puts up with a small, cramped, hot Healey Sebring Sprite really well.
She also puts up with, me disappearing into the garage for hours and returning covered in grease, oil and petrol.
Thankfully she’s handy with spanners and can strike a deft blow to the spinners with the copper mallet.
Trips to Goodwood Revival and Sunday Breakfasts, also last years trip to the 72nd Members Meet makes up for it.
(Yes, she’s a keeper)
My wife is not at all into cars..other than a cuteness factor. She like the look, size and colors of a Smart Car. Minis, especially the old smaller ones appeal to her. She just got a Fiat 500S as her car.
She does enjoy my BMW Z3 3.0 roadster enough to put up with my driving and go on weekend trips…but not really for a spin on some moutain roads…my driving again..
My wife “enjoyed” my TR6 and when she asked for her own classic, we shopped around. She really liked the Jag MkIIs but fell in love with her current Volvo 1800S…which makes her sad often, because I am constantly working on it and she hasn’t driven it more than a couple times since we’ve had it.
Think the other way around – what impresses your guy friends (an early 911 Turbo or that stunning road version of Lancia 037) won’t convert your girlfriend. My bets here are classical icons, “design statement cars”. Alfa Bertone, Jaguar E-type, Volvo 1800S. Cars everyone can look at and see beauty, and if not beauty at least recognize from shows and movies. For once you have to forget rally and racing victories, innovational breakthroughs and and amazing tech features.
Sames goes with men’s clothing. It might be a tailored tweed suit jacket fitting your back absolutely perfect or a pair of original Nike AF1 sneakers from 1982 on ebay (never used!). Different dude friends would trade your friendship for that suit jacket or those unique iconic sneakers. While your girl… Well she would just get upset over how you could pay a fortune for a pair of hitop sneakers that looks more yellow than white today…
Conclusion, stick to classic Alfas, Jags or Porsche 356s – all models that somehow indicates ‘good taste’. And dress classy without trying to attract different niche subcultures.
Just look for a woman who drives a manual with the right hand (or left, if you are in the UK, Japan, etc) hanging from the top of the wheel, and you´ll easily be able to talk her into buying a driver´s car: she might even encourage you to get it!. Call me crazy, but if you need to convince your significant other to buy a car that´ll make you smile, you are in deep trouble.
Citroen DS , MGB’s , Alfa Spiders , pre 70 Mustangs etc are all good starting points . Problem is . Once the car starts on its annual decent into reliability hell and she’s been stranded once or twice she’ll get over the affliction [ which is what Classic Cars are by the way ] faster than you can say her name . And then ! When she sees the repair bills to get her dream car back on the road ? Suffice it to say if the woman has even a modicum of common sense she’ll be dumping the classic for the newest model you/she can afford and want . Guaranteed ! Seeing as how the ladies have a significant more amount of common sense when it comes to all things automotive than we men ever will . And then … she’ll be pressuring you to get rid of your classic as well . Lest you personally meet the same fate her classic car just did . Being traded in for a newer model that is 😀
As to the other question ? Organic over angular . Most definitely !
Significant other just purchased an Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider Normale project in celeste blue – she saw my friend’s ’58 Spider Veloce and was immediately “afflicted”. I too am going to generalize, but most women prefer curvy cars over the sharp-angled wedge cars. She loves the Giulia but hates the Montreal