This is one of those articles that pops onto the editorial calendar after you’ve seen how well someone packs his Porsche 914 2.0, which then reminded me of all the times I’ve stuffed vehicles to the gills. The most extreme was probably four grown men packed for an entire 5-hour-road-trip-each-way-weekend to the Canadian Grand Prix…in a Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG Convertible that I’d borrowed for a story.
I wouldn’t call it practical, though.
What’s practical? Cars with removable furniture (seats, tables) that are usable outside of the vehicle; if you’re a smoker, the near-perfect positioning of cigarette lighters and ashtrays; the way classic cars almost always artfully stored the spare tire to save space; how some classics have an interior map light on a wire, so you’re able to reposition it around the cabin during a long-distance drive…
Practicality is in the eye of the beholder.
Arguably, vehicles like the Toyota FJ are 100% practical, except maybe for a regular morning commute. For that task, I found the 2CV surprisingly adept at the modern morning in-town rush hour—if you’re paying attention, it’s nearly as fast as a lazily-driven taxi. Pretty fast, indeed.
Which classic has surprised you with its practicality—and for what purpose?
