Altitude Dream Cars

I have a good friend that could care less about cars. He drives his Toyota Tundra around and keeps it in a pretty filthy state. For guys like him, I wonder what happened? He’s mentioned on several occasions that cars don’t mean that much to him. I think he’s a great guy, but something must have happened in his “car” gene. I then think, what guy doesn’t love a great looking car? There are the rare few, like my friend, but for the rest of us, the “Car Gene” is alive and well.

For myself, I have to say, I liken myself as a general car guy. There are Porsche purist, like another good friend, that names will be left out, but he’s so hung up on Porsches, that he doesn’t even give other cars a second glance. There are Ferrari guys, Lambo guys, Lotus guys, Vette guys, Viper guys and the list goes on. Personally,  I like all kinds of cars, but of course, mostly exotic, rare sports cars that are fast and have incredible handling. Looking back on my youth, my dad wasn’t particularly into cars and frankly, didn’t really take care of the ones he had. He trashed (and still does) more cars than I care to remember. So, for the rest of us, those that ogle and stare when we see an exotic car, tare through the magazines at the local super market, or surf all the exotic car background web sites, why do we love these Exotic Cars?

Frankly, I don’t have a general answer, but I know why I personally like them. I have several reasons and the top on my list is just how incredible they look. Cars are part of our every day life and the “regular” cars sitting in most peoples driveway are, well, boring. They’re safe, conservative and just plane ugly. There are a few that are nice looking, like most Mercedes and BMW’s are more popular than before and are nice looking, Mazda has some nice lines, Infinities are nice, Nissan and Hyundai have some good cars, but it’s that rare car, high-end, exotic sports car that is just so damn good looking. Sexy is usually the thought that comes to my mind and is my criteria. While there are cars with the title exotic cars, like the Lotus Elan and Noble, they just don’t have it in the looks department. The Elan, while rare and a cool old car, it’s quit frankly ugly as home-made soap (Sorry Elan owners). Now, I know good looks are in the eye of the beholder, but there’s nothing sexier than the Lotus Elise lines or a low slung Ferrari or Lamborghini.

Then, there’s speed. Raw power and speed to go along with the sexy looks. I remember in the 80’s the Countach were the cool exotic car, but the power wasn’t all that great. Now, Lamborghini’s, Ferraris and Porsche have exceeded such power limits that it’s staggering.

Combine a sexy looking car and the knowledge that it’ll move faster than the speed of light and you have one awesome reason to love it. For those of us that have the strong “Car Gene”, it doesn’t get any better than that.

For many, seeing an exotic car is an experience that is considered pretty cool. Seeing an exotic car in every day situations, like around Denver Colorado or in Longmont, where I live, it’s really sweet. Why, mostly because it’s an opportunity to see a great looking car outside in the “real” world, not at a show room or at a car show. Seeing it at a gas station, on the freeway, at a mall, at your every day shop or hang out is even better. There are some that think seeing it sitting outside a fancy hotel and restaurant is nice, but these are still expected to some degree. Seeing a Ferrari sitting outside the local mall or a Gallardo at the Target is just about as cool as it gets. Why, because they’re being used, driven in every day situations and others get to appreciate the opportunity to see and enjoy the car.

If you love cars and see an exotic car sitting out in an every day location, appreciate it and enjoy the opportunity to have seen something so cool.  If you have a camera on your cell phone, and who doesn’t, take a picture, note the date and where it was, then upload it to a car spotting site like ExoticCarSpotter.com – if you take a photo at a car show,  it doesn’t count. If you just want to see some cars in everyday traffic and around your town, go check the site out, it’s chock full of great shots. The oddest is a Buggati Veyron at a WalMart in Wisconsin. That’s a 1.6 million dollar car at a WalMart. Go figure.

The truth about seeing an exotic car out in every day situations is, it makes them “real”. It’s usually real people that have the opportunity to drive the car, own the car and in most cases appreciate the car. If you approach someone who’s filling their Gallardo or Enzo tank, say hi and be courteous. If they’re jerks, ignore them. However, you may find that most owners like people to appreciate the car and are usually pretty friendly. I’ve driven a lot of cars, both that I’ve owned and that others have owned, but have had the privelege to drive and I’ve always been friendly when approached.

Next time you see a cool exotic car sitting at the local Conoco, ask the guy/gal about it and see what kind of response you get. You might be suprised and better yet, they might let you sit in it an take a picture. Then you can post it on a car spotter site.