Here I am writing again, not in the best of moods, but writing is good for the soul. Let's not let our emotions go amuck, let's focus on something that came to me in an epiphany yesterday, April 8th, 2017.
Driving; something that gets every single person's mind off of things. No matter who it may be, it doesn't necessarily have to do with the enthusiasm or hatred they may have towards the automotive industry, a drive gets the mind free. Free to think about anything really, but thats not the point here, after all, this is a car page not an emotional blog for self help...or maybe it is
Going back to the point, driving is bliss, driving a car that is worth driving, for that matter, is even more enticing than anything I can think of at the moment. Feeling the wind through the cabin, rowing through gears, and appreciating the road in front of you is something people need to do more often, much more often. That leads me to this.
To those of you collecting cars for "future resale" or "collectability", you are about to be completely offended with what I am about to say.
Get out and drive it you duck.
Owning a 1989 BMW Super ETA with 24,000 miles ticked on the rebuilt stroker, meant "keep it hidden, make sure its not getting more miles than it should, and baby it, don't drive it if you don't have to" until April the 8th 2017 came along.
It was a day like any other, I was hesitant to put the miles on my car, but I figured if I didn't take my car to go teach a good friend how to shoot in Key Biscayne, I would probably never get the chance to take the pictures of the car as it is now with the Miami skyline in the background.
Wow...
Not a single ounce of regret lies in me about my choices that day and it completely changed my outlook on almost everything car related. I drove.
I drove and drove and drove for what I thought at the time to be an incredible distance, 61 miles to be exact, 61 clicks that were added to my (working) odometer in my little E30 that could. Sixty one miles of the best day ever, finding spots to shoot at and discovering roads that were boring in any other car, but an uproar in mine, even at cruising speeds.
After that day, I not only realized I should get out and just drive more, but so should everyone. All those goddamn so called "automotive enthusiasts" that collect cars, only to have them tendered in their garages, locked away from the public, never to roll a single inch till its unloaded at the next Mecum or Barrett-Jackson auction only to be bought by another greedy collector and be locked up again, are fools.
Especially a car with as much heritage as mine. Any old BMW, old Porsche, ANY old or new car should be driven!
It never deserves a life hidden, protected, and guarded like some princess in a tower. It should get its tires dirty, use its fuel pump, and injectors for what they were made for! Something that beautiful should be enjoyed, not just by its owner, but shared with everyone. Its presence on the road is something people would appreciate, automotive enthusiast or not.
You as an owner have to give it the life it was meant to have; a life being driven. So get out there, if you're like me with a closed heart, stubborn to opening up, open your throttle and go for a drive, just like writing...it's good for the soul. Let your thoughts run wild, enjoy the roads ahead with your car: classic, new, exotic, or even lease. The price you pay, any price, is worth it because it creates memories and adds to the fact that cars aren't just transportation, they're time capsules.
As a matter of fact, now that I do feel much better, I might just go get my keys and go for a drive...
-Esteban Larranaga
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