A while ago I was listening to Spike’s Car Radio podcast and the host, Spike Feresten, asked his co-host about their “taproot” car; the place where their car obsession started. He defined it as the car which started their obsession . This question is frequently asked of guests and the answers are often varied. This started me thinking about my own “taproot”.
The formative years
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary provides a definition of taproot as, “the central element or position in a line of growth or development”. For me, there isn’t a single, specific car, but a series of experiences which led to a realization.
Initiation: catching rides in cool cars
Growing up, my parents and immediate family owned some really forgettable cars from Chevy and Pontiac. They were OK and got us around, but for those who remember GM vehicles of the late ’70’s and early ’80’s, they can mostly be described as…well…not great…to be charitable. Those cars were poorly built, had large engines with low power output, and rode like a boat in rough seas. They wallowed as they traveled down the road. However, in my early teen years I started to have encounters with some of the automotive greatest hits of ’80’s.
The E21 BMW 3 Series
Of all the cars, I remember this one the clearest and it left the biggest impression. Compared to the land-yachts my parents drove, this car was a fighter plane on wheels. A good friend’s family purchased it used, with a modified the suspension, after-market wheels, and a radar detected built into the display cluster between the tach and speedo. This car had a magical BMW four cylinder engine, manual transmission (which was foreign to me at the time) and could carve its way through traffic and up mountain roads like nothing I’d experienced before. This was my first exposure to German cars and one that has stuck with me for a lifetime.
Third generation Honda Accord
Another friend had parents with a third generation Honda Accord (1986 – 1989). The cool one with the pop-up headlights. This car did several things for me. First, it showed me there were fun to drive cars, with great handling at a much more affordable price point. Second, it showed me that manual transmissions were not as rare as I once thought, and Honda made some of the best. Third, the Japanese were building cars far better than the 70’s vintage Toyota my dad owned. It was hardly more than a lawn mower with a body (manual choke and all).
Nissan Maxima
Remember when Nissan Maxima’s were cool and fun to drive? Yeah, it’s been a long time since anyone could say that. If you can’t, here’s a hint: You have to look way back into the car’s history. Way, back…
In 1984 the second generation Nissan Maxima hit the market. The same family with the BMW also picked up a Maxima SE with a manual transmission! Not only was this car pretty quick for it’s day, but it also handled well; living up to Nissan’s marketing line of “the four door sports car”. The other mind blowing feature was this car would talk to you! We had all sorts of fun trying to find everything the car could say. Not quite KITT from Knight Rider, but the closest we could get at the time.
This car exposed me to fun four door sedans in a similar way to the Accord, but the Maxima was faster and more luxurious. I’ve been hooked on practical, fun, sports sedans ever since…
The Exploration Period
As I hit my teenage years and started driving cars on my own, my friends did as well. A couple of them had cars which continued to fan the coals of my growing love of fun cars. Meanwhile I was stuck behind the wheel of a late ’70s Chevette I shared with my dad. A great car to learn things like driving a manual transmission and how to control a rear-wheel drive car in snow, but overall just another sad GM product from the malaise era.
The Japanese Collection
There were two Japanese standouts from this time. Both built by Nissan and similar takes on a common theme: cheap, fun, and small.
The first was a Nissan Pulsar. The first generation of this car was tiny little rocket with a turbo-charged engine. Turbos were not common and feeling what they did when bolted to the engine of a small, light car was a great experience.
The other car was a Datsun B210 fastback. This car intrigued me by being properly quick and fairly stable at speeds it probably really shouldn’t have been travelling. Like the Pulsar, it was a lively, fun-to-drive car wrapped up in a platform very different from the hot-rod platforms which were much more common at the time.
Return to Germany
The last memorable car from this era was another German car driven by the brother of a friend. Riding in this car was always a real treat.
Sadly, I didn’t know much about the WRC at the time, but I did understand this coupe was properly quick and possessed the unique German driving feel.
Something Of My Own
A few years later after finishing college and starting a career, I found myself in a position to by a new car. The ’93 Pontiac Grand Am I bought in college was falling apart around me (despite being less than 10 years old) and, was never more than a mediocre car. Transportation, yes, but nothing more. It was time to take the plunge and get something memorable.
As an avid reader of “Road and Track” I vividly remember multiple articles they published singing the praises of the the E36 BMW M3. Even used the car was out of reach, so I decided to test drive a used E36 325i. Following that magical experience, the hook was set and I started to hunt down one I could own. Finding manual transmission E36 325i’s at the time was virtually impossible, but BMW released the E46 generation soon after I started my search and things started to look up.
I spent more on the car than I really should have, but I will never regret buying it. It was custom order with a few must-have options and to this day, it ranks it in the top three cars I’ve owned. The driving feel, ergonomics, handling, and simple driving joy that car delivered, are still etched deeply in my mind.
The Journey Continues
Those great cars from the ’80s shaped my automotive tastes and the ’99 BMW E46 fused them into physical form. However, I don’t feel my tastes are set in stone. Each car I drive, regardless of whether I own it or how much time I spend behind the wheel, leads to personal growth and refinement. They all provide an opportunity to explore what makes my automotive heart “tick”.
I hope all of you have experienced a taproot moment or moments. Tell me about them in the comments! I also hope you continually look for new experiences, try out different platforms, and continue to feed your enthusiasm.