Chet Parsons, Car Guy

It's been almost 25 years since I got my first car.  I've had over 20 cars since then, but I have two favorites.  The old Toyota 4Runner I have now is like the old family dog.  It's aging and it sort of lumbers along, but it's loyal and it's charming, and I can't bring myself to part with it.  As attached as I have become to the Toyota, though, my 1987 M3 will always be my absolute favorite, and it converted me into a full-on BMW M-car fan-boy. Since the introduction of the E92 M3, and maybe the E60 M5, fan-boys like me have cried and whined and moaned that M-cars aren't what they used to be.  Rants of BMW losing its way can be found all over the forums and enthusiast blogs, berating BMW for building overweight, overly complex, bloated machines to cater to the people who are actually buying them (gasp!) I'll admit that I hopped on the bandwagon.  I am a self-proclaimed automotive idealist, dreaming of pure drivers' cars with high-revving, nat...

The 24 Hours of Lemons race series is, according to some guy named Jay, the fastest growing form of motorsport in the United States.  While I can neither confirm nor deny its empirical growth,  I can tell you that it is perhaps the best motor racing value in the country.  Endurance races featuring $500.00 cars, thematic team liveries and costumes, and a judging system to keep things safe and sportsmanlike on the track all add up to a weekend of fun racing with other people just as crazy as you.  The nature of the cars and the reasonable entry fees keep costs more realistic, and attract a broader audience.  To quote the 24 Hours of Lemons website, "It's not just for rich idiots.  It's for all idiots." Speedy Monzales To say there is a fair amount of theater involved would be fair, but it is also serious racing.  Safety is the top priority, because a serious accident would be a serious buzz kill.  Winning is, of course, one objective, but mo...