Chet Parsons, Car Guy

I attended the annual DFW Toy Run with members of the local Ferrari, Lotus, Porsche, and Italian car clubs as well as a few Saabs and Bimmers. This event grew from 35 cars last year to over 80 cars this year and with each car bringing toys and / or donations for a local children's charity, much good comes with this little run. Here are a few photos I grabbed from the event: Lots of Porsches, including this '89 Speedster. Some vintage and Japanese metal, a RUF, and a brick. An old Lancia, more Porsches, and some Italian stuff. A subtle Lamborghini. I think I can lose him.

Yes, that's a Christmas tree, and yes, it's strapped on top of my wife's 3-series. (photo taken in my rear-view mirror)

While driving through the 'burbs today, I saw a black Nissan GT-R with some big, flashy, wheels. Aside from the wheels being too much for the car, it reminded me that I have an issue of another sort with the GT-R. It smells. Before I explain that revelation, let me say that I've yet to drive a GT-R, and would very much like the opportunity to do so. It is apparently one bad you-know-what of a car. It's great looking, too. But it smells. In 1980, my mother got her first sports car. It was a 280ZX 2+2 in silver with a blue and silver velour interior. In high school, my best friend had a Sentra. In 2005 I was one of the first to take delivery of the redesigned Pathfinder. All of these cars had one thing in common: they all smelled similar. Maybe it's the plastics and other materials that Nissan has been using all these years or maybe it's imported Japanese air (even from the factory in Tennessee), but there is a certain aroma consistent among Nissan products....

It is official.  I am no longer actively in the car business.  I finally got out and have taken a new position in the creative world.  Effective immediately, I am the Director of Client Relations for SemiBig Creative Industries, a full service design firm based in Oakland, California, and with a new office in Dallas, Texas.  Check out our website for more about the company and what we do. Don't worry, for all three of you who read this (thanks, Mom) I will continue to post my witty commentary.  Have no fear, I am still an "automotive enthusiast" and will continue to have opinions that I won't keep to myself.  Watch out for me on the roads in Dallas and Houston and all points in between.  I'll be the jackass on the side of the road with the Highway Patrol!

It's been a crazy couple of months, and I've almost escaped from the car business, but I don't know that I'll ever be able to do it completely. A close friend of mine had been looking for an air-cooled Porsche to have as a weekend and special occasions car, and my friends at RUF Auto Centre found a 993 Carrera 2S that ended up fitting the bill perfectly.  When my friend first drove it, he commented that it felt like an old-school Porsche, and felt classic without being an "old car."  I think he summed it up perfectly. We all know how I feel about newer cars, and Porsches in particular.  There is a certain lack of soul about them.  Don't get me wrong, technically and objectively they are amazing feats of engineering, but that doesn't make up for what's missing:  the raw, organic feel of a hand-built sports car. Looking at the current prices of 993's, E30 M3's, Ferrari 355's, and other cars of that era, it appears that I'm not the onl...

As you may have gathered, I took a road trip this week.  I picked up a car in Ontario and took it to El Paso, Texas.  The rough numbers are something like 1800 miles, roughly 30 hours of driving, one hotel, no speeding tickets, three airplanes, one can (12oz) of Red Bull, three fast food "meals," and many gallons of diesel fuel.  I do like a good road trip, but driving across West Texas I can live without. 8:00 AM Central Time, Depart Dallas and headed West 4:30 PM Mountain Time, Arrive El Paso 6:05 PM Mountain Time, Depart El Paso via Southwest Airlines 8:40 PM Central Time, Arrive Dallas Love Field 9:00 PM Central Time, Arrive back at home, sleep. Interstate 20 looks like this. And this. Interstate 10 looks like this. But only when it's about to rain. Did you know the speed limit on I-10 is 80MPH in many places? Ahh, the "comfort" of a SWA 737.