QOTD: National Lampoon's Gearhead Vacation?

You can always spot a gearhead on vacation. They’re the ones arguing with the people at Hertz over the type of tires on their rental or, at the bare minimum, running up and down the Emerald Aisle at National like a kid in a candy store.

Serious car freaks, like all hands writing for this august establishment and (I’m wagering) a good percentage of our readers, start seeking out car-related “events” at their destination at the earliest opportunity.

Me? I usually end up digging through the Yards Across America.

Don’t tell me I’m the only one. I refuse to believe it. Our very own Murilee Martin has been visiting yards since the days of Crystal Pepsi and Hammer Pants; I’d be lying if I told you his escapades didn’t have some sort of influence on my own proclivity for hitting up the nearest u-pull-it whenever I’ve some free time in a new town. While children look forward to meeting Mickey and Minnie at Disney World, I’m eagerly tucking a rudimentary toolkit into my suitcase in anticipation of finding an obscure cloisonné badge or dashboard switch; whatever’s small enough to tuck into my suitcase and take back home, basically.

It’s not just busted cars and dirty tools, though. My browser history is littered with searches for car shows scheduled during the time I’m at my destination. Occasionally, luck is on my side and I’ll find a five-star show at the duPont Registry or a 1,000+ strong classic car show in a major city. Sometimes, of course, the best ones are happened upon completely by chance, like the time I found a group of people in tattered Datsuns expertly drifting their way around a half-abandoned mall in rural Nova Scotia.

How about you, B&B? Do you — intentionally or completely by chance — take in some car-related fun while on vacation? And if you find yourself arms deep into an ’89 Reatta trying to harvest its tasty (but prehistoric) touchscreen CRT at a u-pull-it in Arizona with only a few hours until your flight, remember to factor in the extra cost levied by flinty-eyed clerks at the airline check-in counter. Those pixelated Buick dashboards are heavy, man.

[Image: © 2017 Matthew Guy]