Daily Podcast: The Sound of One V8 Revving

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

I was thinking about Justin's bang-for-the-buck blog and Frank's By The Numbers report. It occurred to me that the autoblogosphere is ruled by numbers. Horsepower, sales per month, number of comments, unique visitors per day, and so on. Which is kind of funny, as I have less aptitude for math than a Himalayan yak. My love for cars is visceral, not digital. When Justin investigates the $/hp equation, my mind turns to thoughts of coffee and bookmarks that dare not speak their name. But when he mentions the Mustang GT, I can immediately hear the roar of that V8. I can feel the gear knob vibrating in my hand. I can remember my sense of disappointment, as the engine ran out of puff ("Oh C'MON. We were just getting STARTED"). When Frank mentions the Dodge Durango, I recall the horrendous smell of the car's plastics assaulting my nostrils. I can hear and feel the glove box lid lock struggling to catch, dammit. And then I saw Autoblog's diss of in.pro's "make your econobox sound like a supercar" Virtual-Motor. "Worst. Accessory. Ever." made fun of the aftermarket inventor's attempt to relieve cash-strapped pistonheads of tinny engine audio Hell, or maybe experience a brief if cod moment of automotive aural sex. It made me shake my head. Numbers are the map. But they are not the territory.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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  • I6 I6 on Feb 07, 2008

    Next thing you know RF will be waxing eloquent about the holistic 'beingness' of different models. The wonders never cease.

  • Miked Miked on Feb 07, 2008

    @ David Holzman 2

  • David C. Holzman David C. Holzman on Feb 07, 2008

    Justin, It IS true that Paul Niedermeyer has the really good numbers. But give yourself credit. Numbers: you can count on them

  • Blautens Blautens on Feb 07, 2008

    When Mr. Berkowitz slipped up (catching himself, though) referring to a Pontiac version of the Lambda platform - I chuckled a little...because with that one little slip - I think he just inserted a vehicle in GM's product plans.

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