Please Start driving your Ridiculously Rare and Hard-to-find Cars

Scene: You're driving down one of your local roads on any typical day - let's call it Sunday afternoon, and you're minding your own business. Traffic is light and you're going about your commute like any other day, when out of nowhere a sleek, unique car passes you up that looks more at home at the Concourse D' Elegance or Pebble Beach. As it rumbles by, producing a sound that makes the Chicago Symphony Orchestra sound like a grade school band, you stare on in admiration for that split few seconds that it's visible, forgetting that you, yourself are behind the wheel of your peasant mobile.

You gasp in awe, because it's a moment that is gone as quickly as it happened. And as you watch the elegantly sculpted tail lights fade in the rear view mirror, only then do you begin to absorb the beauty of such a moment, because let's face it - you have no idea when you'll be upon the presence of such a glorious feat of engineering again, so you do everything you can to enjoy what is left of that time you were graced with its presence.

Maybe it was a Lamborghini. Maybe it was a classic Camaro. Or maybe it was something even more exclusive and rare, like a Rolls Royce or a classic Ferrari. This, to me is a big problem that exists with the owners of these wonderful exotic machines, and in many ways, it's a selfish, absurd, cruel and horrible one that must be addressed: You aren't driving them enough.

I've been a licensed driver for a little more than 8 years now. In that time, I can no doubt say that I've seen my fair share of rare and collectible cars pass me by, carefully cruising as far away from the cars around them as possible so they don't get scratched or accidentally bumped into and possibly become a feature on some YouTube channel that specializes in super car wrecks. I get it guys, you don't want your expensive machine to end up an un-salvagable heap. You want to keep it as clean as possible and as pristine as the day it rolled off the factory line. For 99% of you that means that car will not see daylight unless it's a cloudless75 degree day out with zero humidity and not a drop of rain in the foreseeable future. Why? Because of course a hot day might ruin the paint and scorch the dash, and of course that one cloud in the sky has the potential for precipitation...best we just admire it from the garage. Right? Right?

Come on now. Who are you REALLY convincing.

I mean think about it. Think about how much time you spent wrenching and sweating over every single painstaking detail of that beautiful machine. From the finish of the paint to the mirror like Polish on the chrome accents, you spent months  and years restoring her to her rightful glory. For what? To keep it on display in that specially designed, climate controlled garage you also built for it? Don't you think you should get to enjoy driving it on a day that isn't Sunday?

Really?

I get the want to keep your car in as good of shape as possible. But what I don't understand is if you spent so much time restoring that wonderful car to showroom condition, why aren't you enjoying it more?Why are you waiting until the 10 or so perfect Sundays out of the year to bring her out of hiding and onto the road? Why own a machine that you are more fearful of driving because a fly might explode on the windshield rather than that behemoth blown V8 under the hood you probably dropped a cool 5 grand on?

Many will argue their reasoning to be "well it's an investment" or "don't tell me how to live my life". Here's my retort:

That car is an investment in yourself. It should be a balance between indulgence and purpose. I know way too many car owners that have a thumping great V8 but that never sees the red line. Why have a V8 if you aren't gonna give it the beans every so often and grace the world with the Symphony of American righteous freedom that is its exhaust note? Why own a car you only drive 8 times a year when it was designed to be hooned on the track? Hell, even Chevrolet is trying to get New Camaro owners to get to the track with its new warranty that will replace the engine if you grenade it.

My point is, keep that ride nice. Wash it. Baby it. Take it on romantic dates or whatever. Drive that muscle car through the hills in 3rd gear with an American flag pinned to the back, burning rubber with fire coming out of the exhaust and the Jimmy Hendrix rendition of the National Anthem blaring out of your speakers as you spray the ammo out of that American Made M4 carbine for no other reason than 'MERICA. But DON'T JUST LEAVE IT IN A GARAGE AWAY FROM SOCIETY. Because after all, we can all use a dosage of metal beauty in such an ugly world on a daily basis. Who knows, your could even be spotted by a photographer and the next thing you know you're thanking me for getting you on the cover of Muscle Car Magazine.

Just a thought.