Is that because you’re a smug martyr yourself, or because you require one as sidekick?

We had a gray Volvo wagon (used, of course) for a while, until the engine caught fire on a Minnesota freeway at 20 below or so. Probably not the car’s fault, though. It was kind of the opposite of my first car, a little Fiat 128.

Sorry for your terrible experience. The worst in my case was rabbits.

I have an idea why I don’t perceive a face in a car. As a child, I sat in a car killing a bicyclist making a U-Turn on a highway lacking a speed limit. I suppose that experience made cars into dangerous object rather than friendly faces in my perception.

The only cars that I like are those associated with happy experiences such as driving cross country with my dog.

We have the classic combination of a 2002 Prius and a 2002 Dodge Caravan. Both vehicles have classic good looks. Pixar has already weighed in on the topic of the personality of utilitarian boxes like the Caravan, but has not yet featured a Prius. It will likely be depicted as sipping on an ethanol smoothie.

I use a Forester, too, and I like it for the same practical reasons. Can’t take any credit though, my wife bought it while I was still in Japan. As for face, I’d say it has a take-charge look without being overbearing.

Jay,

I can see the gangland association. Perhaps appearing more eco-minded was also a factor (not to mention gas savings).

Thanks for the news from the Italian auto design community. It does beg the question of what you’re driving yourself. Does it end in “i”?

As for pictures, I’ll be showing some, though in some ways they’re not so different from other work. It was a vacation for people, not photography. What I did was fun, and I learned a bit.