The title of the article that appeared on Hagerty.com/media (Hagerty, of course, being the official insurance partner of the SCCA®) was a simple one: “9 Vehicles That Shifted Our Driving Paradigms.” In fact, I nearly scrolled right past it, but then I thought, which vehicles transformed cars into a passion for me? Hell, with my name being Jack Track, it’s like I was created to love cars and driving. Almost like I’m a made-up character, generated by the folks at the SCCA to be an irreverent voice for Track Night in America® Driven by Tire Rack. That, of course, would be ridiculous.
Since I, Jack Track, am most definitely not fictitious, I asked myself, which vehicles did it for me? Since I’m a totally sentient being and not an imaginary character, I immediately knew.
Or did I?
Curious about their thoughts, I clicked the link and read the article.
“In driving, as in life, there’s the moment before, and then the moment after, when everything is forever changed,” the article began. “This week we’ve been thinking about vehicles that altered our previous perceptions of driving, whether for their performance, their construction, their tech, or even their sheer size. Everyone’s got a story like this – what’s yours?”
First up on the list for the editors at Hagerty? The Miata, of course.
“Right at the end of college, my friend Tom picked up a green ’99 Miata,” explained Hagerty’s Eddy Eckart. “He’d always been a fan of small, lightweight cars, having previously owned an E21-generation BMW 320i. I, on the other hand, grew up idolizing muscle and pony cars, and was on my second F-body. One day, he tossed me the keys to his new-ish little roadster and told me to go disappear for a couple hours.
“His nonchalance belied the fact that this afternoon buzz through Northern Virginia backroads would forever alter my automotive priorities. The precision! The lack of weight! Steering that actually, you know, altered the direction of the car and provided tactile feedback. Revelatory stuff.”
Second on Hagerty’s list? Somewhat coincidentally, the E30 BMW. As Hagerty’s Kyle Smith wrote: “There was before driving that car – a time when I thought my 2004 Ford Ranger handled like it was on rails – and after, when I came to understand what driving dynamics actually meant. A lithe car with just enough power forever changed my thinking of what I wanted out of a non-truck.”
The list also included a late ’70s Pontiac Trans Am which, as someone who is completely real, I have a tale or two to tell about the second-generation Firebird and Trans Am.
Want to know the other cars that made up the list in Hagerty’s article? Click right here to read the entire article.
Want to know which cars shifted my driving paradigm? Me too! I think someone needs to write me a backstory.
Photo courtesy Hagerty
