Category: General

The opposite of love isnt hate, its apathy. If you had no interest in the person, you wouldnt hate him — Planetes

I discovered the perfect scooter to go with the Fiero.

The Honda Motocompo.

I must find a white one now.

Today was an excellent day for a drive.

Most automobile manufactures like to describe the experience of driving their vehicle as one of freedom, where you can just sit back and enjoy your smooth glide across the asphalt before you. The experience a 1984 Fiero gives you is exactly the opposite.

For the most part, this stems from the primary difference in the steering mechanisms that are as simplistic as possible. Not only is the car rear-wheel drive, but the actual engine itself is in the back. Additionally, theres no power steering or other mechanical assistance to your handling. The most common description of the steering experience is being similar to that of a really fast go-kart.

However, in many ways that can be a great plus for the thrill of taking turns at reasonable speed because you get a sensation of going much faster than you actually are, both due to how low you are compared to the ground as well as the direct connection you have to the wheels through the simple steering mechanism.

Driving a Fiero at legal speeds is not something one can really do automatically without thought, as you really have to throw yourself into controlling the vehicle completely to get the best performance out of its handling. When you take a turn at speed, you can actually feel the grip the tires have on the asphalt as well as the resistance thrown outwards by the mass of the car changing its angular velocity.

Really, its a great experience in which you as a driver have to make up for the lack of complex systems to correct your steering motions. Its more akin to flying a very precise fighter jet than the simple gliding most cars make of the driving experience. And I like that.

I had some fun driving down the main street throughout the city today, as I was driving my little white Fiero next to another 1984 Fiero, only red. The guy driving it seemed to be amused by the aspect of having two examples of twenty-year old automobile engineering driving in between the SUVs that packed the road today.

The nice thing about the Fiero is the number of looks you get from people you pass simply because most people have never seen one of these small cars before, and of those who have, they’re almost shocked you have it running. Though the vehicles are pretty rare these days, the local area seems to be somewhat more rich in Fiero ownership, as I’ve encountered ten different Fieros within fifteen miles of my house.

It’s 72° and sunny outside. If I was still working downtown in Cleveland, this would be the best time of the year, driving home with the windows rolled down, radio blaring, sun out and an entire weekend to look forward to.