There’s something to be said for simplicity…but there’s even something more special to be said about combining simplicity and luxury. That’s the line that makes so many classic cars such joys to drive. In their day, they represented the luxury of all things modern and yet still maintained the simple, connected feeling behind the wheel – man and car.
Now, this didn’t happen overnight, nor was the design and elegance of the car considered simple. But in comparison to today’s bells and whistles on every single car, from consumer to performance, the simplicity that classic cars offer is becoming more and more of a luxury to many modern car enthusiasts. We’re seeing a significant shift in thought and feeling about older cars, even among the younger generations of car enthusiasts. Maybe it’s the desire to get back to our roots, maybe it’s just the simple ability to get in and wrench on every aspect of the car with a minimal amount of issues or difficulty, or maybe it’s just the feeling of truly being free and relaxed behind the wheel.
I’ve spent some time with my friend Brett over at Thompson & Co. with a handful of his cars over the last few years, and it’s always a joy to jump in a classic like this beautiful 1959 Pontiac Bonneville and just cruise… We were right in the middle of shooting a 1973 Mustang Convertible when we ran out of gas, so we jumped in the Bonneville and cruised to get a container of gas to finish up the shoot. Even just a simple, mundane task like getting gas in this car emanates a feeling of just pure enjoyment from a machine, something that doesn’t seem to resonate with many modern cars.
We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to roll up to West Fork Whiskey Co. for a quick couple pictures on the way back to the shop…and ended up more than happy with the result. If you’re in Indy or ever passing through, stop in and check them out!
