Once upon a time (nowadays), in a land far, far, away (France), lived a frog (Christian). The frog, like all good frogs, loved cheese (French cars). In fact, no self-respecting frog would admit to liking other things to eat (foreign cars). They all preferred the local fare (Peugeot, Citroen, and Renault). Now this frog was a bit different, as he had tried different types of cheese (Citroen BX), but simply wasn't all that excited over it. Some of the older cheeses (Alpine, Venturi, Panhard) interested the frog very much, but were simply too expensive to have every day. In secret, the frog liked to try foods from other countries. While he did his best to hide it from his friends and family, they were all ashamed to learn that he had tried schnitzel (a German car). He liked one particular schnitzel so well (a 2001 VW Bora wagon), that he had it every single day! His family and friends could barely stand to speak to him. But it would get worse. Bored with schnitzel every single day, the frog wanted something more exotic. He had heard about a tasty meal called pizza (an Italian car). This classic traditional recipe tempted him so much that he couldn't say no, and was soon enjoying his very own pizza (a 1968 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 Junior) whenever he wanted. It was too much for the people around him! How could it be that a well-raised frog could have such unfrog-like tastes?!? Luckily, the frog had a wise friend, the caribou (me), who came from a beautiful land across the sea (Canada). This land was known for not having its own specialty (car brand). The frog shared his dilemma with the wise, handsome caribou. He begged the wise, handsome, charming caribou to guide him to the right decision. The wise, handsome, charming, witty caribou told the frog that he had to follow his heart. Coming from a land with no delicacy of its own, the wise, handsome... (okay, you get the point) caribou had been free all his life to sample what the world had to offer. He had even recently traveled to the other side of the globe, and was very curious to getting his fill of dumplings (Chinese cars) as soon as he could get a reservation (drivers licence). And then, it happened. The unthinkable. The frog, with his appetite for schnitzel during the week (daily driver) and pizza on the weekend (weekend toy), caught wind of yet another foreign treat. It was from a nearby island country (the United Kingdom) that was the arch-rival of his land! How would he ever have the courage to bite into the traditional feast called roast beef (a British car)? On his friend's advice (this time it's free, next time it'll cost you!) the frog gave in to his desire and tried his first taste of roast beef! And he loved it! The age-old recipe was perfect (a right-hand drive Caterham 2-seat convertible with a 1400cc Rover engine putting out 130 horsepower through a 6-speed manual gearbox), and the taste test left him wanting more (570 kg allowing 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 6 seconds)... The frog was hooked! This time he wasn't embarrassed. He yelled from the rooftops of his love for roast beef! He even added it to his collection, and especially enjoyed it on warm afternoons. When his friends and family saw how happy he was, they let out a loud cheer! Hurray! And the one cheering the loudest was his friend the caribou, who made the frog promise to give him a taste the next time he dropped by for a visit (I don't care if it's in winter and -10 degrees and snowing, Christian, you're taking me for a drive)!!! And he lived happily ever after (doing burnouts in parking lots and racing through the hills and valleys of his native Dordogne and spending countless hours tinkering under the hood of his lovely British roadster)...
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I have to say (and I wasn't the one that took the picture so I'm not bragging!), but I really love the shot of the front of the Caterham! The headlights, the long yellow stripe, the angled wheels... there's just something very exciting about that view of this sports car!
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AuthorWelcome! My name is Paul, and I am an old-fashioned, low-pressure, low-buck car fan with lots of automotive stories to tell! Archives
February 2020
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