It is Dad’s birthday. He would have been 92 this year, had his fine mind and artistic hand not been dragged down by the shackles of dementia. He was the real Car Guy- he designed them and drove them and lavished us with his passion for them. It has been a wild ride, these last several decades.

By the time we got to OPEC’s extortion, the wisdom of the Georges- Mason and Romney- was apparent. I was already used to driving the pert little red VW Beetle (’68) and the first car I owned new was a Chevy Vega mini-wagon. But that was definitely not what was hip to drive in the late 1960s. The bigger and faster the better.

I don’t think I will ever forget the gas wars that pre-dated “peak oil production” in the sixties. Seems like science fiction today:

The Draft had ended, and the edgy nature of not knowing what fate had in store after college made us think- diffidently- about growing up. It was not until lately that any of us would think seriously about maintaining the sort of rolling iron that we flogged around town. There is still sentiment about that, and I had to think about that when I filled up the Bluesmobile the other day.

The Police Cruiser only drives around town these days, and when I took it to the Dealer for the 90K check I discovered to my growing horror that it was going to cost half of what I paid for the vehicle back in 2010 to get it back to tip-top shape. Sigh. But repairs are not the only thing that is startling: regular gas is, honest to God, $3.45 at the Class Six gas station over on post.

Premium for the Panzer is scraping four bucks a gallon. I keep the sticker shock to a minimum by topping off frequently, but still.

The Oil Shock gave us odd-and-even days for access to gas of any grade, and long lines during peak hours all the time. There was a sense of uncertainty about everything. I was at the Pantlind Hotel in Grand Rapids the night before the Presidential election to wish Jerry Ford well. The crowds started gathering early in the afternoon to greet the home-town boy.

(Jerry Ford hugs Betty at the Pantlind Hotel, election eve, 1976).

It would have been a boring wait- so I walked downstairs to the Gas Light Bar and made myself comfortable with a few cold ones. Emerging from the basement, I was on the presidential side of the velvet rope which was holding back the well-mannered crowd, and if anyone was irritated when I stepped over it and took a place in front, no one said so.

(The Gas Light Lounge at the Pantlind Hotel, downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan).

“We love you, Jerry!” was my first media moment as the President finished his brief remarks, doubtless happy that the campaign to validate his unintended term as Chief Executive was over.

The next morning we voted, and late that night got our first taste of the Carter malaise, which until recently marked the low point in the national mood. But the gas was cheaper.

(A typical sign from the 1970’s; which featured such cultural icons as Pet Rock, Mood Rings, platform shoes, 8-tracks, Disco and Spiro Agnew. The music was provided by Janis Joplin, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, the Moody Blues and Eric Clapton).

I don’t think in our wildest dreams we would ever have expected that the United States would become a net exporter of oil and gas again, and completely without the intent of the Government. It is really irritating for those who want to shut down fossil fuels, but it would appear that the 17 and a half year hiatus in warming has cooled the public ardor about warming, and the whole climate thing has fallen to the bottom of the public’s list of concerns.

It seems people are ready for the latest malaise to be over, and they are buying the fastest iron ever to come out of Detroit- again. The interview between Jay Leno and Tim Kuniskis, president and CEO of Dodge, regarding the comparison of the MoPar Challengers of the pre-Malaise days and the Hellcat they are introducing now is illuminating. My Left Coast Attorney, a known car guy, sent it along. It is worth a watch if you haven’t seen it:

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1093673_2015-dodge-challenger-srt-hellcat-visits-jay-lenos-garage-video

Copyright 2014 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com
Twitter: @jayare303