The Grey Ghost

Not yet a classic, quite likely never to be revered as one -- and that's fine by me.

TAKEN ON THE EVENING OF FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2004

You may ask, "What's so special about an old grey Toyota that's been sitting for five years?"

Several things:

• inline 6
• rear drive
• not too heavy
• crisp, well-executed body lines
• original alloy wheels, nicely designed
• rare, but not flashy (and in grey, nearly invisible)
• traded for a six-pack of Irish Stout

...but perhaps most importantly, this is the first vehicle in a decade that has my name on the title. I've enjoyed the other cars I've driven in the meantime, but this one is -- and will remain -- MINE.

It was parked because of repeated and seemingly unending starter trouble, becoming an obstacle that had to be removed. My old friend's offer came along just as I was tiring of the seven-liter Cadillac I've been piloting -- a sublime yet ridiculous land yacht whose fuel consumption is merely its most obvious problem. With this Cressida, I expect twice the fuel mileage...

...that is, once it's back on the road. Through the week of Thanksgiving, I must wait patiently as the mechanic I entrusted it to spends his time in the woods with a compound bow, hunting for deer. On the plus side, this gives me plenty of time to work out the legal hassles and seek out the Shakespeare play, Troilus and Cressida...

The title characters were ghosts -- that's all I know so far.

Stay tuned.

- Phil Smith