Do the laws of attraction fade when we get older? With Valentine’s Day rolling around once again I start to wonder. Who wrote the book, who wrote the book of Love?
Let’s be honest boys are boys, guys are guys and men are men. So where am I going with all this? It’s simple, The laws of attraction. There's a couple of basic tools that men use to attract women…The Physical – working out, being great at sports etc., Power, Money and then there’s the equalizer to all men, accessible to all who are willing to put in a little elbow grease. The CAR.
I started thinking back to my father who was 95 lbs and 5’7” as a senior in High school, poor, not powerful nor athletic. But he had one silver bullet and that was his 57 Chevy. He raced it and was the top in the State of Ohio for his race class. This was enough to secure the attention and love of my mother.
When I heard this story, I thought how shallow and simple she must have been to have been attracted to a boy with a car, and then I remember I met my husband in high school. While he was excellent at soccer, he was not rich, nor powerful…but he did have a sweet 68 Camaro!
Then I started thinking about the relationship of men, women and cars, and I could recall many films where I remembered this love triangle. Let’s see if any of these ring a bell for you as well:
Aston Martin Vanquish, Film: Die Another Day
1980 Lamborghini Countach. Film: Cannonball Run
1977 Camaro Bumblebee, Film: Transformers
Lotus Esprit, Film: The Spy Who Love Me
1976 Ford Gran Torino, Film: Starsky and Hutch
1981 Porsche 928, Film: Risky Business
Ferrari 250 GT California, Film: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
1977 Pontiac Trans-Am, Film: Smokey and The Bandit
General Lee, Film: The Dukes of Hazzard
Batmobile, Film: Batman series
1963 Volkswagen Beetle Films: Herbie series
The Mach 5, Film: Speed Racer
1964 Austin Mini, Film: Italian Job
So the question begs, what happens when you’re a male “senior”, and too old drive? We all know the odds are better with women for men in their 70’s and 80’s as the ratio of men to women is that of Alaska :) But one has to wonder if a sweet ride would still catch the eye of the woman they desire? Could it get them a date on this Valentine’s Day?
The answer can be found in a mysterious Atlantis-like place that I discovered called The Villages, a master-planned age-restricted community in central Florida. It was like being in Monaco with the rich and famous, but they were all driving custom golf carts ready to drag race at a moment’s notice. There were Hot Rods, Sport’s Teams, completely enclosed carts, all the colors of the rainbow (even Camouflage), corvette looking golf carts and everything in-between. There must have been literally hundreds of them, no kidding.
They were cruisin’ the strip of the town center, parked while they were at the movies, dancing or just out for some great music, food and a drink. It was a happening scene and I felt like an idiot in my huge Taurus car rental. I was not one of the “cool kids”. Funny how a nice ride can turn your world upside down or right side up depending on which side of the door you’re on.
It reminded me of photo’s I grew up with of my parents and their friends out crusin’ with few cares, light hearts and enjoying the moment for everything it could be. This was living! One of the best carts we saw was a roadster that reminded me of the one in movie American Graffiti, the 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe.
One thing is for sure, no one was riding alone that evening and if they were, it was not for long.
To sum it up I think Bruce Springsteen said it best:
"Well honey it ain't your money, cause baby I got plenty of that.
I love you for your pink Cadillac, crushed velvet seats
Riding in the back, cruising down the street
Waving to the girls, feeling out of sight
Spending all my money on a Saturday night."