Chicago motorists are famous for their aggressive driving habits and this picture, snapped in the city’s Kenmore district by Joseph Dennis, shows two ways of coping with such an environment. In choosing to become invisible, the owner of the Smart demonstrates an avoidant approach while the driver of the Fleetwood has adopted a more assertive strategy of decrying the cut-throat habitat in which his car operates. The Caddy driver has the more fun idea. It’s not as if the Smart, with its bog-slow shifting, has the beans to take advantage of the gaps in traffic (a pity, considering its size); it’s the Fleetwood, with its torque and Hydramatic, which is the more adroit vehicle. Besides, with so much sound insulation, one can shield themselves from the invective directed at them when cutting off lesser traffic.
Pic of the Year, Perry. Lmao
I know that Cadillac, how could I forget.
Reminds me of that older Caddy limo featured here from D.C which is also adorned with messages. Long term (ex.) Chicagoans have told me the violence there is partially due to gentrification which breaks up territory and pushes rival gang members into closer quarters. Is a Smart really needed in Chicago or is the parking situation worse than I imagine? Not terribly familiar with Chicago, but the drivers cannot be worse than those from New York City.
The amount of parking in Chicago isn’t terrific, but the price of parking sobers a person.
I was there about a month ago. The Embassy Suites downtown was about $120 per night; the parking was $39 per night. My final parking bill was $82 in public parking. Valet parking was double that.
A Chicago resident said parking meters are running about $4.50 per hour in some areas. The reasons why dealt with corruption and a few other related items. In Chicago, that is hard to fathom.
Those are insane parking prices. When I was working in Santa Monica around 1980 we had to park in an alley that was soon changed to 2 hour parking, like clockwork every hour and forty five minutes we had to play musical chairs moving the cars. And when the meter maid approached the pa system announced the fact and a mad car moving rush to avoid tickets would happen.
Wow size difference or what, I thought I’d nailed that with an Austin 7 parked next to a Caddy on a local used car lot but no, those stupid for twos are tiny and you found one next to a stretch limo
The next gen smart (the name is supposed to be all lower case letters) dumps the oddball transmission for a “proper” automatic and in Europe a manual. We also STILL will not get the diesel engine…which is what these cars were designed for. But since diesel fuel is more expensive in the U.S. it’s just as well.
For a look at a better smart car Google images of the smart roadster.
I’m excited for the next-fen Smart but even more so for the Renault Twingo with which it’ll share its engineering. The Smart is a good idea in theory; it’s the lack of torque and slow transmission which kills its efficiency. Both should be rectified by the small turbo and new transmissions (though I don’t recall if the US gets the turbo).
Only the Caddy owner has enough space to paint his message.
The Smart guy would be out of space after squeezing in “thou shall”. Another reason to go American.
The Cadillac is at one disadvantage though, gonna need a lot of household items to hold it’s spot in the winter.
http://chicagodibs.tumblr.com/
I ran this similar pic as a Wordless Outtake a couple years ago…
That poor Ninety-Eight!
Enough ground clearance on that Ninety-Eight to change the oil without ramps!
I do hate when classic cars are lifted by Conestoga wagon wheels, though.
LOL, Xr7…
Not only a Chicago tradition… We do that in some cities in MA, also.
It’s an unwritten law to some people, supposedly. Lol
Our idiot neighbors across the cul-de-sac do that with cones and a trash can to keep the snow plows from tearing up their precious lawn. Sometimes they even park their late-model vehicles in the street as opposed to their driveway for the same purpose!
I do not understand the logic of exposing one’s vehicles to damage when dirt and grass can easily be regraded and replanted!
Welcome back Perry!
My silver Miata with a silver Chrysler Limo also gassing up 3/5/13
In the mid 2000’s, there were no fewer than three limos with messages, usually anti government or evangelist, cruising around L.A.
Somewhat OT…. a good set of pictures of ‘art cars’ ranging from crude to clever.
http://www.ekosystem.org/tag/car/
Seems to be mainly in France. Lots of Citroens of all sizes and ages.