Many of us have at least one friend or acquaintance that has to do things, have things, or even simply be, just a little bit extra. There is nothing wrong with that. The Extras of the world make it such a more interesting place on this giant, revolving blue and green orb than it would be, otherwise. There is plenty of straightforward sanity, logic and reason that exists otherwise to balance things out. The owner of this Mazda3…er, Mazdaπ is likely a student of nearby Loyola University, given the Texas plate out back. A math major, perhaps?
I mean, seriously, though… why have just a Mazda3 when you can outrank (outsmart?) them all simply by referencing the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter? After all, this model, with its circular bezels in its taillamps, was a styling job very much of its time. Think about it for a second. There was a time from the late ’90s through the mid-00’s when it seemed like pretty much every, major automaker had at least one vehicle that had circles or circular themes in their taillamp lenses. This gimmick trickled all the way down to the 2003 Chevy Silverado pickup truck, which is as no-nonsense a workhorse as they come. This was an effect not unlike seeing your favorite, heretofore conservative uncle show up to a family gathering sporting a new, dangly earring in one lobe.
Whatever, though. One must admire the creativity that went into the execution of this idea on this Mazda. I can imagine the conversation in the nearby dorm room or off-campus apartment. “You know what, Man? I had this idea…” “Cool! I’ll let you know when I make my next Target-run so you can pick up those stick-on numerals.” As a working adult in my mid-40s who pays the mortgage with a job in the insurance and financial industry, I could advise the owner of this vehicle to make friends with numerals for as long as he or she can, but I realize that could come across as cynical or even condescending. Instead, and perhaps if I see the owner/driver out and about in the neighborhood, I’ll simply congratulate them on having found a way to have their Pi and eat it, too.
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois.
Wednesday, July 25, 2018.
For related reading about the Mazda3, check out this great piece by Tom Halter.
He probably was just trying to keep up with his neighbors the Jones.
If they were a chemistry major, they could have had a Mazda 6.022×10^23.
And what bowler would not want a Chrysler 300?
Well, if downsizing, he could’ve made a not so “irrational” decision to purchase the Mazda [square root of] 2 for better gas mileage….
(1.4142135623730950488016887242097…..)
Golfer having a Rover 75?
The Mazda 6.022×10^23 is a model made by their truck division; widely used by mining companies. They’re pretty cool. My friend Avogadro owned a number of them over the years.
That Avogadro loved his mines. We used to call him “the mole.”
Until the pressure of business got to be too much and his friend Boyle had to step in and lay down the law….
Not sure I would do it to my car but that is funny
I appreciate that, but not enough to do that myself.
Doing a Google Image search for “Mazda3 Pi” brings up a surprising number of examples of just this concept, including another one of our featured car. Who knew?
These math people sure keep Mazda 3’s in high demand on the used car market.
Thanks for supplying the lovely Pi chart!
Hey Eric – We actually have an example here in our local area. There is a grey one with non-VA tags (AZ or TX i believe – both likely suspects) driven by a lady who works on the Night Vision compound on Ft Belvoir. I don’t know her personally but I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet she’s an engineer. 😊
I’ll have to talk to my stepson. He’s an engineer and might like to upgrade his own Mazda 3. ;o)
Is it weird that I know that number out to the centerline of the Mazda emblem off the top of my head?…
Let’s see, without scrolling back….
3.14159265359… Ok, I rounded that last digit up a bit as significance drops off the further to the right you go.
Close enough for the line of engineering in which I work. ;o)
Ok, this might be reaching a bit, but the digit that I rounded up to 9 was actually 8979323846….. see that “323” in there? Wasn’t the Mazda 323 the predecessor to this car?
With all of those numbers to identify this car, the state of Texas just issued him a blank license plate.
Yeah, what’s up with the license plate? Any Texans out there……
Yes, Texas would never accept that number on the license plate. Because everyone knows that a Pi plate belongs in the kitchen and has no place on the back of a car.
*This.*
I assume the digits were photoshopped out.
Bingo.
This, Mr. Dennis, is how you confirm that you are one of us – the car-obsessed. What percentage of the general population would even look at a gray Mazda3?
You know it’s a first gen MZ3 is from the south, since its not rusty.
Right! These are shockingly notorious rusters. I remember seeing my first rusty Mazda3 years ago and marveling at how I couldn’t remember seeing such a new-ish car being so rusted out.
Remember the Mazda Protege MP3? I was always amazed that someone who owned the MP3 trademark didn’t sue.
I occasionally see MP3s and do notice them. Maybe because I owned a Ford Escort station wagon from the days of the Ford/Mazda partnership and wished it was a Protege MP3.
What Buzz Lightyear would drive: “To Infinity, and Beyond!”
I can see “and Beyond” added after the “Infiniti” emblem on the trunk lid.
Or “Beyond” preceding “Infiniti”
A friend has one of these but in blue and hers is a sporthatch (wagon) it wears the Japanese Axella badging so no opportunity for infinite numbering.
Hey buddy tell us about how HQ Holden’s are the same as f body GM cars again I never get tired of that one hahaha
Brilliant. Might buy a Mazda!
If BMW ever releases a 314i…
…oh, they do exist. https://goo.gl/images/A223ZW
Probably would need to do some rebadging though… Mazda so tantalizingly placed the 3 on the left. BMW always flush to the right. 😊
Too bad it’s not a rotary.
That’s a good one.
Almost thought I had the ultimate CC effect today… there was a silver Mazda 3 parked in front of my place when I got home from work. Had to peek at the trunklid, but no extra digits.