Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

In praise of "Petrolicious."

Drive Tastefully

Petrolicious is a YouTube site that feature the most beautifully produced car videos that I've ever seen. The photography is exquisite, the choice of subject matter is eclectic. Antique, Classic, racing and collector cars and even motorcycles. These short movies will warm the heart of the true enthusiast, because we know that it is passion that drives out hobby, not money.

Below are my three favorite Petrolicious videos:

Number One:  Against the grain. This video features an unrestored Porsche 356 coupe that the owner drives the wheels off of. The owner takes it to the most unusual places, taking the most unusual routes. The aerial shots are breathtaking. He acquired this car years ago, before the prices started climbing out of reach. My advice to you is the same, if you can find a way to buy the car you want now, do it! Chances are the price won't be this low again.

Number two: Living life as a Bentley Boy. There is something about these pre war 3.5 litre Bentley racing machines that just lights my fire. They seem to encapsulate all the beauty, romance,  and adventure that we wish could be in our lives. The saga of the Bentley Boys is the story of a group of rich, successful, young men that raced and won in these magnificent cars and lived their lives to the fullest. These cars are huge, brutal, and raw. Similar in many ways to American Hot Rods, just on a much grander scale. The video describes the journey of a modern Bentley owner.

Number Three: The Joy of Jaguar

One of my favorite parts of this video is the view of this gentleman's garage. The tools and fixtures that I'm sure he is completely familiar with and capable of utilizing. He is a long time owner of one of these amazing cars and describes how he could assemble an apartment full of automotive parts into a running car. Seeing this beauty rolling down the highway is an absolute treat.

It's a common theme that many of these owners decided to acquire the car of their dreams as soon as it became possible. Instead of buying and driving  a commonplace new car they made the commitment to own and preserve something special.  These owners come from many different backgrounds and economic situations. Some are able to afford to own and drive some of the more pedigreed examples. Some own more attainable models. But it is apparent that no matter what car they own, they own  these cars because they treasure them. Sure, some of these guys must be pretty well off, but honestly wouldn't we all own something amazing if we had the opportunity? In one video the owner of an Aston Martin V8 coupe relates: "My brother thinks that I'm crazy to have a car like this. He has a house, I don't. But I have the Aston Martin, and that's all I need."

I think that the whole purpose of motoring media, be it magazines videos or blogs is to keep the flame of passion and enthusiasm burning bright. There is so much tedious, and at times even, maddening, hard work involved in maintaining, preserving and restoring old cars.  An occasional shot of adrenaline is required to maintain the energy level. Petrolicious is like a triple Espresso shot!

Seeing a beautiful finished car can help us keep our own project in the proper perspective. Many of the featured cars have been in the owner's possession for a long time. This time has been used to maintain, preserve and improve the car's level of refinement. Listening to the owner's story can connect us to the feelings and frustrations that are shared by another enthusiast, who may, or may not, be just like us, but is someone that shares  the common trials and tribulations of our automotive odyssey.

Drive and Live tastefully.