Happy 50th Anniversary Car and Driver!

I groaned when I saw it in the mail: the disproportionately thick magazine full of ramblings and ruminations – the dreaded 50th Anniversary issue. I saw it coming; sneaking up in previous issues with articles about the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies. Then I started reading – and became ensnared! Now, understand, I am reaching the dreaded 50th birthday myself. I have never been a sentimental person – no oldies radio stations on the preset buttons, no warm memories of the Brady Bunch, and generally no dwelling on the past. Suddenly I am remembering via the cover thumbnails the naked women painted with flags, the horrible cars of the Seventies, the 55 MPH speed limit, and the immortal Cannonballs. Then in my psyche there materialized the C/D issue that heaped adoration upon the Chevy Citation and my unfortunate recommendation of the dreaded vehicle to my then-girlfriend (now wife of 25 years). She had just rolled her rusty but beloved Mercedes 280C on an expressway exit ramp and wanted to replace it. Being a “car guy”, what car would I recommend to replace it? Luckily, she ignored me and purchased a lovely red Honda Accord hatchback (with its potent 68 horsepower power plant). It is amazing that she married me after the ill-fated Citation endorsement. Of fonder memories, there was my all-time favorite writer, Steve Smith. Perhaps it was his name, but I also associated with his wit and wisdom through my teenage mentality. By the way Steve, I loved your article in the 50th Anniversary Issue. I did abandon C/D for a while when Automobile Magazine was published but, over time, started subscribing to both rags. I am back to donating my money only to C/D and its irreverent and juvenile attitudes. And, yes, my wife still cringes every month when C/D arrives in the mail. So, thanks for the fond memories. Now I am listening to oldies radio and remembering all the fun times I had through the years – still no enthusiastic recollections of the Brady Bunch except for the Mopar wagons and convertibles. You see, I have always viewed life through the rheumy eyes of a car junky and C/D feeds my habit.