Car lovers, help me out here!

[hylas_]

Hey guys. I'm writing a story in which a character drives a car. I think the story calls for a little bit of specificity, but the thing is, I don't know the first thing about cars. So, a little help please?

The character in question is a rich and handsome man in his late 30es. He is "sophisticated", by which I mean... he goes to gallery openings, he knows about different kinds of wine, he's a bit of a snob about what kind of coffee he drinks, he speaks several languages.

I actually haven't decided on his profession yet, but he's self employed and sucessful. Let's say he's a professional photographer.

He has good taste. I imagine him wearing expensive clothes, but not the kind where the brand logo is prominently displayed. He appreciates expensive things and good quality, but he's not bling-bling-in-yo-face tacky about it.

Personality wise, the character is strong, mysterious, and not too talkative.

The car in question should be a "muscle car" (because it has been described as such in a already published previous chapter, so that part can't be changed.) It can be a little showy, but not too showy, if that makes sense. A car that says "cool, smooth, strong, lean, masculine", not "I'm having a midlife crisis and my penis is the size of a pea." Also not "I'm a stuffy old politician with old money."

The character lives in a sunny, American coastal city.

The model can be vintage or new.

Thanks!

 

[Handley_Page]

Hey guys. I'm writing a story in which a character drives a car. I think the story calls for a little bit of specificity, but the thing is, I don't know the first thing about cars. So, a little help please?

The character in question is a rich and handsome man in his late 30es. He is "sophisticated", by which I mean... he goes to gallery openings, he knows about different kinds of wine, he's a bit of a snob about what kind of coffee he drinks, he speaks several languages.

I actually haven't decided on his profession yet, but he's self employed and sucessful. Let's say he's a professional photographer.

He has good taste. I imagine him wearing expensive clothes, but not the kind where the brand logo is prominently displayed. He appreciates expensive things and good quality, but he's not bling-bling-in-yo-face tacky about it.

Personality wise, the character is strong, mysterious, and not too talkative.

The car in question should be a "muscle car" (because it has been described as such in a already published previous chapter, so that part can't be changed.) It can be a little showy, but not too showy, if that makes sense. A car that says "cool, smooth, strong, lean, masculine", not "I'm having a midlife crisis and my penis is the size of a pea." Also not "I'm a stuffy old politician with old money."

The character lives in a sunny, American coastal city.

The model can be vintage or new.

Thanks!

I'd suggest an imported thing; not a Ferrari [too showy], but an Aston-Martin, perhaps, or a Jaguar F-type. A nice Bentley might also be possible; it gives an understated feel to a successful man.

 

[colddiesel]

A 2003 BMW E39 5 series. It has been immaculately maintained and goes like a rocket. Make sure it is the 4.4 litre V8. The 2.5 litre doesn't have the same grunt.

The E39 was probably the best BMW ever made. After this one they got far too gadgety and turned into limos for elderly ladies.

 

[PuckIt]

Maybe it's just me, but if I read the described character drives an Aston-Martin, I'm automatically going to think "Bond. James Bond." and start watching for rocket launchers in the headlights. Particularly if he's in the import business.

I'm not really that much of a car guy. In fact, I haven't even owned one in almost a decade. However, I can suggest a guy. Jay Leno's Garage is a pretty good resource for muscle cars and motorcycles.

 

[John Blackhawk]

I'm not much of a car guy but a character like you describe i'd go with something like a Shelby Cobra or that car from the first XXX movie with Vin Diesel

 

[weftandwarp]

Hey guys. I'm writing a story in which a character drives a car. I think the story calls for a little bit of specificity, but the thing is, I don't know the first thing about cars. So, a little help please?

The character in question is a rich and handsome man in his late 30es. He is "sophisticated", by which I mean... he goes to gallery openings, he knows about different kinds of wine, he's a bit of a snob about what kind of coffee he drinks, he speaks several languages.

I actually haven't decided on his profession yet, but he's self employed and sucessful. Let's say he's a professional photographer.

He has good taste. I imagine him wearing expensive clothes, but not the kind where the brand logo is prominently displayed. He appreciates expensive things and good quality, but he's not bling-bling-in-yo-face tacky about it.

Personality wise, the character is strong, mysterious, and not too talkative.

The car in question should be a "muscle car" (because it has been described as such in a already published previous chapter, so that part can't be changed.) It can be a little showy, but not too showy, if that makes sense. A car that says "cool, smooth, strong, lean, masculine", not "I'm having a midlife crisis and my penis is the size of a pea." Also not "I'm a stuffy old politician with old money."

The character lives in a sunny, American coastal city.

The model can be vintage or new.

Thanks!

Not a chicken wire weaver . I think you could model him on James Bond. A good old car could be a Jensen Interceptor- no longer made. He also could do well with a Tesla, particularly as he's smart. I guess they would occasionally be available now second hand. New, you could talk about him doing his bit about climate change, supporting Elon Musk etc. Inside they're quiet - ideal for the strong silent type who is intelligent, well heeled and with adequate penis size etc who may be a little nerdy.

What is the feminine equivalent of small penis syndrome?

 

[daremo68]

He also could do well with a Tesla, particularly as he's smart.

I'm not sure as most people would categorize a Tesla as a muscle car. Yeah, they are fast and all, but, at least in my mind, the roar of an engine is important, too.

At least Jeremy Clarkson (from The Grand Tour), likes newer Corvettes for modern American muscle cars. A Roush Mustang might be another candidate if you stick with American cars.

McClaren has some nice cars and they seem to be showcased fairly often on the older "Top Gear" episodes and the "The Grand Tour", so there may be some nice cars to check out.

 

[Weird Harold]

The car in question should be a "muscle car" (because it has been described as such in a already published previous chapter, so that part can't be changed.) It can be a little showy, but not too showy, if that makes sense. A car that says "cool, smooth, strong, lean, masculine", not "I'm having a midlife crisis and my penis is the size of a pea." Also not "I'm a stuffy old politician with old money."

The character lives in a sunny, American coastal city.

The model can be vintage or new.

http://www.78ta.com/Pages/images/hurst1.jpg

I understand there is a company re-making the classic "Smoky and the Bandit" Trans AM T-top. The re-make has modern anti-lock brakes and other safety and performance running gear with the look and sound of the original. Your rich protagonist could afford either an original or re-make, but would probably go for the re-make because of the modern upgrades to safety.

ETA: http://www.motortrend.com/news/1000-hp-2017-trans-am-455-super-duty-bows-in-new-york/

 

[FantasyXY]

I see this type of character driving a Mercedes AMG Coupe of some type. Because he is intelligent and sophisticated he doesn't see the need to tout that it is an S-Class or a GT, and he never needs to tout horsepower numbers or torque levels.

The car isn't really important to him or his image. He drives what he drives because of the performance and luxury levels the car offers. What he paid for the car or the implied social status of the vehicle doesn't matter to him.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

David Gandy, who IS a photographer but is better known as a model, owns an Aston Martin but this is FAR TOO COMMONPLACE a vehicle these days for what you are looking for.

Karl Lagerfeld who also is a photographer as well as a designer, owns a Rolls Royce - but this is probably not what you are looking for although, to be fair to the current MD there, the Wraith probably counts as a muscle car.

All these usual brands have become over-used in movies and books, frankly.

There are contemporary US cars that definitely cut the mustard - the Dodge Challenger Demon is possibly one, but it is a VERY difficult car to drive hard due to its sheer power in the configuration it is sold in.

The various iterations of the Ford GT are possibly too rare really to be the most obvious US muscle car and they all have fairly European sports car style elements rather than the typical 'US muscle car' look. Same with the Corvette in a sense - it is too modern/futuristic to fit neatly into the traditional muscle car image.

I would go the Equus Bass 770.

The following are just my own thoughts and they are not meant to be snarky but they might come across that way at first glance; in fact they are just what I have encountered in rl in the past - I get the point about what the character is like and I also realize your are just doing short-hand descriptions here:

'Snob about what kinds of coffee he drinks?' Hmn. He's not a coffee drinker then.

Coffee drinkers - real ones - are addicted to caffeine.

Speaks several languages... Does he need to? This is 2017 - he sticks this thing in his ear and it translates what people are saying to him in whatever language, at network speed.

He knows about wine. He's a rich middle class Chinese guy then, is he. Actually, what am I saying?! Most of the rich middle class kids these days from China who 'know about wine' are women and some girls. There are no gays, transsexuals or trans-gendered people in China or Russia (lol). Erm, or Saudi Arabia - where they also 'know about wine.' I have this fucking Muslim friend who lectures me about wine, and he's not supposed to drink it according to his religion.

And there's this other guy I know, well, sort of know vaguely, and he has a huge property in Sonoma and he's a 'wine collector' with a diagnosed obsessional condition! I'm sure he thinks he knows about wine too. He doesn't know a fucking thing about it - he doesn't ever drink any of the stuff he buys!!!

Don't forget the infamous episode when the zillionaire Steve Forbes opened this ridiculously priced old French wine live on video/camera, to drink it and show off, and the thing exploded due to the hot lights and in fact it was OFF!

Watch some Gary Vaynerchuk videos - he knows about wine but I'm not sure he's gay though. But he could be; I don't know.

I'd definitely read your finalized story based on this character. I think it will be interesting for sure. Sounds interesting.

 

[jaF0]

I understand there is a company re-making the classic "Smoky and the Bandit" Trans AM T-top. The re-make has modern anti-lock brakes and other safety and performance running gear with the look and sound of the original.

What about the sequencing red LEDs in the grille?

 

[jaF0]

A car that says "cool, smooth, strong, lean, masculine", not "I'm having a midlife crisis and my penis is the size of a pea." Also not "I'm a stuffy old politician with old money."

The character lives in a sunny, American coastal city.

The model can be vintage or new.

'58 Vette convertible.

 

[jaF0]

What is the feminine equivalent of small penis syndrome?

You mean the 100lb, 4'8", 32A, Size 0 Bleach blond driving a Hummer she needs a ladder to climb into?

 

[sr71plt]

Make him quirky and with a real appreciation for classic cars and their lineages. Have him drive a Bricklin (the predecessor of the DeLorean). Seems to fulfill all of your specs except for the muscle car one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bricklin_SV-1

 

[oggbashan]

A Bristol Fighter- a muscle car with understated class. Top speed 210 mph.

http://mini98.cocolog-nifty.com/photos/uncategorized/2011/03/07/bristol2.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Fighter_(automobile)

 

[weftandwarp]

You mean the 100lb, 4'8", 32A, Size 0 Bleach blond driving a Hummer she needs a ladder to climb into?

Yeah, and what's the name for them?

 

[hylas_]

You guys are the best! This has honestly been a huge help.
Here's my thoughts so far:

Jaguar F-type: I like it right away, this could work. I like that the brand name is evocative.

Aston-Martin: This could work, too. James Bond is actually pretty close to the mark, I had originally intended the character to be a hitman! This has since been revised as the story took me in another direction.

Bristol Fighter: Ohhhhhhh... of the newer models, I might like this one the best.

Shelby Cobra, Trans AM T-top, 58 Corvette Convertible: Gorgeous cars. Possibly a bit too attention grabbing for the character in question... but they are gorgeous cars. Hmmmm...

Jensen Interceptor: Yes, this one could also work. A bit more understated than some of the other vintage models.

Equus Bass 770: This car looks pretty badass, I love it! But I don't really like its name. And since I'm writing the story rather than drawing or filming it...

Bricklin: Looks really cool, but doesn't quite fit the image I had in mind.

Tesla: That's a really good idea, I hadn't thought of that at all. The character does indeed care about the environment. Unfortunately, the Tesla doesn't quite fit comfortably into some parts of the story that have already been written. For example, there is one part where the engine "purrs and rumbles," little things like that.

Bentley, Mercedes, BMW: I associate those brands with bankers and lawyers, so that's not going to work for me. I do realise that those associations are very subjective and possibly way off... but it's my story, so.

Contemporary Corvettes, Roush Mustang, McClaren, Ford GT: Seem a little too showy for the character in question.

Rolls Royce: Lol, I associate the brand with old men with bushy white moustaches.

 

[Blues]

http://www.motorward.com/wp-content/images/2016/01/Audi-R8-V10-Plus-600x376.jpg

2017 Audi R8

 

[hylas_]

Ok, this post will be waaaaay OT, but anyway...

Speaks several languages... Does he need to?

Gurl... I don't even know what to do with this question. I honestly don't understand it! People grow up in multi-lingual families. People move to other countries for work, education, love, or other reasons. People fall in love with folks who don't have the same native language. Some people just like certain languages and want to learn them. Do we need to speak several languages? I guess we don't, in the same sense that nobody really needs to do anything? Except maybe breath and eat and drink I guess?

Taking myself as an example, do I need to speak more than the two native languages of my parents? I guess not, but I sure would be a different person today if I didn't. I wouldn't be working at my current job (which I love); I wouldn't be with my current boyfriend; and I wouldn't be having this discussion right here, on this forum, had I never learned English.

He knows about wine. He's a rich middle class Chinese guy then, is he.

LOL. He actually is a rich middle class Asian guy. I imagine him more as American-Korean or American-Japanese, but I don't think his exact heritage will ever come up... so feel free to imagine him as Chinese!

Anyway... as hilarious as your rhapsody on "knowing about wine" is... my point was, the character in question knows about stuff, and cares about stuff. But I think you got that

I'd definitely read your finalized story based on this character. I think it will be interesting for sure. Sounds interesting.

Well, the first three chapters are already up. The driver-who-knows-about-wine here is not the protagonist, but the love interest. Fair warning, it's an open-ended multi-part story, and I can make no promises about the frequency of new material. I know some folks are touchy about this kind of thing. Anyway, here's the 1st chapter: https://www.literotica.com/s/fuckboy-billy-ch-01

 

[HandsInTheDark]

You don't go wrong with jaguar. People have heard of it, and that matters unless it's a story about a car.

 

[hylas_]

You don't go wrong with jaguar. People have heard of it, and that matters unless it's a story about a car.

That's exactly what I was thinking. It's not necessarily the most appropriate car on this list for the character, but it's good enough, and even clueless folks like me have heard of Jaguar.

 

[Weird Harold]

What about the sequencing red LEDs in the grille?

That was a different Trans Am. Some variation on KITT would work for the story though. Lots of high tech in a (not too) flashy T-Top.

Note to OP: Any black sport/muscle car would work without being specific. Add whatever after-market enhancements your heart -- or the story -- desires on the inside where it really counts. High Def audio-video, WiFi, GPS, back-up cameras, auto-park mode, or whatever.

 

[LIVINRFANTASIES]

Denny Car Guy

I'm sort of a car guy. Always have at least a half dozen 40's thru 50's street rods or antiques. Now down to four since moving back north.

I picture a nice Pinto with lots of patina, dents, and hail damage.

Here are a few of mine to show I'm not lieing. http://i.imgur.com/XKg5efs.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/h8goEKT.jpg

Good luck.

 

[49greg]

To my mind a muscle car will always be the midsized cars of the sixties - before the pollution controls came in, or at least before '74 when catalitic converters came in.
That's cars like the Olds 442, Pontiac GTO, Chevy SS 396 etc.

What you suggest could also be a Pony car, Mustang, Camaro, Barracuda, Javelin, Challanger.

The Jag E type, (XKE in the US, perhaps the 'fastback coupe) is one of if not THE best looking car ever made. The Aston Martin would be good too. If you want New cars, one of the Hot Mustangs would be good, but a two seat Jag (not sure what they call the new ones), or any Aston Martin. You could go Lotus as well.

Compared with Today's cars the sixties US muscle and pony cars accelerated fast but didn't corner as well as something from Europe, or modern US cars.

I'd stay away from anything truly Shelby - the sixties mustangs, and of course the cobra itself. They're powerful, fast and sexy, but they were set up with racing suspensions and weren't that comfortable to ride.

The later 'Shelby' mustangs did have better engines that the regular ones, but not that much as Pollution controls gagged the power and the manufacturers hadn't yet figured out how to work around that. They were largely just special paint jobs and stickers and flairs. Ditto the TransAm after about 73 or 74.

I'd also stay away from any sixties or seventies Hemi 'Cuda or Charger or Super Bird. The engines were very dependent on hi test gas and, especially the 'Cuda, had very stiff but unsophisticated, by today's standards, suspensions.

So my advice is to look up the website of Aston Martin and get one of their cars, you could also check wikipeia for specs. That's if you want a modern car. They'r expensive, fast, sexy and fairly exclusive.

For Sixties/seventies, I'd take a '66 Olds 442. It was called by some automotive writer as "the gentleman's muscle car"

A Ford Torino with a big block engine would be good too, like a Torino GT or Gran Torino.

Or go for a classic 'Vette or XKE

Not the new corvette, they're just ugly to my mind.

Wiki has a lot of car articles and lists. A good resource.

 

[cfuhrer]

You don't go wrong with jaguar. People have heard of it, and that matters unless it's a story about a car.

That's exactly what I was thinking. It's not necessarily the most appropriate car on this list for the character, but it's good enough, and even clueless folks like me have heard of Jaguar.

Google "jaguar engine swap" or "broken kitty".
The jag is fine as a high-end car but falls flat on the muscle car front.