I learned to drive on a land rocket, a ’63 Viking Blue Ford Galaxie 500, with a high compression V8. My own first car: a ’64 Ford Falcon Futura, looked sporty but the slant 6 was a dog. Then came two Ford vans, and ’78 Volvo 242 arrived, slow and unreliable, but safe. My fastest, an ’87 turbo Chrysler LeBaron GTS that cornered like it was on rails…when out of the shop. Two Mustang ragtops brought a lot of fun.

With each, knowing their strengths and weaknesses allowed me to trust them. Meaning…