I live in Alabama. Not a place known for exotic classics or low
production European cars. But even in a rural state like Alabama, 
surprises
happen and on a recent trip that is exactly what happened. I am not talking
about seeing some 2011 Ferrari 358 Italia or a Bentley Turbo R screaming down
the road (which does happen in Birmingham). I am talking about cars that once
drove the highways and by-ways of our world.
My journey began in Birmingham taking me to the rural northwest
corner of the state. As I left the interstate and began to drive the back roads
I begin to see farms and rolling hills, small churches and -- shells of old
cars and trucks. Most, if not all of these cars are not restored or pristine. Most
have been painted by rain and sun to a uniform flat brown rust color. For most
the chrome, wheels, interior, and usually the motors are just distant memories.
They probably ran when parked but clearly no longer do. On a side note, do cars
think of fields as hospitals, a place where they will be restored to their
original health but find instead they become nursing homes where they spend
their final days?
Anyway, with Alabama being a good 'Merica state the majority of
these cars are old American models from the 50's, 60's, 70's and even the 80's.
They are fun to find but ubiquitous enough that I don’t need to write about
them. So imagine my surprise as I drive by a building that used to be a church,
no kidding, a white church with a steeple and everything, surrounded by a chain
link fence in which sit cars that clearly have European flair and design.
I pulled over to the side of the road and stared at these unique, also
translated ugly, cars and I had no idea what they were. I know my cars and I
had no clue to the manufacturer
of these vehicles. I thought these must be kit
cars. For those not aware a kit car is essentially a vehicle that uses a
fiberglass body over a modern frame to produce something that looks like an
Italian supercar or just a unique vehicle altogether. The goal is get a 'Ferrari'
for a quarter of the price.
These vehicles clearly never came from a production line of any
major, or minor, manufacturer so what are they? I look for logos, none. Styling
cues - an Alfa Romeo grill, a Citroen door handle, a Ferrari sloped fender
(hey, I was desperate!) and nothing. So Hi Ho, Hi Ho, off to the internet I go.
My first search -- 'European cars that look like Gremlins' (and other hideous
monstrosities).
 |
| AMC Gremlin |
That search yielded nothing except that the Gremlin has made
many of the top 50 ugliest cars ever made. I searched for Lamborghini models because
this car had pop-up headlights similar to the original Miura. Thankfully not a
Lamborghini. An Alfa Romeo, nope, not an Alfa. Being a strange car I thought, ‘Citroen?’.
Even the quirky French manufacturer could not claim these vehicles as family. I
kept trying - Peugeot, Maserati and got nothing, nada, nunca. I didn't dare consider Ferrari for fear of sullying the name. I was also fearful of finding out
that it was a Ferrari or that I would be on the hit list of some Mafioso for
even thinking it.
So what was it? Definitely not American. What European brand was
left? Lotus? I
laughed for thinking such a silly thing. Lotus, the designer of
the 40 year old Esprit that still looks current and beautiful today? The
creator of the lighter than air but stuck to the ground by glue Elise? The inventor
of the Elise’s evil brother the Evora? Even years ago they penned the wonderful
Elan. Lotus makes simply stunning cars, albeit unreliable, and clearly these
mutated Gremlins could not be theirs.
Suddenly, no, it can’t, be but pictures don’t lie -- it is, the
Lotus Elite. A two door wagon, yes, wagon, made from 1974 to 1982. The car
actually had multiple iterations over those years (in hopes to make it better
but as they say ‘you can’t make a sports car out of a Pacer’). Total production
for the US was 305 cars. The 
car is rarer than an Enzo Ferrari. Think about it,
in Alabama sits 3 of these extremely rare cars that have original wheels
and bodies and paint! Unimaginable.
Why are there old European cars stored at a former church? I don’t
know, maybe the only way those 3 Lotus Elite's will ever run again is via
prayer? Maybe, as it is written in the Bible, that God sees the inside, not the
outside and those 3 Loti (it is the plural for Lotus, right?) are beautiful
inside, at least to God. I guess the real question is, does it matter? No, but
fun to think about.
Why share this? Sadly the idea of using back roads to get
somewhere is becoming something of folklore and needs to be saved. You may drive
a vintage Fiat, classic muscle car, mid 2000's family sedan or an SUV,
regardless, get out there and drive on those back roads. As you drive don't
make the trip about getting somewhere but instead enjoy the journey – and keep
those eyes open. You never know what you are going to find. Maybe, just maybe,
there is another ugly car out there that few know about. It may be sitting in a
barn, yard, or driveway, who knows, but you too can take a picture and post it
to friends to tell them about your driving adventure.
I guess that is the thing about cars, they can take you places to see cars that can no longer move themselves.
