I have a car lust that started sometime after my father traded his 1966 Chevy Corvair coupe in for a 1976 Ford Pinto wagon (with imitation wood grain panelling). At some point my brother and I talked our folks into buying a BMW 2002 and a Mercedes 300TD. Since then, we've been a "cool car family"; we all drive Acuras, Mercedes, and Porsches. I was Acting Director of Education for the Museum of Transportation.

[March 2004] Well, I had to do it. The SLK was just a bit too much to deal with in the snow, and I had to find an alternative. So I found a car with AWD and a wee bit more horsepower, though of course the roof had to get out of my way when I wanted -- and here it is: 2004 Audi TT 3.2 Quattro S-Line Roadster, 3.2 liter V6 (250hp), DSG transmission. Audi TT Car Club AudiWorld -- news, forums Audi Club, North American Audi I have a particular *thang* for Mercedes cars; I saw a 1955 Gullwing in the auto museum in Cleveland, then one at speed at the Lime Rock race track a few years back. My office and my home are littered with little Gullwings (and some not-so-little Gullwings, but alas, no full-size Gullwings). Before the TT, I was driving a Mercedes of my own. And you can check it out for yourself: [my 1998 Mercedes Benz SLK 230 page] Also check: Mercedes-Benz Club of America This is an Audi S4 Avant -- wagon variant of the V6 twin turbo S4 sedan which is now a production model in the Germany home market. Note the generous air intakes under the front bumper. This wagon image was made when it the model didn't actually exist yet -- my old college roommate diddled a bit with Photoshop and came up with this. Donna is driving the *realistic* version of this, an Audi A4 2.8 Quattro Avant -- yes, it's silver. Ok, ok. This is what I really-really want: [go to the Mercedes-Benz Motorsports page] This is a CLK-GTR FIA GT car in D2 livery. The street-legal version of this looks just like it but no tall rear wing. The race-tuned V12 puts out more than 600hp; this car embarrassed the McLaren F1 GT car and the Porsche 911-GT1 in FIA GT competition and took the Worlds Championship this year. Not a big trunk, but what an engine! I want. Here are some great links if you are into Formula One racing, car design, or just love thinking about cars. Formula One Pages: FIA Formula One Page F1 Team pages: McLaren International Ferrari - Formula 1 Williams / BMW Other great racing pages: Lime Rock Park American Racing Scene Car manufactures [my shortlist]: Audi American Honda Motors, Inc. DaimlerChrysler (Mercedes-Benz) BMW of North America, Inc. For consumer information check out: Edmunds

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