Five-speed manual tattoo?
2010-09-10 10:30
Pics by Jalopnik.com
Just how far does your love of cars go? How much of a petrolhead are you? Would you go so far as to add a permanent mark on your body?
Well, in what must be the ultimate expression of vehicular love, a Jalopnik.com user has tattooed a five-speed manual transmission gate on his back in protest against technological advancements.
“The more I watch the auto industry, the more clearer becomes that I am among the last generation to experience the pure driving joy of a four, five, or six on the floor. I wanted to memorialise that joy in a permanent way: on my body.”
His body art, despite the romance behind its meaning, is a bit of letdown as it translates to a couple of black lines and numbers and is nothing more than a conversation starter. Also, why stop at a five-speed, surely he could’ve gone all the way to a six?
One reader commented that he’d be better off serving as a visual aid for learner drivers.
“I'm unbudging in my opinion that tats are strictly for tools, but if you want to be a useful tool, you can sit on the hood of my five-speed equipped '90 Camry while I give my 15-year-old daughter her first driving lessons,” says user Lascauxcaveman.
The anonymous tattoo bearer adds that he is afraid that the more technological advancements are made to vehicles the less “character” your car will have.
“I realised that I could no longer tolerate more extensive, more comprehensive and more experientially inhibitive technology in cars. Do things like double-clutch autos, traction control and lane-departure warnings really make cars better? he asked.
"I suppose by some metrics they do but for these amenities we trade character; for luxury we surrender sensory experience; for comfort, we give up romance."
