While walking to the corner store this evening thinking about what to write for my first Driveneutral blog, I was suddenly distracted by one of my favorite sounds—a finely tuned V8. Turns out a late 60’s El Camino had just pulled up. It was primer black with chrome rims and wide tires. I wondered to myself if I dare write my first blog on what I really thought at the sight of this machine. The answer was an unabashed “Heck ya!”

I think that 50’s and 60’s muscle cars should be the only fully gasoline powered cars allowed on the streets. Why not? They are a crowning achievement of their era – a true American heritage we should be proud of. I love these cars—and own a couple as well. The folks who built them represented the spirit of their time and did it well. As a result their price tag is increasing and they have become great investments.

Now, we live in different times with amazing leaps in propulsion technologies and fuels. Unfortunately, however, we still try to hide behind these legends and forgo the responsibility of original thinking and bold action to meet the demands of our time.

For the 60’s muscle cars, the roadmap was to take on the straight road and the quarter mile as fast as they can and do so in style. Our roadmap includes alleviating traffic congestion, reducing/reversing the greenhouse effect, and weaning ourselves from foreign oil. How can we do this and what are the challenges? This is what I hope to bring into this space and I hope you feel at ease to do the same with your feedback.

Sit tight for the next round which I’ll tell you about the trials and tribulations of another El Camino -this one trying to go green!

  -- Paul Liotsakis