I try to be a person of good taste, but cars are my biggest failing. I actually like my Aztek… from the inside. The outside, I admit, is a monstrosity. Every once in a while if I catch it at just the right angle and squint my eyes a little bit, I think to myself, “That looks like one sleek, shiny, powerful rhinoceros.” Then my eyes refocus and I realize that, no, it really is just a monstrosity.
Oh, but what could have been! A recent Car Connection article names “ten concept cars Detroit should have built.” Amazingly, the Aztek is on the list. Not the Aztek that made production and became an instant punchline for the auto industry, but the much more stylish prototype:
That’s a respectable vehicle. Yet without the humor value offered by the production model, I don’t think I would have found it nearly as fun to drive.
Jacob Grier is a freelance writer, bartender, cocktail consultant, and magician in Portland, Oregon. He writes, eats, and drinks a lot. His articles have appeared in the print or online editions of The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, Reason, The Oregonian, and other publications.
