Sometimes I think I’m not such a nice travel companion. At least not when it comes to cars. I just think that certain things have to be done a certain way, and that is not always easy to explain.
Take a good look at the photos above this story. What do you see? Yes, the Kia Picanto that was in the AutoWeek endurance test garage a few years back. In 2018 I drove back to Davos with photographer Willem Verstraten at breakneck speed, and this evenly dirty rear was the result. It is precisely that uniformity that is special, because you will rarely find a car that uniformly dirty.
The first remarkable fact: I like a dirty car like that. Of course I wouldn’t drive around with it for months, but the result of a long ride can be seen as far as I’m concerned. However, it becomes really scary when it turns out that I even have an opinion about what that dirt should look like. I prefer not to use the rear wiper. “Wait”, I hear you think, “but isn’t that very clumsy?” That’s right, dear reader, but it does look nice. Significantly worse than rear wiper use, however, I find fingerprints on the cover. If you want to get me cranky on a long drive, you have to close the valve with your fingers on the sheet metal with a visibly dirty car. The punishment comes immediately, because in addition to a spotty car, you also get dirty fingers. Own fault, because that lever on the inside is there for a reason.
I’m lucky with Willem, because he has the same allergy. Because of him I know that I am not alone, but our ‘disorder’ is undoubtedly rare. Who recognizes themselves in my story? And do you perhaps have very different auto-neuroses? Don’t be ashamed, because it can’t get any worse than this!
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl