Cars, Trucks and Helicopters

Since I will be at The Arapahoe Car and Truck Show tomorrow, I started thinking about the cars and trucks I have in my stories. My characters have driven a little bit of everything from motorcycles, classic cars, old trucks, even a tow truck, and I even have a minor character who is a helicopter pilot.

I’m not sure if it is as important in other countries as it is in America, but growing up around car people, I know that here we associate people with the vehicles they drive. A woman who shows up driving a bright red, fully restored 1965 Ford Mustang convertible with white leather interior is very different from the woman who drives a Prius. At least they would be betrayed differently in fiction. In reality they might be the same person. The Mustang might be her weekend car, but she drives the Prius to save on gas during the week.

In Chrome Pink my main character has a Honda motorcycle and a nice newer truck which she sells to pay a debt. She then takes over her grandfather’s old Ford truck and restores a vintage Harley. Raised in a mechanic shop, she grew up around vehicles and developed a love for them. She even drives a tow truck. When she meets her love interest, it is their shared respect for old cars that bridges the gap between them.

While Rolls Royce and Bentley might be the more prestigious vehicles, electric and hybrid the most conscientious, and a Bugatti or a Ferrari synonymous with fast and rich, there is still something sexy about a muscle car that these can’t offer. Classic cars like the Corvette, Mustang, Charger and Camareo are associated with an era of music and freedom that just owning one of these vehicles can evoke.

Whether my characters drive a four-wheel drive monster truck or a classic muscle car, or they prefer to be more environmentally conscious with a hybrid, if I tell you what vehicle they drive, you automatically guess at their personality. I think as a writer, we need to think about how our vehicles define us and the characters we write, especially in more rural areas of the US. I wonder if vehicles would also be a defining part of characters from other countries. I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments. What do you think? How important is the vehicle you drive to who you are?

Join me and friends, Saturday, April 12th from 9 am until 3 pm at The Arapahoe Car Show held at Pamlico Community College.