Vroom!

Speaking of pointless drifting, it's not often that I want an expensive thing, unless its really expensive, like a personal Arctic exploration ship or a luxury submarine or a global party blimp.

But I've been watching too much Top Gear, and although I thought I was immune to the subject matter, I have to admit that I now want one of these, a bare 0-60 in 2.88 seconds rocket that beat the 1.5 million dollar Bugatti Veyron around the Top Gear track, looks small, tight, and classic, and is stripped of gormless gizmos. The top line version of this old Lotus design costs $53,000 new.

It does this by being, you know, light. If it were a boat, it would be an outboard motor with seat.

I learned the power to weight ratio deal years ago in Anchorage when I was just nursing an old slab-sided Yamaha 750 XS out of winter storage, surprised to find a new Porsche 911 pulling up next to me at the first light, desirous, in his endearing ignorance, of racing me. I gave in to the dark side this one time. Rather than blasting off, I just made sure I was a $600 used motorcycle length ahead of him and his expensive girlfriend all the way to Wings N' Things.

But there really is precious little true cache to be found in cars. The trick is to wait a while. Much cooler to drive this thing off a cliff when you're 78, doing about 150.

Also, by then I might have the money.