Admiring the batcar

Posted by Tasha (Chicago, United States) on 1 May 2008 in Art & Design.

This is Jenna and her mother and her uncle around the bat car.

As much as this car alone might have gotten me thinking about Uncle Allen, it was Jenna's mother who really made me consider it.

When I pointed out in the first picture that taking a car like this out on the road was a risk, I wasn't just talking about the possibility that someone would rear-end it or t-bone it or any sort of car crash. I wasn't even talking about the inevitable door ding, though that's closer.

I was thinking about the innate fascination we all tend to have with things that are out of the ordinary, and our desire to experience those things with as many senses as is reasonable. In the case of a car, that is both sight and touch.

I kept a bit of a distance, trying to make sure I didn't contact the car, nor did my purse or anything else I was carrying. So did most other people who stopped to check out (or photograph) the car. Jenna's mother, on the other hand, didn't even think to do that. While we all peered inside, she had her hands on the doors, touched the fenders, and so on.

I wondered what the reaction of the owner would be if he caught her, and what my uncle's reaction would have been if it had been his car - back, of course, when he was younger and I was non-existent.

The owner of a normal car would be well within their rights to be upset with someone for touching their car. A show car owner would probably have even more reason to be angry. I have no idea if they have to use special paint or anything else. But I bet it's fairly easy to scratch the paint, even with the rivets on a pair of jeans. On a normal car, that would be a minuscule thing, but is it different for a car like this?

I've been putting these photos under the category of "Art & Design", because I think of show cars as being a form of art - not mere transportation. Clearly someone has put a great deal of time and love into this car. It's a source of enjoyment, clearly.

So once I saw Jenna's mom touching the car, I wondered. Did I say anything to her? No. Perhaps I should have. But I did think about it. Then we went in and had breakfast.