Summer is almost here, which means it’s only getting hotter outside. I hope you’re reading this installment of Car Connections somewhere cool and comfortable. First time checking out this series? Well, here’s what to expect: I have a trio of words from the Random Word Generator, then link them to automobiles. Sometimes the connections are quick, sometimes they take a bit more word association and thinking. This week’s words are short, colon, and talented. How would you associate these words with cars? Tell us in the Comments section below. (And click here for more Car Games!)
1965 Ford GT40 Mark I (Photo courtesy of the Ford Heritage Vault)
Short: Height. The Ford GT40 race car was 40 inches tall. It reached much greater heights by finishing in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Photo courtesy of the General Colin L. Powell Facebook page
Colon: Colin Powell, the former four-star Army general, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and U.S. Secretary of State who had a passion for Volvos. While living at Fort Myer (now known as Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall), he often got his hands dirty working on his Swedish treasures. Not only did he have a 1966 Amazon estate wagon, but he also received a beater Volvo as a gift when he retired from the military in 1993. According to the U.S. Army, “President Clinton and Vice President Gore and Secretary of Defense [Les] Aspin presented me with a junker Volvo. It was such a clunker. I didn’t know how they found it. My driver dragged it on to Fort Myer, so it could be a gift to me from the president of the United States. It was the one Volvo I wasn’t able to fix. But when the President gives you a car, you just can’t junk it right away. So, I put it in one of my garages behind the quarters at Fort Myer — quarters 6. I waited a respectable amount of time — about a year or so — and we snuck it out of there and gave it a quiet burial.”
Photo courtesy of the Internet Movie Cars Database
Talented: Talenti, a brand of gelato and sorbettos that has Oscar-nominated actor Bradley Cooper as its celebrity spokesman. He co-starred in 2009’s “The Hangover,” a movie about three buddies trying to find their friend after a crazy night of partying and get him to his wedding. Another star in the wild romp is a 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE convertible. The W111 drop-top started off as a prized possession, then ended up a dented and disheveled mess — just like the main characters in the film!
If today’s round of Car Connections has you wanting to add a Ford, Volvo, or Mercedes-Benz to your garage, visit ClassicCars.com and AutoHunter.com.
