The Autopian is nominally a website about cars. I mean, “Auto” is right there in its name. But we love all kinds of vehicles that make the world move, from semi-tractors and cargo ships to planes, trains, motorcycles, and bicycles. What vehicles do you love that aren’t cars?
My primary love has always been cars. I still trace the beginning of my enthusiasm to when my uncle gave me a Pontiac Firebird Matchbox car back when I was a toddler. If you’ve read my work, you know that I can find good in any car, from the Chrysler Pacifica crossover to even the Chevrolet Aveo. With exceptions, I’m one of those people who believe that there’s no such thing as a truly terrible car.
Yet, while my life has largely revolved around cars, they’re hardly the only form of transportation that I’ve been obsessed with. Ever since I was a kid, I have loved planes, ships, and trains. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched James Cameron’s Titanic. When I was a kid, my favorite scenes were before the ship hit the iceberg, and the camera sometimes panned around the majestic vessel. It’s also why I adored the opening scene of the 2006 version of Poseidon.
Big ships still capture my imagination today, and one of my bucket list items is to take a ride aboard a cargo ship. Admittedly, my love of big ships is why I bought one of the lamps that was aboard the SS United States.
My love of heavy machinery is why I also frequently visit the Illinois Railway Museum, even though I’ve now been there about a million times. As a kid, I loved watching Metra trains thunder out of the Fox Lake, Illinois station. When I started going to the Chicago Auto Show as a teenager, I always took a Metra train to Chicago just for the fun of it. I still do, actually.
When I was a teenager with infinite time, I also used to go to a park next what was a Wisconsin Central line that snaked through northern Illinois, and I just watched trains roll by. Today, that line is run by Canadian National, and once I spotted a freight train that had an incredible line of eight locomotives leading an absolute monster down the rails.
If I had to assign a vehicular love that’s second to cars, it would certainly be aviation. I was a kid when I learned that the Boeing 747 existed, and that changed everything for me. In my eyes, the 747 was like an ocean liner, but one that had glistening paint and flew through the sky at 600 mph.
Then, I discovered that all sorts of aircraft are wonderful, from the slick and sporty-looking Canadair Regional Jet line to the hot rod Boeing 757 and all points in between. As a teenager, I remember watching the film 2012 and absolutely adoring the movie’s “Antonov 500.” I was blown away that the real-life Antonov An-225 was somehow even cooler than the fake movie version. I had made it a dream to get a ride in the Mriya, somehow. Sadly, that one might be on hold for quite a while.
Now, as you’re soon about to read, I’m once again working to satisfy my childhood dream of becoming a pilot. How about you? What vehicles do you love that aren’t cars?
Top graphic image: ERCO
Antique street sweepers. They’re mechanically interesting and serve an important purpose, but very much overlooked by most vehicle/machinery enthusiasts and barely documented.
Some of the classic street sweepers have a lot of character, IMO – Austin Western street sweepers in particular have a wonderful almost art-deco style to them.
But yeah, people preserve old dump trucks, fire engines, mail trucks, and construction vehicles all the time because they’re all interesting machines, and those vehicles make popular toys as well which I imagine gets kids interested enough to want to restore vehicles like that eventually… But not street sweepers I guess, even though toy street sweepers are also out there and seemingly enjoyable enough for kids.
Honestly a lot of the intrigue of them for me is simply the feeling that they’re a blind spot in the consciousness of vehicle enthusiasts, and thus very poorly documented, with photos and histories of old street sweepers being very rare, and restored vintage street sweepers being even rarer. There are some restored street sweepers out there, they’re not extinct, just extremely uncommon.
Farm machinery! Tractors, combines, and other implements used to get farm work done have always fascinated me. I always love driving by a field and seeing a tractor pulling a planter or a combine harvesting soybeans. I farm a few dozen acres with my dad and love running equipment in the field every summer. I’ve even got a collection of 1/64 farm equipment and am working on setting up a model farm display.
Bicycles.
I still have my first serious bike. The frame was a twin to what people were riding on the professional grand tours in 1982.
Even today, you can buy the bikes ridden in the grands. Carbon frames, wheels (spokes, hubs and rims), absolutely crazy high end stuff, out on the road with average folks on board.
Maintenance for a year is under $500 for a commuter and recreational ride on top of the line gear.
And there is something special about traveling along at 35 MPH with a friend about 2 feet away on their own bike.
I love all bikes, but I think I like high end steel bikes from the 60s-90s!
Airplanes.
Specifically the P-38.
Oh, my.
Oddly, I’ve never been a “car guy” even though I actually purchased a membership to this site. But this place is Sooooo much more! Mostly that’s Mercedes’ influence, what with her obsession with all things motorized. That, and Torch’s ability to turn a phrase. Adrian’s too.
My non-car vehicular obsessions?
Curta mechanical calculator
Boats would be my choice,all kinds really. I don’t get to do it often enough,but I love it whenever I get go in a boat either for work or on my own time. Also ,I’ve always been fascinated with tractors I have had three in my life and peak tractor is a JD 2040 synchron.
Lighter than air airships, specifically rigid airships, such as Zeppelins. Airships are having a moment right now with multiple companies developing new ones.
Catamaran and Trimaran sailboats. Never had one – I’ve never owned an actual boat of any kind, but I think sailboats are really cool, and multi-hulled sailboats are the coolest sailboats. I think this is a combination of hearing my Dad’s stories about sailing a hobiecat when he was a teenager, and then the hero boat in Waterworld (watched it last week – that movie holds up surprisingly well).
Also – bicycles – so accessible and approachable! Easy to work on, huge price range with a ridiculous low end (my cheapest acquisitions are free, free if you have a pair of bolt cutters, and $35). Lots of cross-compatibility of parts, huge used parts market, so many styles and cliques. Truly something for everyone. No licensing fees, easy to store, but still mechanical and faster than running!
My friend Mike Brady has a great YouTube channel about classic ocean liners and ships in general called “Ocean Liner Designs”, you should check it out.
I’m also fascinated by old ships, warships in particular, as well as WWII era aircraft.
I nerd out over certain bicycles as well.