Getting back on I-70, I had to go through the launch checklist:
- Mirrors
- Seat belt
- Bottled Water
- ZZ Top CD cued up
- Patriotic skull cap
- WWF Oakley "Fire" sunglasses
- Map
- 1/2 tank of gas
To the left: It's 400 miles to Denver, it's dark, and I'm wearing sunglasses (reference to The BLues Brothers). Bought these Oakley sunglasses in Utah in the Spring. They were $135. I've lost every pair of sunglasses I've ever owned. Scary.
Academy award winners: Best picture-"The Sting" (Robert Redford and Paul Newman.) Best Actor-Jack Lemmon in "Save the Tiger." Best Actress-Glenda Jackson in "A Touch of Class."
Cheap Sunglasses....ZZ Top
I don't remember or care who shot J.R., but I know who killed muscle cars. While the feds played their role with safety additions and emissions requirements, your friendly insurance man did in the GTO. What else could you expect from a business that's been around almost as long a prostitution?
They made their grim calculations quickly on who was crashing what and hiked premiums rapidly. They even had a "blacklist" of words to help identify muscle cars for agents and underwriters. The GTO and the Judge were called out by name. Other words and phrases included:
• Hurst Equipment • Radials • Wide Ovals • Posi-traction • Mags • Slicks • Racing cam • Spoilers • Ram Air • Solid lifters • Blueprinting • Headers • Traction bars • 4-speed slap-stik
Many insurers eventually refused to insure the GTO at all. The president of National Mutual Insurance Company publicly stated his company, "....was increasing the rates on 'superpowered' cars by no less than fifty percent." As if that were not enough pressure already, the Iowa state insurance commissioner wanted to ban all muscle cars, and not license any car which could:
- Accelerate from 0-60 in less than nine seconds
- Go over 80 mph
- Had a speedometer that was calibrated over 80 mph