Often in our wonder world of technology advances our ego gets the better of us and we forget that maybe just maybe some ancestor (pun) may have been more on the ball. This was brought home vividly on a trip I took with a friend who was enamored with his new electric car (brand name eliminated, for politeness called EV) and his two wiz kids. At this stage, the siblings had become totally oblivious and obviously bored with the constant barrage of snippets about the benefits their dad’s multi thousand dollar toy could bring them that had all but overwhelmed their smart phones.
“Today’s trip,” dad grandly announced, “is to the Cussler Museum to look at the wonders of antique cars (heavy emphasis by dad on antique, and lots of pointing at the gleaming new EV).” Kids roll their eyes but go along anyway, as a stop at Colorado Mills mall is promised to stock up on goodies. I go along because the family interactions are always fun and the museum is one of my favorite places to extol visions of what quality and the pursuit of excellence really means—tech-heads take note— like this glorious boattail with 160 wild horses in a V 12 that could fly at speeds that today will get you jail time in the US (yes, thats me you hear crying).
Image of 1932 Auburn Boattail Speedster property of Cussler Museum • Copyright © Cussler Museum 2009 ( Please visit — it’s an AWESOME place )
As the family split up, each to their own visible favorite, which to any auto aficionado is total sensory overload, and even the kids both fem and male busily looking up the history of each on the smart devices, clicking unique selfies and dad looking fondly out the window at his new EV, a voice springs up asking for family group meeting with this message. “Hey guys, look at this old EV.” Now dad should have realised the trap, as the youngster who was broadcasting the request (voice and text with video running) is the family's tech guru supreme and has a merciless sense of humor.
What junior had discovered was this beauty.
1931 Detroit Electric Model 97 property of Cussler Museum • Copyright © Cussler Museum 2009
Dad falls deeper into the trap saying “How cute” and other obligatory comments. Family is now surrounding him like hungry wolves as they sense a trap, having seen this many times before. Smart devices are out checking stats, history, the whole gamut and junior opens the trap wider, asking Dad-who-knows-everything “So how far did it go on a charge then, dad?” Dad looks at the whole family and instead of running for the door opens his wisdom (or non-) explaining grandly to the whole family, “probably 20 miles, and they weren't really real cars (like his new multi thousand $ EV), really just early car design toys.”
So in around 100 years, our grand technology has advanced 50 + miles — and weaseling about speed, reliability, tech improvements, yada, yada, will not impress your voracious young audience.
Poor, poor dad. All the way home conversations are spreading (verbally and on line). Historical performance of EVs is now the number one family topic. The number 54 (not 42) magically appears in multiple chats about everything and, finally, as we pull into the driveway of home, junior sotto voice (just inside dad’s hearing range) sends out this depth charge: “Hey, here’s some guy called Nick Tesla who got 450 miles on a single charge out of a version of the old Detroit electric. That's totally amazing!” Family now disembarks from the namesake EV and wanders off to points unknown in the house, grinning like Cheshire cats. Voice comes from the kitchen, from dutiful wife: “Hey, Pete, why is Joe just leaning propped up against the EV and looking sad?” Don't know, Maggs, I think he just had some bad news.” I thanked the family for the fun afternoon and headed home in my 1992 4 cylinder gasoline Volvo 240 station wagon, who sounded like she was smiling too.
