I salute you, sir. I feel the same way about some of the cars I've loved and continue to love from a distance even if I don't own them. Particularly that bit about being able to work on them yourself. I personally can't STAND the fact that if I open the hood(bonnet) of any car made since the 80s that I not only can't see the ground, I can't even recognize half of what's under there. Whereas with an old MGB or Austin Healey or a Morris Minor or a 67 Ford Mustang I can see everything that needs to be seen and I can easily get to it all and I know (generally) what it all does. And I know what you mean about the Wankel engine. Had a friend who owned one at one time. The car's interior was terrible, with upholstery so bad he just threw sheepskin covers over the seats and didn't bother. The outside bodywork badly needed a repaint. The dash was only half-lit at night.
But DAMN if that car just absolutely refused to die. He kept up the maintenance and oil on that engine, and that Wankel powerplant just kept on going. I think we used to call it the Millennium Falcon, because it didn't look like much, but it had it where it counted.
I swear - and this is meant with all possible complimentary affection - your post sounds like one of the truly sentimental non-jokey car reviews that the boys at Top Gear sometimes indulge themselves in concerning the classic cars they truly love.
But DAMN if that car just absolutely refused to die. He kept up the maintenance and oil on that engine, and that Wankel powerplant just kept on going. I think we used to call it the Millennium Falcon, because it didn't look like much, but it had it where it counted.
I swear - and this is meant with all possible complimentary affection - your post sounds like one of the truly sentimental non-jokey car reviews that the boys at Top Gear sometimes indulge themselves in concerning the classic cars they truly love.