| Stockholm Syndrome: Bonding with Project SRT4
I took this photo about a month ago. The yellow fuel light had been on for a while and I wasn't sure I'd make it to another gas station. The one I ended up at was just off I-5, about 10 miles south of Downtown LA. I decided to shoot a couple snaps while Project SRT4 tanked up. Traffic was heavy in the street behind me. I often get honked at while taking obscure photos. But this time everyone could relate to what I was looking at.
Relate may be the wrong word. Sure, everyone's commuter car needs gas to get to work and back. And, people will pay however much they have to. Its like if food prices went up, we're not going to stop eating. But Project SRT4 is not really a commuter car. It is an obnoxious fuel-wasting monstrosity.
I have to admit, I have a passionate hatred for that orange Dodge. The paint, graphics, and the ridiculously loud blow off valve grow old after about ten minutes. The modifications all scream "stare at me!" Only I don't want to be seen in it. But for now that's not an option. My 35MPG Civic has been held hostage by my painter for the last three months. And I've spent most of that time stuck in Project SRT4. I feel like I'm the hostage.
Stockholm syndrome
-noun Psychiatry.
an emotional attachment to a captor formed by a hostage as a result of continuous stress, dependence, and a need to cooperate for survival. (Dictionary.com)
I've found that the only way to cope with The General Lee's inbred nephew is to drive it as obnoxiously as possible. Purchasing Deaf Leopard's Greatest Hits "The Vault" was just the start. I soon learned that the exhaust can be even more annoying than the treble pumping speakers. The right combination of throttle stabbing and engine braking will create amazing backfires. Even when it fails to pop it still gurgles in a way that modern fuel injected cars really aren't supposed to. I don't feel bad about the fuel I'm wasting. I love it! Save your dirty looks as I further shock the supply and demand of gasoline.
For the many readers who have written in complaining about being cut off by Project SRT4, think about this. Nobody in their right mind would drive that thing, but someone is. So yield to the orange Dodge.