AP: Tell us about yourself and when you became interested in cars?

Steve: When I was a lad of about 5 years old, my family utilized the services of a pediatrician who was one of the original car nuts of the post WWII era. The first car I ever remember being blown away by was the good doctor’s lovely red Porsche 356 coupe. That would be in about 1952 or so. Soon after, he graduated to an XK 140 and I have been a Jag freak ever since. .

AP: What was your first car?

Steve: My very firstest car was a 1964 Chevy Biscayne 4 door sedan with the legendary Blue Flame 6 cylinder motor and three on the tree. It was refrigerator white with a red interior and I loved it dearly.

AP: What is your daily driver?

Steve: My daily driver is a 1998 Maxima SE.

AP: What classic(s) or special cars do you currently have?

Steve: I own a 1994 Miata, red/black.

AP: What made you choose to buy them?

Steve: I got disgusted trying to keep my MGB from rusting faster than I could repair it.

AP: Have you ever just missed buying a particular car, and lived to regret it?

Steve: Yeah. I almost bought a 1951 XK 120 in 1962 for $500. What a car!!!!

AP: What would be your dream car?

Steve: Oh, I dunno. The current Aston Martin lineup has some stunners, any one of which would be more than enough to peg my joy meter. But I also visited the Panoz factory a year or so ago and the Esperante is a VERY nice automobile. The fact that the Panoz can be serviced by any Ford dealer on the planet is a big plus, imho.

AP: Which car do you regret having parted company with?

Steve: In theory, I wish I still had my 64 E-type coupe. In reality, I would not have had the resources to keep it up the way it deserved to be.

AP: What is your favorite drive in your classic or special car?

Steve: The Miata is definitely a "sunshine" car. Which here in New Angleland means its pretty much under cover from November through April.

AP: How much work on your car(s) do you carry out yourself?

Steve: I always change my own oil and filters. Brakes I usually do myself. But as I get older, I find lying on my back on cold concrete offers less and less excitement, so I let WonderDave, the crack mechanic in the neighborhood, do everything else.

AP: What do you carry with you go out in your car(s)?

Steve: A picnic basket, usually.

AP: Do you get involved in the club scene, and why?

Steve: I have not lately. The local clubs are either too much into autocross or too much into social stuff. I DO enjoy a good rally, but can’t seem to find any local groups who do that. Plus, we operate a B&B so getting away early Sunday for fun in the Miata is difficult.

AP: Do you take an interest in motor sport, and if so where is your favorite venue(s)/club meeting(s)?

Steve: I follow Formula One religiously from the comfort of my living room. I pay attention to CART and motorcycle racing. I wouldn’t watch a NASCAR race (except the road circuits) if the drivers ran the course backwards with lighted candles in their asses.

AP: What is your worst memory involving a car?

Steve: Waking up in the morning with a wicked hangover and finding that, in my drunken stupor, I had missed driving into a deep gorge by about 7.5 inches.

AP: What is your funniest memory involving a car?

Steve: When my daughter was young and I was a recently divorced parent, I used to go on rallies with my then 8 year old daughter. Rallymasters are of course supposed to set traps for the contestants and many of those traps are based on spelling. On out third or fourth rally, our next course instruction was "Right at Village Road". We came upon a street with a sign that said "Vilage Road." As I started to turn, she said loudly, "Dad, that sign is misspelled." We went straight and were the ONLY team NOT to come into the ensuing checkpoint backwards! Later, while having beer and pizza at the ending point, it was great fun to listen to the grumbling of the old hands who had been rallying for a decade or more. They were mighty PISSED to be beaten by a novice with an 8 year old navigator. THAT was fun!

AP: What is your most enjoyable moment involving a car?

Steve: In 1987, I drove my MGB from RI to Alabama to present to my daughter as her high school graduation present. I took the back roads down the Delmarva Peninsula, down the Outer Banks, visited my grandmother in Jacksonville, then went across the Florida Panhandle to Mobile. It was sunny all the way after I got over the George Washington Bridge so the whole trip was done with the top down. When her graduation was over (she was her Valedictorian, btw), there was the MG parked in the middle of the sidewalk leading up to the front doors of the school with a BIG red ribbon around it and a sign that said "Congratulations, Kate." It was a VERY special moment for us both and made the bus ride home to Rhode Island more than worth it.

AP: Best road food?

Steve: Burger King croissanwich with sausage and cheese, hashbrowns and hot tea. Guaranteed heartburn but tasty nonetheless.

AP: How would you define a ‘classic’?

Steve: A classic is a wicked cool automobile that YOU can afford. Ergo, the definition of classic varies from one person to the next.

AP: What in your opinion, is the worst car regarded as a ‘classic’ and why?

Steve: A Trabant. Why? Let me ask you. Would YOU want one?

AP: What in your view will be a future classic?

Steve: The latest Ford Thunderbird. It really IS a nice looking car. It was just WAY too much money when new.

AP: What question would you like to ask and who to?

Steve: I would like to ask KarnUtz: "Why are you doing this?"

AP: What car publications / car websites do you regularly read?

Steve: I subscribe to AutoWeek because I like the News, the TV listings, the Escape Roads articles and the Market Report. The rest of it is crap. I spend more time than I should at CarNuts.us. I occasionally go to itv-f1.com and grandprix.com. And I have been known to check in at AutoPuzzles.com on occasion!

MG's Profile is here.