Car (and tractor) nut Jagman (aka Dave) tells us about his early love of things with engines, including loves lost and unrequited. Through it all, he's kept the faith, as evidenced by his frequent visits to AutoPuzzles.com and other automotive sites on the 'net.

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

Dave:  I think I was a Car Nut since about age 2. My father took down an interior door that had about a 2" raised edge, and that became a play table and I made cars out of "City blocks" (anybody remember those?) and drove them around that table for hours at a time.

I also was responsible for my dad's first car accident, when at age 6 coming home from church I pointed out excitedly that new Olds sitting at the curb. He hit the '55 Chevy stopped in front of us and I went thru the windshield. I survived - obviously! ;-)

When I was in high school, my best friend and I stuffed a 301 Chevy V-8 with twin WCFB's into a Ford Anglia. It would go straight just fine; it just wouldn't turn or stop!

My first real job was as a mechanic for an import shop that worked on all those cars no one else would touch, so I became familiar with Ferraris, Roll Royce, Citroens, Jags and others first. We even got commissioned to drop a 351 Cleveland in the first DeTomaso Mangusta I ever saw - the car was brand new, but the owner thought the engine was weak. (And it was) The Cleveland made so much HP the owner scared himself the first time he drove it and we wound up putting the stock motor back in.

Later I went to work for a Porsche/Audi dealer and wound up in their organization for almost 17 years. I also worked for Jaguar, Range Rover, MBZ and Lexus dealers over the years.

AP:  What was your first car?

Dave:  My first car was a 56 Pontiac 4 dr sedan, "Flesh" over cream. It was big and awkward but comfy, had A/C and power everything. I bought it from a guy traveling thru town for $10, it only needed brakes, tires, mufflers, oil change, transmission repair and a tune up to become a great car! I drove it all thru high school..........

My first new car was a '68 AMC Javelin.

AP:  What is your daily driver?

Dave:  A '98 Lexus ES300 or an '05 Tundra. I usually drive the Lexus as it gets about10 mpg better mileage and I drive 20 miles each way to work.

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

Dave:  A '69 Jaguar XK-E FHC that I completely restored.

AP:  What made you choose to buy it?

Dave:  The looks, the sound of the exhaust, the smell of the leather..............and it was cheap - to buy!

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

Dave:  Not that I can think of............

AP:  What would be your dream car?

Dave:  A Veyron I suppose, it's just so over the top in every way! Maybe an Enzo..........

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

Dave:  My 1970 Dino. I bought it from a drunk dentist Porsche customer of mine because he had blown the engine and couldn't figure out how to put it back together after tearing it down. I fixed the engine and had it for over 2 years, wish I still did. I was working at a Porsche Audi store and the owner used to complain that his parts/service manager drove a Ferrari and he "only" drove a Porsche! It was probably the purest driving car I've ever owned.

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

Dave:  One I haven't taken yet, although having the E-Type for my wedding night ranks right up there.

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

Dave:  Well, the Audi Allroad's in warranty, and they do all the maintenance for free - so I let them. The Lexus doesn't need much, so I take it to the dealer. Same for the Tundra. Nobody but me touches the E-Type, I do everything on it

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

Dave:  My wallet and insurance card, a Diet coke, sometimes my wife, not much else............

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

Dave:  In the 60's I belonged to the Mustang club here in KC, I belonged to the Jaguar club when I lived in San Diego and the Porsche club when I lived in Col Springs. All of these were active driving clubs, not just into show and shines. The local Jag club is not so I don't belong to the one here.

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

Dave:  I watch F1 regularly, some NASCAR as we have a NASCAR Speedway here, some CART, some IRL, some ALMS, some Daytona Prototypes, some World Rally, some SCCA, some motorcycle racing, Paris Dakar, Baja 1000........... I like a lot of different types..............I'm planning to go to Sebring this March, the IRL race at the local speedway has been moved to April from July, so I'm considering that; thinking about Indy for F1 this summer, and definitely planning to go to the SCCA runoffs in Oct, since they're at the local track at Heartland Park, Topeka.

AP:  What is your worst memory involving a car?

Dave:  Wrecking my first new car, I only had about 2500 miles on it and a lady made a u-turn into the side of my car and I got a ticket for failure to yield!

Dave:  It was the '68 AMC Javelin.............

AP:  What is your funniest memory involving a car?

Dave:  Trying to drive the Anglia with the big Chevy V-8 in it, at one point we had changed the steering box to something stronger, but neglected to note that the new one worked the opposite way from the original one, so when you turned left, it now went right! Funny but scary too! (C'mon, I was in high school!)

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

Dave:  First time I drove my Dino after getting the engine to run. Magical........

Also, first time I drove my E-Type after 3 years of restoration.

AP:  Best road food?

Dave:  Whatever I bring with me is almost always better than what I can buy on the road. Exceptions are little mom/pop diners in small towns, sometimes you can find a real jewel that way.

AP:  How would you define a 'classic'?

Dave:  Anything that makes your heart beat faster or turns your head when you see or even just hear it.

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

Dave:  Most anything domestic made in the 80's - it's all such junk..............

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

Dave:  Anything fun or interesting made in relatively small numbers. The latest T-Bird for example.

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

Dave:  'What were you really thinking?' to Chris Bangle................

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