Switching phones is often a chore, mainly because you have to transfer your entire life from one device to another. Even though cloud backups make things much easier today, you still have to go through that annoying transition phase. I recently bought the new iPhone, and although the transfer went well, I wasn’t prepared to say goodbye to the list of all the cars I’ve connected to via Bluetooth over the past four years.
Just like serial killers keep macabre trophies of their victims, automotive journalists have a particular attachment to the little mementos of the cars they’ve driven. I’m not the only one, am I?
I’ve heard that some people carefully keep the energy labels of test cars, others take a photo of each model in the same place, with the same background. Others used to collect USB keys from press kits when that was trendy, and I’ve even known people who kept the original first aid kits from the trunk. Most of these people no longer work in the field, but it was a common practice at one time.
My Memento: The Bluetooth List
I’m much more basic. I like browsing through my list of Bluetooth devices, just like my Chick-fil-A app, where I always have to specify which car (and what color) I’m driving so they can spot me at the drive-thru. I started using my previous iPhone in November 2021, so after a little less than four years, I had accumulated about 60 cars on the old device. This number doesn’t reflect all the cars I’ve driven since then, given that I probably don’t connect to half the models I test each year – especially those I drive near home – so I estimate the total number is closer to 150.
Cars and Memories
Anyway, there are some really nice cars on this list that bring back wonderful memories. Like that Polestar 2, which was my first solo driving experience with an electric vehicle abroad. I picked it up at Brussels Airport and had to get to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit for a WEC race. I was apprehensive about driving an EV in a place where I didn’t know the infrastructure and didn’t speak the language. Everything went perfectly and it turned out to be a great experience!
Although there are a dozen Hondas on the list, the one that stands out is the Odyssey, which transported my family and me to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for a birthday weekend. Just great memories from that time with my loved ones, especially now that the kids are growing up and planning their own weekends.
The Exceptional Models
There are also two special Ferraris on this list, a 296 GTB and the powerful Purosangue. The red 296 GTB served my wife and me well on a trip to Northern California, which included a drive along the coast through the beautiful Monterey and Big Sur area. Similarly, a blue Purosangue provided the coolest wheels for a multi-day trip in Northern Italy with my father. Just two guys cruising the mountains around Lake Como in a then-not-yet-on-sale $550,000 Ferrari, loaded with suitcases and other bits and bobs.
A Digital Memory Album
From Hyundais to Toyotas, to Rolls-Royces, Mercedes, BMWs, and everything in between, this list is a nice little reminder of the fantastic things my job gives me the opportunity to do. And even though not everything is rosy in this still-volatile industry, it’s the cars and the memories I create with them that I will cherish forever. Time to start a new list on the new iPhone, I suppose.
Author’s email: jerry@thedrive.com