I LOVE cars. I think that's all it takes.
I am especially fascinated by cars that are generally unknown here. It's cool to check out what is being made in South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, India, Romania, Russia, Argentina, Brazil, etc...
When I was 6, my Aunt married a guy she met while studying in France. I remember assaulting him with questions about Peugeot 204s, 304s, and 404s; Simca 1000s, 1100s, and 1500s; Citroën Dyanes, GSs, and DSs; and Renault 4s, 6s, etc. All of these cars were very rare if not totally absent from St. John's streets, so I think it kinda freaked him out that this kid know so much about French (and other European) cars. Most of my 1/64 cars from childhood were from French manufacturer Majorette, as well as Matchbox and Corgi, all of whose models were mostly of European cars. I still have them all, by the way, and I still buy myself the odd Matchbox or Hot Wheels car. (in fact right now in front of me are a Matchbox NYC Checker Cab, a Matchbox London UK Black Cab, and 1/87 scale Morris Minor. On the shelf behind me are a 1/43 Zastava 750 (Yugoslav FIAT 600 clone) I bought while attending a meeting in Belgrade last year, and a 1/43 Skoda Fabia sedan (a gift from one of my friends who was posted to Canada's embassy in Prague).
