In high school we cruised in my boyfriend’s ’71 Charger R/T. We’d start at the shopping center, then go by the 7/11. If no one was around we’d cruise to the neighboring town’s strip mall…finally heading back to our shopping center looking for another muscle car.

By 8:00 or 9:00 p.m., a few rows of ‘60s and ‘70s muscle cars would be parked in the parking lot across from Taco Bell. There was talk about Mopar versus Chevy or big block versus small block. Sometimes claims were made that other people challenged and happily we hadn’t seen “reality” shows where people vote for favorites instead of getting to prove who’s best!

Back then a challenge required a late night trip to a straight stretch on a deserted two lane where a claim could be tested. The Charger either whipped the Camaro in the quarter mile or it didn’t.

You could say the carb was messing up or any other excuse but the bottom line was, unless you crossed the faded white strip first, he was faster than you. No denying reality.

Having all our Mopar brothers vote for us on the two lane wouldn’t have made the Charger win on a night when the Camaro was faster. And we wouldn’t have challenged a Datsun 240z. Why leave the Taco Bell parking lot for that?

Yeah, some teasing would happen. You’d hear, “is it time to Get the Tools Out?” or “what are you doing tonight? oh, right, you’ve got to Fix Or Repair Daily.” Not fun but, hey, it’s the risk you take when accepting a challenge.

We took the challenge because we love cars. Blue oval or bow tie, we admire the effort that goes into their ride and understand the passion. In fact, it didn’t matter if you drove a Ford, Chevy or a Dodge…oddly enough, there were nights that small block Camaro actually beat us. (But you know a six-pack is hard to tune, right?)

Now Motortopia is our virtual parking lot, our virtual two lane. Sadly virtual, not real.

We still participate in challenges because we love to put two cars side by side, compare their specs and stories, and vote for who we think is best, not for our best friend. Almost as much fun as back in the day and less chance of losing your driver’s license.

But we’re not participating in a challenge with a dually diesel pickup against a Nissan 350z. Sometimes we might vote for a Mopar over a Ford but only if they’re really close.

So what about you? You’re on this site because you love cars. The challenges aren’t real but they’re an awesome opportunity to see great cars that people like you are proud to share. Do you want to enjoy checking out other people’s passion or do you want to play American Idol?