Dan Neil, the Pulitzer Prize winning auto writer for the Los Angeles Times just wrote a wonderful piece about the equally wonderful Mercedes Benz CLS500 -- at $76,000, a car I can merely drool at.
But he took a jab at our friends in NASCAR that, frankly, is pretty funny and right on target. His piece begins with the misunderstandings that can arise from a car's name, even a seemingly innocent one:
Likewise, the Mercedes-Benz CLS500 will forever be known as the "Cialis" 500 — which sounds like a NASCAR event and, come to think of it, probably is.
I'm all for NASCAR, but I do get weary of the "GM-UAW Teamwork With A Smile and Free Coffee Too 500 Presented by Handi-Wipes" names they're coming up with. At some point, sponsors need to be aware that real people have to remember these names with a straight face.
What's wrong with the good ole "World 600"?
Comments (2)
To report abuse of the comment feature on this site, please use the feedback form at the bottom of any page.
Dan Neil rocks.
Or did. NASCAR gives California a second date this year (at the expense of the Rock, thank you very much, not) and this is the thanks we get?
Maybe Dan Neil needs to test drive one of those NASCAR rides -- as a passenger, with, oh, I dunno, Tony Stewart driving and Kevin Harvick bump-drafting him. ;)
Posted on March 16, 2005 10:10 PM
Dan Neil does rock for exactly these kinds of jabs. He is an equal opportunity offender, and NASCAR is long overdue for some ribbing. And while we are on the topic of pimping for our sponsors, you can read more about Dan at http://patrickeakes.blogspot.com/2005/02/automotive-humor.html
Posted on March 17, 2005 2:48 PM