Forty Cars That Owned Me

This book is a collection of "war stories" about forty unique cars including an Aston Martin DB-5, three Jaguars, road racing cars, Pro Rally cars, most of the domestic brands, and the author's all time favorite, a 1962 Triumph TR-3B roadster.

Inside you'll discover...

The "secret sauce" that the best cars possess in full
How to buy cars, both new and used
When not to take seconds on the pie
What it's like to cover a mile in 24 seconds
What it takes to win road racing championships
How to sell thirty-one cars in a month
How the author beat his dependency on fermented beverages
and much more!

The Motor Bookstore Exclusive!
An Interview with Patrick Nowak

"The name is Nowak, Patrick Nowak."

Not many guys can say that they've owned an Aston Martin DB-5, but Patrick Nowak can proudly make that statement. However, he was never a part of Her Majesty's Secret Service, and the only license he holds, is a driver's license.

Nevertheless, we had to ask some questions about the man behind the new book, Forty Cars That Owned Me.

TMB: What is the "sauce" you mention in the book that makes a car desirable?

PN: The "secret Sauce" is, in the simplest definition, outstanding styling plus substance. In my view, the car's looks are the most important thing, given of course, that there is a solid vehicle underneath the shapely surfaces.

Consider the Jaguar XKE. Its looks are absolutely seductive. Underneath the skin is a robust motor, independent suspension, inboard rear brakes, and a smooth shifting four speed on the floor. The cockpit reminds one of a vintage fighter plane. Performance wise it has the acceleration, top speed, braking capabilities, and handling that exceeded almost everything else available at the time it was built. I consider it the epitome of cars with the "secret sauce."

TMB: Is there an antidote for this "sauce?"

PN: There is no known cure, other than to appreciate it.

TMB: What made the 1962 Triumph TR-3B roadster your favorite?

PN: The styling was distinctive with the sweeping fenders and cutouts in the doors. It was kind of a poor man's Jaguar XK120. I believe I paid about $2,400 out the door. It offered decent acceleration, good handling, a distinctive exhaust note, and perhaps as important as anything else to a young guy just out of college, girls loved it.

TMB: Do you feel that "collector" cars should collect dust or miles? And why?

PN: I'm for driving them. I guess I should say that cars that are attractive to me are the cars that look great, are well built with the right mechanical bits, and provide good overall performance. If you just own the car to admire it and not drive it, I think you're missing out on the enjoyment of that performance. But I can see why some folks just keep them in the garage and trailer them to car shows because they're so valuable.

TMB: So you played the 007 role, but not the "Bandit?" Pontiac Trans Am fans want to know.

PN: I always liked those old Burt Reynolds car movies like "Smokey & The Bandit" and "The Cannonball Run," but I imagine that they went through quite a few Pontiac Trans Am making those films.

While I wasn't a 007 type spy, my job was get inside the operations of my prospects and customers to figure out how to save them money feeding data into their large main frame computers. Our imaging and optical recognition systems could do that if we could figure out how to improve their internal processes. When we were successful, the solution would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars but would save them millions. The commissions from those sales bought a lot of these cars. You might say I was involved in "espionage operations" but it was all on the up and up.

TMB: Cars cost money. How did you manage to keep the peace at home?

PN: It wasn't easy. As I say in the chapter about the '88 Mustang race car, titled "A Firm Believer in Managing The News," the headstone on my grave that my wife puts there will only have one word on it, "Unforgiven."

Actually, what usually happened was that there was often a commission check coming from the home office out east for something like $10,000. I would say to the wife that I wanted to have half for a car I wanted and the other half was for the savings account. That seemed to work, most of the time.

I do think one needs to have a fair amount of discretionary income to fool around with cars. If you're in sales, sell something expensive so that your 6% sales commission is a big number. I do think you have a responsibility to the family to make sure your car desires don't trump everything else. On the other hand, I hate to see guys sell their restored cars to pay for some kid's college. Better that the kid works to pay for his college expenses. What I did was marry a girl who was quite a bit smarter than me and therefore the kids turned out to be smarter than me and they got scholarships to pay for most of their education. If you marry a girl dumber than you, don't expect too much from the kids. Always marry up!

TMB: What is it about cars that makes some of us go crazy about them? And we're not talking about dollar value here. Some may be crazy about their Ferraris while others share the same love and devotion for their AMC Pacers. I guess we're curious to find out if the "sauce" comes with the car or the car owner?

PN: If I may quote from the chapter on the 2000 Lincoln LS:

"Some folks might conclude there is a desire to show off, to obtain some higher status, to possibly overcome some feeling of inferiority. I plead guilty to all those misdemeanors, but I think it’s something more.

I think it's similar to an art lover's desire to own a famous painting, like a Van Gogh. The true art lover doesn't pretend that the painting confers any status on him; rather, he just wants to be around a work of excellence.

That's kind of the way I felt when I first drove the '74 Jaguar XJ6L. I couldn't claim to have designed it or built it. All I did was do something else of value so that I had the wherewithal to acquire it. My accomplishment was in the other activity, namely computer sales. That was my true glory, not the car. The car was someone else's work of excellence. I was just in love with that excellence. To have it in my garage was like having a love affair with an object rather than a woman.

This, it seems to me, is why all of these cars owned me. For the most part, company cars probably excepted, I was 'in love' with them. And, as long as beautiful cars, powerful cars are built, I know I'll be seduced, willing and enthusiastically. The secret sauce will always get to me."

TMB: What's you advice for the budding car owner?

PN: In the Epilogue to the book, I offer this advice:

"I hope you find the car or cars that will own you too. Don't wait too long. Make sure you have your other obligations handled like family, work, worship, and kids. Then, find the car that makes you sing.

They’re out there, the special ones, the cars with the secret sauce.

We are dead a long time. Go find that special car. Enjoy."

— Patrick Nowak, February 2007