If you drive 70 mph on one of our nation’s interstate highways you will see plenty of cars zipping past you. If you drive 60 mph you might feel like you’re standing still. I’ve been experimenting with driving slower in preparation for switching from my MINI Cooper (which rides nicely at 100 mph) to a restored Land Rover truck which has a top-end of 50 mph. Or 55 mph, depending on who you ask.

The National Maximum Speed Law prohibited speed limits higher than 55 miles per hour. It was drafted in response to oil price spikes and supply disruptions during the 1973 oil crisis. The law was widely disregarded by motorists and it was modified in 1987 and 1988 to allow up to 65 mph limits on certain limited access, rural roads. Congress repealed the law in 1995, fully returning speed limit setting authority to the states.

I set my cruise control on 60 last week and cringed a bit watching approaching cars in my rear-view mirror. At 55 I might turn on my flashers. I’ll make some short runs on the highway but no long trips. Fun for around town but no good for getting somewhere in a hurry. And everybody is in a hurry. I didn’t really see that until I stopped.

Swapping my MINI for the Land Rover will be an adjustment. But I’m at the adjustments point of life so that’s okay. I’ve been hanging out on some Land Rover forums and old hands there tell me driving one of these old trucks demands a level of awareness. Braking, turning, simply starting the truck… Everything demands more thought. Mare attention. I find this appealing. (Ask me again in six months)

I feel like a bride-to-be, picking out curtain material. Work has started on the interior of my truck. That has to be a good sign. Mr. Wolf and I both think no door panels looks sexier but the restoration guys are worried about knees getting banged by the hinge. When complete the truck will be a big old aluminum can and noisy as hell, with or without panels. I keep saying I don’t care whether it’s a boy or a girl as long as it’s healthy.

The photo below is the rebuilt engine in a 1974 Series 3. I’m not a “motor” kind of guy but I do appreciate clean and tidy and these photos make it clear the technicians working for Lucra Cars do as well. When I first started reading about frame-off restorations I knew that was what I was after. Old, but new. Better than new, in fact.

I’m eager to lean over the engine in my truck see the ground. It’s been a long time since I had a vehicle where that was possible.

Two of my last three primary care physicians considered (if only briefly) concierge medicine before retiring from clinical practice. I would have signed up with either of them. Wikipedia:

“Concierge medicine (also known as retainer medicine) is a relationship between a patient and a primary care physician in which the patient pays an annual fee or retainer. This may or may not be in addition to other charges. In exchange for the retainer, doctors provide enhanced care, including principally a commitment to limit patient loads to ensure adequate time and availability for each patient.”

The idea has resurfaced as I search for a mechanic to service the vintage Land Rover I hope to be driving later this year. I’ve found a garage that I think will be able to do routine service and maintenance but what I’d really like to find is a retired (?) craftsman that would like to pick up a few bucks without slaving away every day. Someone who — for a price — would treat the truck like it was his own. Perhaps we rent time at a garage (after hours?) so he’d have a place to work.

This probably isn’t a business because most of the people who invest in vintage automobile a) don’t drive them every day and b) know how to do routine maintenance themselves. And then there are people like me.