It’s the weekend, everyone! What do you have planned? A car show? Lunch with friends? A scenic drive? Whatever it is, you’re here right now, so be sure to read this latest installment of Car Connections first. I had the Random Word Generator produce a trio of words, which I then linked to automobiles. This week’s words are hen, transaction, and stun.
Hen: A female chicken. In other words, a lady bird. Former First Lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson. President Johnson had a 1962 Amphicar at his Stonewall, Texas ranch (aka the “Texas White House”) that he would use to play a terrifying prank on his guests. Joseph A. Califano, Jr., LBJ’s special assistant for domestic affairs from 1965-69, was one of his unsuspecting victims.
According to the National Park Service, he said, “The President, with Vicky McCammon in the seat alongside him and me in the back, was now driving around in a small blue car with the top down. We reached a steep incline at the edge of the lake and the car started rolling rapidly toward the water. The President shouted, ‘The brakes don’t work! The brakes won’t hold! We’re going in! We’re going under!’ The car splashed into the water. I started to get out. Just then the car leveled and I realized we were in a Amphicar. The President laughed. As we putted along the lake then (and throughout the evening), he teased me. ‘Vicky, did you see what Joe did? He didn’t give a damn about his President. He just wanted to save his own skin and get out of the car.’ Then he’d roar.”
Transaction: My response is another single word: Jaaaaaaaaaag. Way back in 2017, Jaguar and Shell launched an in-car gas purchase app for the updated 2018 XE, XF, and F‑PACE models.
Drivers could wheel up to a pump, use the touchscreen to enter how much fuel they needed, then complete the transaction with PayPal or Apple Pay. A receipt would then pop up on the screen and another would be sent to the driver’s registered email address. Don’t be surprised if a similar app is available when Jaguar is reborn as a high-end EV brand.
Stun: As a 007 fan, the first thing I thought of when I saw this word was the BMW 750iL in the 1997 James Bond movie “Tomorrow Never Dies,” which finds him trying to prevent media mogul Elliot Carver from starting a war between China and the United Kingdom that would benefit his empire. One of the key pieces to foiling Carver’s scheme is a GPS encoder, which 007 secures in the glove box of his V12-powered uber-luxury sedan. Carver’s thugs try to break in and steal it, but are thwarted by the car’s countermeasures that includes an electrified exterior that shocks unwanted guests. You can see more of its gadgets in the video below.
How would you associate these words with cars? Tell us in the Comments section below. And be sure to share your ideas for random words to use in a future installment of Car Connections. Looking for your next Amphicar, Jaguar, or BMW? Find it on ClassicCars.com and AutoHunter.com.
