“The difference that matters between the 1970 Hotchkis E-Max Dodge Challenger and the 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 can be demonstrated as easily as turning each one’s ignition key right here in our driveway.
It’s here, in suburban Orange County, California, where the homeowners association gets uptight if window trim is the wrong shade of tan, that we come to fully appreciate the difference between these cars. You see, the association’s covenants, codes and restrictions might dictate the minutiae of trim color and lawn primping, but they utterly fail to address the unmitigated badass-ness of the car one parks in his driveway. Or what it sounds like when it’s fired up at sunrise. “