...To my mind the “American Dream” is best epitomized in the works of John Steinbeck. The reality of that dream, is one of exploitation of race and underclass! These are the magic ingredients that have built the beautiful “façade”; and when the dream collapses, the same exploited elements of American society are the sacrifices made to the God of Greed; a sick game with one percent of Americans as the winners, and 99 percent suckers to the cause!

Once, 'The American Dream' was relatively harmless and yielded huge, ugly cars with long fins and MacDonald's Restaurants (using restaurants is its broadest sense).

Since 1945, the American Dream is to control and dominate the whole world using military force, invasion and occupation, torture and rendition, the threat of dropping nukes, etc.

Perhaps the Americans might again build the finned machines and forget about their imperial ambitions and ludicrous restaurants!

We can but hope.

Mr. Holden writes: "Hence the absurd 1959 Cadillac - both a badge and a toy for those who seem to have forgotten (if they ever understood in the first place) what those who came by the Mayflower were dreaming about."

The Pilgrim Fathers who came on the Mayflower were English who had fled to the Netherlands to get religious freedom. After they got to the Netherlands they found that religious freedom was not really what they wanted. The Netherlands had religious freedom even for Jews. Heavens forbid! The Pilgrims came back to England and set sail for North America to set up a theocracy. In this theocracy they burnt witches, hung Quakers, exterminated Indians who they saw as devil-worshippers and expelled dissenters. Mr. Holden, did you know what those who came by the Mayflower were dreaming about?

Brian to start with anyone who can actually own & drive a 1997 Magna, now, or in it's day, is automatically excluded from discussing anything automotive. They have proved they have no soul or taste.

Anyone who can not see the joy, exuberance, & shear fun of driving such a car as a 59 Caddy, especially today, has no right to write or pontificate about life. They just dont understand the meaning of life, or have the ability to enjoy it.

What on earth has the desires of the pilgrims got to do with anything? I am not about to live my life by the dreams of our convicts, or their overseeing guards. I most certainly will not be living my life by the miserable outlook this piece presents. If this is what enjoying the best time of your life brings you to, I hope I have a sh1t of a time, in retirement.

I have always liked small cars, reasonably powerful sports cars, which such as Brian probably hates. I would never have owned such a car as a huge Caddy. However I live on the club Sunday cruise circuit of Brisbane. A couple of times a year we get the Topless Yankee club driving through. These are all similar huge "yank tanks" convertible land yacht cars.

If the joy, & fun, in the eyes of the participants of these cruises is the only good thing to come from them, that alone fully justifies the construction & perpetuation of these mountains of chrome & paint, in a far too grey world.

David f

Yes, the Pilgrims were ignorant people who feared the devil taking human form. That has no relevance as to the reason they braved the stormy Atlantic. They risked all to find a place where they could reach their personal potential - and this is what most people understand the American Dream to mean.

Well done Hasbeen. LOL! You certainly put a big grin on my face with your above post. Especially the bit about Magnas.

But onto the topic. Flash, brash and noisy. Like a Broadway musical, Vegas burlesque or a home-town parade, our US friends like to flaunt it when they've got it. I say good for them.

Spirit is what it's called Mr Holden and there ought to be more of it right here in Australia too, instead of the maudlin doomsdayers and snivelling sustainment hacks. Those sorts of people just don't know how to live life.

Bring it back. Bring it all back. Long live Yankee heavy metal! I love it.

Ah, yes, those were the days - people were actually free, rich and happy. I vaguely recall being like that as a child. True story. We used to have a big black straight-eight Buick.

Oh well, back to modern day sustainable, renewable boredom, guilt and poverty. Cheers all. Enjoy the misery.

PS - Hey, Hasbeen, I like old Brit sports cars too. Especially those Morgans.