OUTSIDE LINKS   International Harvester Kia Motors America Chrysler Corporation CARS AND WOMEN Last Saturday, while I was driving to the LA County Museum of Art with my little sister, I said, "Let's see how many different car makes we can see." By the time we got to the museum we had seen examples of most of the common American, Japanese, and German autos, along with Jaguar, Volvo, Saab, and an Alfa Romeo. I became like a hawk on the road, eyes darting across rows of parked cars scanning bumpers for as-of-yet-unseen brand names while simultaneously trying to pay enough attention to traffic to keep my perfect driving record. It took until my Monday morning commute to work to positively identify a Lincoln, and that left Eagle--that elusive holdover from Chrysler's buyout of the American Motor Company, usually sold alongside new Jeeps--as my only remaining imprint of the Detroit Big Three automakers to be spotted. That evening I saw a Rolls-Royce, an old AMC Gremlin, and a 1940s-vintage Pontiac that I first thought might be a Packard. The rest of the week proceeded in my typical obsessive list-making fashion, adding at least one new name to the list each day. Tuesday I saw an AM General Hummer, Wednesday I saw an MG and consciously noticed a Kia, and on Thursday I finally saw an Eagle Talon. I had spotted it parked along the curb on Pacific Coast Highway and had driven around the block to confirm the sighting. After seeing a very nice-looking Fiat in a parking lot Friday, Saturday I had a discussion with a good friend about the odd, pedestrian cars one ends up with from rental agencies. They all function, but they're rarely vehicles you'd actually purchase of your own volition. I've ended up with a Pontiac Sunbird, a Mitsubishi Galant, and a Mercury Mystique with irritating door locks. I got my best rental car when the agency didn't have any of the mid-sized cars I had requested and were thus forced to rent me a Chrysler Sebring convertible. My friend agreed that "there's something special about drivin' around in a giant Chrysler." That day I picked up two Peugots, a Bentley, and Ducati and Norton motorcycles. Today, Sunday, I stayed in Long Beach, not exactly a hotbed of obscure European cars, so I didn't expect to see anything new. But I did see a strange-looking truck that I thought might be an International Harvester. I drove around the block to check, but I wasn't able to see any distinguishing markings. As I drove away along a narrow street, I had to pull my doorless Jeep over to let two women in a big Chrysler convertible pass. The driver stopped next to me and shouted, "Tell me I don't love you!" Stuck without a pithy response and noting that they were not only about five years my senior (and not particularly attractive), but had also just shouted "Tell me I don't love you!" at a perfect stranger, I quickly retorted with "No, uhh . . . sorry," and pulled away dumbfounded. I then decided to stop cataloguing cars.

--Adam Villani