Automobiles

From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959

As fans reached the age where they could earn money, many of them bought second-hand cars to make visits and trips to fan gatherings in, and gave them appropriate names such as Panzerkampfwagen, FooFoo Special, Stfnash, The Hop Bitters, or The Ay-rab Steed. Some of these have been painted all over like the vehicles comic strips supply for teenagers, while others are dignified bourgeois conveyances, but most all are second hand. Fen show a real attachment to them, and often personalize them, especially in describing their ills: a flat tire is a sprained ankle, the headlights are eyes; if the gas tank runs dry you may have to take the top off the carburetor and feed it intravenously to get the motor going again; etc. Metaphors are mixed; the front fenders may be either shoulders or knees as the situation makes convenient, usw. [from Fancyclopedia 2 Supplement ca. 1960: Westcoasters are strong followers of the custom of naming cars, etc.. Sneary's '50 Chevy is Grossvogel; old Outlander Bill Elias has a motor scooter that was named Aristotle, because it only had two cylinders.]

From Fancyclopedia 1, ca. 1944

As fans reached the age where they could earn money, many of them bot second-hand cars to make visits and trips to fan gatherings in, and gave them appropriate names, such as Baby, Jr, Empress of FooFoo, Panzerkampfwagen, Skylark of Foo, Theodore/Tanya, Skylark of WooWoo, Andromeda II, Spirit of FooFoo, Diogenes V, S-F Rocket Car #1, FooFoo Special, and Stfnash. Some of these have been painted all over (ah, them woowoo eyes on the Skylark of same!), while others are dignified bourgeois conveyances, but all are second-hand. Fen show a real attachment to them, and often personalize them, especially in describing their ills; A flat tire is a sprained ankle; the headlights are eyes; if the motor runs dry of gasoline you may have to take the top off the carburetor and feed it intravenously to get the motor going again; etc. Frequently the metaphors are a bit mixed: the front fenders may be either shoulders or knees as the situation makes convenient use.

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Fanhistory

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