About

Drake (pictured left) left the womb with a Hotwheel in one hand and a Matchbox in the other. He could appreciate the subtle nuances of each make. Fast forward 15 years, and his peculiarity in the realm of cars strikes again by arrogantly refusing the perfectly functioning family farm truck and instead, spending his life savings from Ace Hardware on a vehicle of his choice. What did the all-knowing teenager wisely choose for his ever-important first chariot? A 1978 Triumph Spitfire with a five-speed manual (why is there a third pedal Dad?), numerous shades of yellow, and yes, an in-operable convertible top. A wonderful example of a practical high school automobile. Did we forget to mention the lack of air-conditioning, speedometer, and radio? How about the lovely maple syrup smell of warm coolant? The water-color sunset British shoebox even marked, err dripped, its territory when you parked. How neat. No matter the number of times it stalled mid intersection, stayed put under gas station umbrellas during a storm, or failed to hold its fluids; Drake loved his Triumph. Many months and paychecks later, he sold the roadster for a profit, and the addiction was solidified.

The following years provided excursions to remote villages nestled away amongst the farmlands in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin; always in search of hidden gems (craigslist: filter: >$1000). The rotating carousel of cars supplied much joy during the drab years of school, although his parents thought otherwise (cue $350 1984 Pontiac Firebird overheating on freshly paved driveway at 1AM). The streets outside the University of Iowa campus saw many of Drake’s projects during his tenure, some for months at a time (the lovely meterless E Washington Street). There was even the 1987 BMW 735i 5 Speed that was stolen mid-showing by a meth addict on the run from police a few states over. Ahh the memories.

When junior year of university rolled around, life was looking pretty swell for the young lad. He had great friends, a good girl, a lavish apartment, and a fast car; just splendid. What happened next? Drake finished college early, ended his relationship, sold his possessions, and bought a one-way ticket to Europe bringing a few clothes inside a backpack. Then comes Dom. Plot twist.

Dom (pictured right) grew up with Micro Machines and Lego Technic. Were cars in his blood? It’s hard to say, but a curious mind and an ability to problem solve sort of were, and he eventually stumbled into Mechanical Engineering.

Ever the goody-two-shoes at school (ladies and being cool were not important, he reminded himself), University beckoned, followed by three years of utter chaos, rampant studying, his birth as a real human and the discovery of music. Thank you Interpol.

A career in the car industry eventually followed, before a mid-life crisis in 2016 brought about his swift departure to South America for six wonderful months of debaucherous exploration.

Further stints in car and tech sectors followed, but travel and other things remained the predominant interest of the old soul in the slightly younger body. Until, that is, he met Drake in Bilbao, Spain, where they decided to create Cars Less Traveled and bring you some of the best past and present stories from the world of automotives.

You’re bloody welcome x