Tell them, my song.

“Second star to the right, and straight on ’til morning.”

– James Tiberius Kirk, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

tl;dr

It’s not about the car. As much as I love some automobiles and what they stand for, I’m not the kind of guy who washes his car every five minutes and I don’t worship any car. It’s about what a car does for me when I drive it, how it makes me feel. From my biological father, I inherited the genes of a mechanic and truck driver: Driving is important to me.

I mostly listen to music in my car, so this post is as much about the car itself as it is about its soundtrack.

Ride The Wild Wind

I would never have taken on a loan to buy a sports car, even if it’s just an entry-level sports car like my GT86. Getting into debt to buy a toy is irresponsible and it would also kill the fun for me. But after everything that had happened back in 2021 and the years before, I badly needed something that was plain and simple fun, that I could enjoy without having a nagging bad conscience.

I had been window shopping for a GT86 for over three years already, since I had first sat in a Dragon edition of it in a Toyota dealership. I didn’t have the money at the time, so the car turned into one of those dreams.

A few years passed. Then one day I found the one in the pictures above and I literally felt my heart beat changing. I knew immediately: This was my GT86. It had very low mileage and the right color, there was only one pre-owner in the papers, it had all inspections perfectly documented and they had been exclusively done in official Toyota shops, it was an automatic with a paddle shifter and there were no spoilers or any other obnoxious plastic stuff attached to it. It was exactly the car as the designers and engineers in Japan had originally conceived it. It was perfect. And this time, I could afford it. On the same day, I sent the shop an eMail that I wanted to buy it.

There are plenty of faster cars out there. The automatic version, as I have it, is factory-throttled at 215 km/h, the manual version is throttled at 235 km/h (strangely enough, on one of my first rides with it my GT86 had reached that speed as well). That’s plenty fast, especially if you hold that speed for more than just a few minutes. The first time I drove my GT86, I literally broke out in hysterical laughter behind the steering wheel. The same happened the second time. And it kept happening.

The Japanese engineers worked their magic: The car will hold its top speed until you literally run out of gas, no matter if you’re going uphill or downhill. Everything will feel 100% safe, because there is not one single part in that car that will be running at or beyond its specified operational limit. You can sense that there are reserves available and you just know that the car can take it.

Japanese racing driver Keiichi Tsuchiya, who happens to privately own a GT86 and who also works with the engineers at Toyota, said this: “Don’t change a single thing on that car. You can only make it worse.” And that is exactly what you feel in a GT86: It’s perfectly engineered. If there is one thing that I admire with all my heart, then it’s great engineering.

Ironically, literally five minutes after I had signed the contract, Toyota sent me an eMail that I could now pre-order the GR86, the successor to my car, and it was only a few thousand Euros more expensive. But I did not want the successor. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and in my eyes the GT86 is way more elegant and beautiful than the new GR86.

For similar money, you could also get a V8 Mustang with 455 horse power and at least on straight roads, it will always leave the GT86 behind. I like the Mustang for what it is, and for a while I was thinking very loudly about buying one. My neighbor bought one after I had bought my GT86, and his Mustang is a stunning beast. But the feelings are very clear: It’s his Mustang, and this is my GT86.

Horsepower and speed are not the point of these cars anyway – if you believe it’s just about power and speed, then you’re really not getting it. Cars like this are about how they make you feel when you drive them. It’s about what they do for you. And that is something very individual and different for everybody. All car lovers have their own connections to their cars and things their cars do for them.

Driving this car makes me feel like I’m sitting in the cockpit of a fighter jet, like I’m a bird of prey soaring through the air, like a wolf on the prowl, it makes me feel alive and in balance with myself. It’s the first car since the BMW 732i that I drove in the early 1990s to which I feel an actual connection.

It’s great to just listen to the sound of the engine when my GT86 and I are running down the Autobahn. (The sound and vibration of a pumping engine are a sensation that electrical vehicles don’t have and cannot provide – there’s no blood pumping through the veins of an electric car.)

But my car is also the place where I can enjoy loud music and be with myself, feel myself. Driving and listening to my personal favorites helps me think and dream.

My playlist for roadtrips

I have my full music collection on a USB stick in the car. For me, these are some of the best songs to listen to when I’m on the road with my car, it’s a copy & paste from my ROADTRIP.m3u file:

Avril Lavigne - I'm with You.mp3
The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin (Single Version).mp3
Diana Navarro/Resiliencia/1-02 El perdón.mp3
Disturbed/Disturbed - The Sound of Silence (Live on CONAN).mp3
Dimash Kudaibergen/DIMASH KUDAYBERGEN I IGOR KRUTOY/04 - Stranger.mp3
Wagner- Der Ring des Nibelungen/(Disc 6) 01 - Wagner_ Die Walküre - Erster Tag des Bühnenfestspiels.mp3
Zager & Evans - In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus).mp3
Christopher Tin/Christopher Tin - Baba Yetu.mp3
Kent - Då Som Nu För Alltid.mp3
CuréLabel/Kona (Bande originale de jeu vidéo)/01 - Kona (Thème).mp3
Inkubus Sukkubus/Vampyre Erotica/09 - Vampyre Erotica.mp3
Johann Johannson - The Beast (From _Sicario_).mp3
Kate Ryan/01 - Désenchantée (Radio Edit).mp3
Blondie/No Exit/08 - Night Wind Sent.mp3
Blondie/No Exit/09 - Under The Gun (For Jeffrey Lee Pierce).mp3
Queen/Innuendo (2011 Remaster)/01 - Innuendo (Remastered 2011).mp3
Queen/Innuendo (2011 Remaster)/06 - Ride The Wild Wind (Remastered 2011).mp3
Queen/Innuendo (2011 Remaster)/12 - The Show Must Go On (Remastered 2011).mp3
Red Rock Roosters - Circuit Rider.mp3
Rory Gallagher - Shadow Play 1979 Live.mp3
Celine Dion - I Drove All Night.mp3
Roy Orbinson - I Drove All Night.mp3
Alice Cooper - Poison.mp3
Alice Cooper - I Am The Future.mp3
Nelly Furtado/Folklore/06 - Forca (Album Version).mp3
Laid Back/Bakerman/01 - Bakerman.mp3
Daryl Hall & John Oates - Maneater.mp3
Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made For Walkin'.mp3
Hothouse Flowers/Hothouse Flowers - I Can See Clearly Now.mp3
Dalbello/She/01 - Black On Black.mp3
Survivor/Survivor - Eye of the Tiger.mp3
Survivor/Survivor - Burning heart.mp3
Don Henley - The Boys Of Summer.mp3
Donna Summer - I Feel Love (Mega Edit).mp3
Jam And Spoon/Best Of (Anniversary Edition 1990 - 2015)/20 - Right in the Night (Fall in Love with Music) (Flamenc-O-Matic Fairytale Radio).mp3
Jam & Spoon/09 - Right in the Night (Fall in Love with Music).mp3
Goblin/Zombi/01 - L'alba dei morti viventi (Originale)_df74f389-0049-4bba-9ffd-a20f2d3f8c37.mp3
Goblin/Zombi/11 - L'alba dei morti viventi (Alternate Take)_03f1e53a-85d8-48a6-8fa8-75ff5885d2cf.mp3
Goblin/Zombi/06 - Zaratozom (Originale)_c0dd14c5-9767-4ae3-82e8-d5d7c49fff75.mp3
Tom MacDonald/Tom MacDonald - Stronger Version.mp3
Tom MacDonald/Tom MacDonald - Superman.mp3
Heart - Barracuda.mp3
The Hothouse Flowers - I Can See Clearly Now.mp3
Gerard McMann - Cry Little Sister (Theme from ''Lost Boys'').mp3
Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker.mp3
Van Halen - Jump (2015 Remastered Version).mp3
Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It.mp3
Ray Stevens - Cannonball.mp3
Sheppard - Geronimo.mp3
The Bates - It's Getting Dark.mp3
Sarah Brightman - A Question of Honour.mp3
Drea - Justified.mp3
Fire Inc - Nowhere Fast.mp3
Fire Inc - Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young.mp3
Vixen/Vixen [Explicit]/01 - Edge Of A Broken Heart.mp3
Noapology/Noapology - Ashes.mp3
Noapology/Noapology - Deadhearted.mp3
Noapology/Noapology - Defenseless.mp3
Within Temptation/Faster/02 - Faster.mp3
Brad Fiedel/The Terminator (Original Soundtrack Album)/17 - The Terminator Theme (Extended Version).mp3
Joslin - Terminator 2 Theme.mp3
Armstrong/Armstrong - Terminator (Main Theme).mp3
Armstrong/Armstrong - Cycles.mp3
Tom MacDonald/Tom MacDonald - The Machine.mp3
Tom MacDonald/Tom MacDonald - FACTS.mp3
Mylene Farmer/L'autre/02 - Désenchantée.mp3
Dua Lipa/Dua Lipa [Explicit] (Complete Edition)/04 - Be The One.mp3
Dua Lipa/Future Nostalgia [Explicit]/04 - Physical.mp3
Dua Lipa/Dua Lipa - Houdini.mp3
Dua Lipa/Dua Lipa - Training Season.mp3
Grimes - Shinigami Eyes.mp3
Metalite/Expedition One/05 - Blazing Skies.mp3
Frozen Crown/Winterbane/01 - Embrace The Night.mp3
Frozen Crown/Call of the North/01 - Call of the North.mp3
Beyond The Black/Beyond The Black (Deluxe Edition)/07 - Dancing In The Dark.mp3
Axel Rudi Pell - Casbah.mp3
Bruce Dickinson/The Mandrake Project/03 - Rain on the Graves.mp3
Beyond The Black/Beyond The Black (Deluxe Edition)/03 - Free Me.mp3
Bolt Thrower/Honour Valour Pride/05 - 7th Offensive.mp3
Amon Amarth/The Great Heathen Army/01 - Get in the Ring.mp3
Amon Amarth/The Great Heathen Army/02 - The Great Heathen Army.mp3
Amon Amarth/The Great Heathen Army/04 - Oden Owns You All.mp3
Amon Amarth/The Great Heathen Army/05 - Find a Way or Make One.mp3
Amon Amarth/The Great Heathen Army/06 - Dawn of Norsemen.mp3
Nita Strauss and Alissa White-Gluz - The Wolf You Feed.mp3
Arch Enemy/Deceivers/01 - Handshake with Hell.mp3
Arch Enemy/Deceivers/06 - Sunset over the Empire.mp3
Arch Enemy/Deceivers/02 - Deceiver, Deceiver [Explicit].mp3
Arch Enemy/Deceivers/11 - Exiled from Earth.mp3
Arch Enemy/Will To Power [Explicit]/05 - The Eagle Flies Alone (edit)_7f6ab58e-9b31-4080-a661-c6197529fec5.mp3
Arch Enemy/Will To Power [Explicit]/04 - The World Is Yours_0833a8ca-2423-47c5-a0d4-52a9305d3bb4.mp3
Arch Enemy/Will To Power [Explicit]/02 - The Race_89c6fedc-a2c2-40df-828c-615be3b6b784.mp3
Arch Enemy/Deceivers/03 - In the Eye of the Storm.mp3
Disturbed/Immortalized/02 - Immortalized.mp3
Disturbed/Immortalized/05 - The Light.mp3
Disturbed/Divisive/04 - Unstoppable.mp3
Slayer/Undisputed Attitude [Explicit]/13 - I'm Gonna Be Your God (Album Version) [Explicit].mp3
Slayer/B-Sides & Rarities/Slayer - Born to be wild.mp3
Slayer/B-Sides & Rarities/01-04- In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (Iron Butterfly Cover).mp3
Slayer/Hell Awaits/01 - Hell Awaits.mp3
Slayer/Reign In Blood (Expanded) [Explicit]/01 - Angel Of Death.mp3
Florence Black/WEIGHT OF THE WORLD [Explicit]/01 - ZULU.mp3
The Pump Panel - The Original Theme from _Blade_ (2016 Remaster)(1).mp3
Rage Against The Machine/Rage Against The Machine [Explicit]/05 - Bullet In The Head [Explicit].mp3
Rage Against The Machine/Rage Against The Machine [Explicit]/02 - Killing In The Name [Explicit].mp3
Scorpions/Love At First Sting (Deluxe Edition)/06 - Big City Nights (2015 - Remaster).mp3
Scorpions/Love At First Sting (Deluxe Edition)/02 - Rock You Like a Hurricane (2015 - Remaster) [Explicit].mp3
The Old Gods Of Asgard - Take Control.mp3
Imperial Age/Imperial Age - Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend.mp3
Imperial Age/The Legacy of Atlantis/02 - The Legacy of Atlantis.mp3
Kamelot/The Expedition/09 - We Three Kings.mp3
Kamelot/The Fourth Legacy/05 - Nights of Arabia.mp3
Kamelot/Karma/02 - Forever.mp3
Khaled - Aicha.mp3
Kim Wilde/The Hits Collection/01 - Kids In America.mp3
Kim Wilde/The Hits Collection/04 - Cambodia.mp3
Kim Wilde/The Hits Collection/05 - View From a Bridge.mp3
Accept/Blood Of The Nations/02 - Teutonic Terror.mp3
Accept/Blood Of The Nations/11 - No Shelter.mp3
Accept/Accept - Princess Of The Dawn (Remixed).mp3
Accept/Blind Rage/08 - Bloodbath Mastermind.mp3
U.D.O/Rev-Raptor/02 - Leatherhead.mp3
U.D.O/Rev-Raptor/04 - I Give as Good as I Get.mp3
Unleash The Archers/Apex/01 - Awakening_55af2001-e256-44aa-b24c-26315b292d49.mp3
Unleash The Archers/Northwest Passage/01 - Northwest Passage_76a32634-6821-45dc-a91b-53659711db3c.mp3
Unleash The Archers/Time Stands Still/04 - Tonight We Ride_6eb1bb52-a6eb-4091-b385-9665751edd07.mp3
Unleash The Archers/Time Stands Still/05 - Test Your Metal_fad63d93-7a10-44e9-9401-2c9c015e1f62.mp3
Kiss/Killers/12 - God Of Thunder_ad45c618-53ba-4cc4-b91a-ca49789fb889.mp3
Kiss/Killers/11 - Detroit Rock City_1a66166c-2237-47db-86b9-49068bd4214a.mp3
Kiss/Killers/13 - I Was Made For Lovin' You_c505d687-6c31-47d8-96aa-79a5d7341a4e.mp3
ZZ Top/Afterburner/02 - Stages.mp3
ZZ Top/Eliminator/03 - Sharp Dressed Man (2008 Remaster).mp3
ZZ Top/Afterburner/01 - Sleeping Bag.mp3
ZZ Top/ZZ Top - La Grange (2005 Remaster).mp3
AC-DC/ACDC - Thunderstruck.mp3
AC-DC/Who Made Who/01 - Who Made Who.mp3
AC-DC/Who Made Who/02 - You Shook Me All Night Long.mp3
AC-DC/Who Made Who/05 - Ride On.mp3
AC-DC/Who Made Who/06 - Hells Bells.mp3
Warlock/Triumph And Agony/03 - I Rule The Ruins.mp3
Iced Earth/The Dark Saga/01 - Dark Saga.mp3
Iced Earth/The Dark Saga/02 - I Died For You.mp3
Iced Earth/The Dark Saga/09 - Slave to the Dark.mp3
Iced Earth/The Dark Saga/10 - A Question of Heaven.mp3
Iced Earth/The Glorious Burden [Explicit]/11 - The Devil to Pay [Explicit].mp3
Iced Earth/The Glorious Burden [Explicit]/12 - Hold at All Costs.mp3
Iced Earth/The Glorious Burden [Explicit]/13 - High Water Mark.mp3
Iced Earth/Horror Show/02 - Damien.mp3
Iced Earth/Horror Show/10 - Dracula.mp3
Iced Earth/Something Wicked This Way Comes/11 - Prophecy.mp3
Iced Earth/Something Wicked This Way Comes/12 - Birth of the Wicked (Remixed & Remastered).mp3
Iced Earth/Something Wicked This Way Comes/13 - Something Wicked (Trilogy)_ The Coming Curse.mp3
Manowar/Warriors of the World/08 - Warriors of the World United.mp3
Manowar/Black Wind, Fire and Steel- The Atlantic Albums 19/17 - Hail and Kill [Explicit].mp3
Iron Maiden/Killers (2015 Remaster)/01 - The Ides of March (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/Killers (2015 Remaster)/02 - Wrathchild (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/Killers (2015 Remaster)/07 - Killers (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/Iron Maiden (2015 Remaster)/04 - Phantom of the Opera (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/The Number of the Beast (2015 Remaster)/03 - The Prisoner (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/The Number of the Beast (2015 Remaster)/05 - The Number of the Beast (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/The Number of the Beast (2015 Remaster)/08 - Hallowed Be Thy Name (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/Piece of Mind (2015 Remaster)/01 - Where Eagles Dare (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/Piece of Mind (2015 Remaster)/03 - Flight of Icarus (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/Piece of Mind (2015 Remaster)/05 - The Trooper (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/Piece of Mind (2015 Remaster)/09 - To Tame a Land (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/Powerslave (2015 Remaster)/01 - Aces High (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/Powerslave (2015 Remaster)/07 - Powerslave (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/Powerslave (2015 Remaster)/08 - Rime of the Ancient Mariner (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/Senjutsu/Disc 1 - 01 - Senjutsu.mp3
Iron Maiden/Senjutsu/Disc 1 - 02 - Stratego.mp3
Iron Maiden/Somewhere in Time (2015 Remaster)/02 - Wasted Years (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/Virtual XI (2015 Remaster)/04 - The Clansman (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/The X Factor (2015 Remaster)/01 - Sign of the Cross (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/The Final Frontier (2015 Remaster)/02 - El Dorado (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/The Book Of Souls/(Disc 2) 05 - Empire Of The Clouds.mp3
Iron Maiden/A Matter of Life and Death (2015 Remaster)/01 - Different World (2015 Remaster).mp3
Iron Maiden/A Matter of Life and Death (2015 Remaster)/05 - The Longest Day (2015 Remaster).mp3
Magnum/Chase the Dragon (Expanded Edition)/01 - Soldier of the Line.mp3
Manowar/Battle Hymns/08 - Battle Hymn.mp3
Manowar/Gods of War/06 - Loki God of Fire.mp3
Manowar/Gods of War/12 - Gods of War.mp3
Megadeth/Greatest Hits Back To The Start (Digital Only)/01-03- Peace Sells (2004 - Remastered).mp3
Megadeth/Greatest Hits Back To The Start (Digital Only)/01-05- Angry Again.mp3
Megadeth/So Far, So Good...So What! (2004 Remaster)/08 - Hook In Mouth (Remastered).mp3
Motorhead/Under Cover [Explicit]/01 - Breaking The Law.mp3
Motorhead/Under Cover [Explicit]/02 - God Save The Queen [Explicit].mp3
Motorhead/Under Cover [Explicit]/07 - Sympathy For The Devil.mp3
Motorhead/The World Is Yours/07 - Brotherhood Of Man.mp3
Slayer/God Hates Us All [Explicit]/09 - Bloodline [Explicit].mp3
Slayer/Reign In Blood (Expanded) [Explicit]/09 - Postmortem (Album Version).mp3
Slayer/Reign In Blood (Expanded) [Explicit]/10 - Raining Blood (Album Version).mp3
Slayer/Repentless [Explicit]/02 - Repentless [Explicit].mp3
Slayer/Seasons In The Abyss [Explicit]/07 - Skeletons Of Society (Album Version).mp3
Slayer/Seasons In The Abyss [Explicit]/10 - Seasons In The Abyss (Album Version).mp3
Slayer/South Of Heaven [Explicit]/06 - Ghosts Of War (Album Version).mp3
Metallica/72 Seasons/01 - 72 Seasons.mp3
Metallica/...And Justice For All [Explicit]/06 - Harvester Of Sorrow.mp3
Metallica/72 Seasons/06 - Lux Æterna.mp3
Metallica/Death Magnetic [Explicit]/06 - Cyanide.mp3
Metallica/Garage Inc. [Explicit]/04 - Turn The Page.mp3
Metallica/Garage Inc. [Explicit]/08 - Astronomy.mp3
Metallica/Garage Inc. [Explicit]/09 - Whiskey In The Jar.mp3
Metallica/Hardwired…To Self-Destruct (Deluxe) [Explicit]/01 - Hardwired [Explicit].mp3
Metallica/Load [Explicit]/04 - Until It Sleeps.mp3
Metallica/Master Of Puppets (Remastered) [Explicit]/02 - Master Of Puppets.mp3
Metallica/Master Of Puppets (Remastered) [Explicit]/07 - Orion.mp3
Metallica/Reload [Explicit]/02 - The Memory Remains.mp3
Metallica/Ride The Lightning (Remastered)/03 - For Whom The Bell Tolls (Remastered).mp3
Metallica/Ride The Lightning (Remastered)/08 - The Call Of Ktulu (Remastered).mp3
Metallica/St. Anger [Explicit]/01 - Frantic.mp3
Metallica/I Disappear/01 - I Disappear.mp3
Moonspell/Wolfheart/06 - Vampiria.mp3
Black Sabbath/Born Again/01 - Trashed_a6d8a890-4440-4d4b-88e4-f903738b5867.mp3
Black Sabbath/Born Again/03 - Disturbing the Priest_8e52a9d2-85a7-49ac-bad6-c89cabc0ac49.mp3
Black Sabbath/Born Again/05 - Zero the Hero_4fa3eea4-d296-4fc1-9f57-fb8125e63cd9.mp3
Black Sabbath/Mob Rules/05 - The Mob Rules_801f7e83-3638-4107-8fba-db7582ba02b8.mp3
Black Sabbath/Mob Rules/03 - The Sign of the Southern Cross_23981c5a-7510-46d7-b637-b1caf7f78021.mp3
Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell/04 - Heaven and Hell_c252ad4b-9d71-41a1-9733-19cd2d125c27.mp3
Rainbow/Long Live Rock N Roll (Deluxe Edition incl 14 Bonustracks)/04 - Gates Of Babylon_055a52e0-c9af-48ca-ba4e-8e3131d81f37.mp3
DIO/The Last In Line/01 - We Rock_69f5b90b-126f-4a07-b080-23ba1097cf98.mp3
DIO/Sacred Heart/04 - Rock 'N' Roll Children_0e8192f4-728c-4a77-a116-331a92a0f781.mp3
DIO/Sacred Heart/02 - Sacred Heart_95cc6e65-b10f-4f1d-bb7e-d78565c3ae14.mp3
DIO/The Last In Line/09 - Egypt (The Chains Are On)_8a20aa15-f2c3-432b-b79e-95378d4c2803.mp3