Her purchase of the then revolutionary convertible is an interesting one. As it was a showroom model, the sales manager at the San Francisco dealership where she purchased it was keen to keep it on a turntable in the window. Unfortunately for him, a lower salesman put through the purchase without his knowing about it. As he couldn’t legally back out of the sales contract, he made Jane—then a single schoolteacher—a deal she couldn’t refuse.
Shockingly enough, she was forced to leave the vehicle at the dealership all day while it was open so customers could ogle and gawk at her new baby. Her daytime ride was a plain old Ford sedan sales loaner. Only at night after school got out could she pick up the car and drive it around San Francisco. No doubt in oversized Jackie-O sunglasses and a beehive hairdo which was so fashionable at the time.
As everyone in North America was experiencing “Mustang Fever” in 1964, she got lots of attention. “I recall on one occasion a traffic cop in the middle of San Francisco halted the flow of traffic at an intersection just so he could walk over and talk to me about the car,” recalled Mrs. Hamel during a recent conversation at the Orange County Auto Show.
In later years, the now 69 year old mother of two (and caretaker to a beloved rescue dog named “Peyton”) owned vehicles as far ranging as a Mercedes-Benz SL, Jaguar XJ, 1997 Mustang Convertible, and even a couple of Buick station wagons. “The wagons were always for the kids but my parents always had Buicks. They just weren’t as showy as Cadillacs but just as nice. At least at the time,” was her excuse for mixing in the rather mediocre wagons with her arsenal of performance machinery.
Not only does Jane like fast cars, she likes to go fast in them. So much so that during their younger years growing up her young sons referred to her as “Speedy-Traction.” Much better than the unfortunate moniker her often times Porsche-driving husband unfairly received—“Slowy Traction.” To this day, when she takes her husband’s brand new 2008 Audi TT for a spin, she drives it a lot faster than her husband would more than likely care to know about. “I love the Audi’s styling, but even more I love how fast it is and the snap, crackle, pop of the exhaust,” enthused Jane when asked about her husband Art’s new love.
As an attendee of the 2008 Orange County Auto Show, Jane Hamel brought her years of automotive experience to her perceptions of what is new and interesting in the world of the car, truck, SUV and hybrid. As many of the contributors for Automotive.com skew younger and male, we thought it would be a great idea to widen our horizons and get her take on what she saw.
Hyundai Genesis and Hyundai Santa Fe SUV—The first thing Jane went to see was the “Ride and Drive” stand for the all new Genesis that allowed you to actually get behind the wheel of the new sedan and myriad other Hyundais. She was really impressed with the price, styling and quality of the Genesis.
“Perfect for retired people who might be interested in moving out of their Lincolns or Buicks. Not sure it can compete with a Lexus or Mercedes, though,” was her thought of the classically styled Genesis.
After a ride in the Santa Fe, she became really impressed with Hyundai as a brand. As she currently drives an Acura MDX, comparisons were quickly made. “It is just as nice in here as in my Acura. It is faster and it shifts more smoothly, too. I never would have thought that of a Hyundai.”
As a result of her “Ride and Drive” (and also the two free tickets she got to the show courtesy of Hyundai for participating) Mrs. Hamel was a lot more interested in checking out the wares at the Hyundai stand than she ever would have been previously. “They just have a lot of really nice products here,” was her last comment on the increasingly popular Korean automaker.
2009 Acura TL—As her husband has had two TL’s and her son is currently driving one, Jane just assumed the all new model would be another home run. Unfortunately for Acura, Mrs. Hamel is not a big fan of the new design. “My god, it has a beak!” she cried in mock horror. Out of the mouth of a mom come words that Acura might not be very pleased to hear.
2009 Ford F-150—When gazing upon the interior of the newly restyled interior of a fully loaded F-150, Mrs. Hamel had this to say, “No wonder people use trucks as their only vehicle! It is like a finely tailored living room in here!” She was a big fan of the quality leather, big rear seat, and stylish dashboard design. While Jane has never owned a truck, she did once pilot a 1984 Buick Estate Wagon that was the size of a boat. A large, wallowy, floaty boat.
“I really should have had a truck like this when I owned a Glassware Import/Export business and was hauling boxes from our warehouse in the station wagon all of the time. As the rear seats were really poorly designed they never really laid flat so loading the wagon was a taxing affair, to say the least.” A mom with a warehouse hauling around wood pallets piled high with heavy boxes who also burns rubber on the weekends in a Mustang convertible? Does this woman represent a market the automakers have never catered to properly? In later comments, we will find out what she is looking for in her next vehicle.
The Buick Display—“I think we can just keep walking through this one. I don’t need to see anything,” was her only comment on the vehicles on display at Buick. Oddly enough, Mrs. Hamel has owned a number of Buicks but the site of a Molasses Brown Buick Enclave brought up too many memories of her underpowered and under-reliable Buick station wagons.
“Also, who on earth still buys cars with column shifters and bench seats? Even Cadillac doesn’t look like it does that anymore!” was her comment on the bland Buick Lucerne as she walked through the rest of the General Motors collection. A good point, does anyone really want sedans with column shifters anymore outside of maybe Florida?
Mini Cooper Clubman S—Even though Mrs. Hamel came to the auto show to check out all her options for a replacement for her MDX, just the sight of the turbocharged hatchback made her realize there was only one car she was ready to purchase. As her new Boxer rescue Peyton sometimes has the tendency to break the air conditioning vents on her MDX, she was pleased to see the design of the air vents on the Mini was definitely puppy proof. She also loved the small third door and referred to it as the “doggy door.” We are pretty sure20this spoiled pup will just love hopping in the back of this sporty Mini with his “mommy” on their almost daily trips to the grocery store and the dog park.
Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster—The vehicle that captured Mrs. Hamel’s attention even more so than the Mini was the muscular and aggressive Lamborghini Murcielago. While she liked the Gallardo, she agreed with another patron that it’s bigger brother was truly “a work of art.”
“It would be nice—You know if I had an extra $400,000 lying around!” she commented to another woman the her left at the Lamborghini display.
“I can see you in it! It suits you!” was the other woman’s only reply. We couldn’t agree more.
Our view? The Orange County Auto Show, more so even than the more widely spread out and overly busy Los Angeles Auto Show, is perfect for people from all walks of life. As for Mrs. Hamel and her search for her next car? We think Lamborghini may just have made the perfect ride for this true blue automotive enthusiast.