Do Vehicles have Souls?

While many agree that a vehicle can be “Possessed” or have a “Personality”, some enthusiasts also infer that a vehicle may have a “Soul”. As preposterous as it may sound to many, a vehicle can indeed possess “Soul”.

Webster’s defines soul as “the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part.” In this sense a vehicle can obviously not truly have a soul. Case closed for those that believe in spirituality only.

If you delve a little deeper, you also can see that a vehicle can indeed embody a soul by possessing the alternative meanings of soul using the following definitions:

“being the animating principle; the essential element or part of something spiritual”, or
"a deeply felt emotion, as conveyed or expressed by a performer or artist” (the vehicle being the artist).

Taking these definitions to heart, imparts a soul like quality to any medium that may impart a deeply felt emotions. Weather it be a Rembrandt, a Stradivarius or a BMW, if the medium imparts strong emotion, or is considered an animating principle to strong emotion, then it has soul.

The rabid defense of many of the German marquees by their owners, suggests that a vehicles can indeed possess a soul by empowerment and strong emotional effect. This common bond is through an evolution or “Heritage” that builds upon the knowledge of prior generations. This combined wealth of knowledge, both written and unwritten are reflected in the overall execution of the design. This is why a blindfolded person can sit and ride in a car and be able to tell you they are in a Porsche. The smell, the synergy, and sensations all add up to impart the Porsche’s character or “Soul” that is unmistakable. This is a rarity in mass production, and can not quantified by simple surveys or analysis. It is merely a series of intangibles that refuse to be categorized much to the dismay of others and can not be copied. This is the soul of a vehicle.

If your car doesn’t inspire you, then you are the one losing out.

Mark - 8/28/2006 1:06:45 PM

+2 Boost

Plano....back away from the brownies. :)

PlanoA4 - 8/28/2006 1:15:05 PM

+1 Boost

But they taste soooo goood... pretty brownies, oh so pretty.

vcowman - 8/28/2006 1:52:40 PM

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I think many cars have souls, just like the Ferraris, Shelby Cobras, Jag X130 or whatever were all soulful cars. On the other hand I cant say a 900hp civic hatchback has any soul, just a hand me down with a turbo is all.

Rupert - 8/28/2006 1:53:50 PM

+1 Boost

i think classic cars have souls.
my range rover does. its name is brick, and we love it. kinda like a pet, or an old dog. you'll love it no matter what.

Rupert - 8/28/2006 1:54:05 PM

+1 Boost

i think classic cars have souls.
my range rover does. its name is brick, and we love it. kinda like a pet, or an old dog. you'll love it no matter what.

mstangpny07 - 8/28/2006 3:22:16 PM

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^ Okay Rupert..... That's uh..an "interesting" name....
How did it get it?

Rupert - 8/28/2006 3:46:13 PM

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duh.
it has the aerodynamics of one

mstangpny07 - 8/28/2006 3:57:57 PM

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oh I see.

PlanoA4 - 8/28/2006 4:47:19 PM

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Will- Well we German car guys always refer that German cars have soul. And you Lexus guys just say Huh? So this is an attempt to show you what we mean. Typically any German car owner can at least relate to a degree. These cars give a extra sense that others do not.

And yes I have stopped eating those funky mushrooms in my backyard, but I still drink that potion my neighbor makes.

Designer1 - 8/28/2006 5:16:05 PM

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oh God noo. Now the German fans will start saying that Lexus has no prestige NOR soul. lool way to go PlanoA4.

opus - 8/28/2006 10:00:30 PM

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We had this discussion on one of the Lexus postings last week. I was smacked around for saying that I felt a car had to have some "soul", and that Lexus was sorely lacking in this area. Needless to say, none of the Lexus folks are posting here.

audirevolution - 8/28/2006 10:49:59 PM

+1 Boost

I noticed that most of the people driving Lexus ( IN MY AREA ) are asian. I rarely see an asian in a Benz, Audi, or BMW.

Are you Lexus fans wanting a German car free world? You people should drive a German car. You'll know the difference. And dont respond with that "unreliable" BS. German cars have souls, unlike the Lexus that makes you fall asleep.

and if your wondering where i live i live in Southern California.

woood - 8/28/2006 10:53:43 PM

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Rupert, I thought you named your Rangie "brick" because it seldom moves. Just kidding. My Landcruisers have names too. It easier if I am referring to a particular vehicle and I don't memorize the license plates. "I just say we'll be using taquitoe today"

TheGenius - 8/28/2006 11:29:45 PM

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PlanoA4, please don't post articles like this in the future because you're automatically discriminating against a segment of buyers: Lexus owners who don't have a clue what you're talking about. Please be fair and post things most people would get. We want to encourage everyone to participate in these discussions not just a cross-section of the public. Thanks..

1970toyotamarc - 8/29/2006 12:48:01 AM

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automobiles are machines. machines have no soul.

That doesnt mean i dont love cars. What i dont love are self absorbed, holier than thou German car fans who believe their cars have souls because of what?

Heritage? How long has Chevy been around? Does that give it heritage?
Prestige? A secretary driving around LA in her or his leased 3 series doesnt make me feel a high level of prestige.
Handling? How well does that X5 really handle? The E-class? C'mon, some German cars handle well, and so do some Japanese cars.
Design? Purely subjective. An IS makes me turn my head still, while a boring C-Class or flame surfaced Z4 just makes me turn away.

If a car stirs your soul, fine. It doesnt mean it has one itself.

Rupert - 8/29/2006 7:09:02 AM

+1 Boost

wooow,
amazingly my rangie has never failed to get us to the destination.
the suspension did collapse a few times though. so we got rid of it, replaced it with steel springs.

audi revolution,
every single asian (including the middle east and india) person i know has a mercedes.
except for one, he has 2 bmws.

BMW530i - 8/29/2006 8:03:15 AM

+4 Boost

Cars don't have soul, they have personality and character. Some are exciting, some aren't. To me, the way a car drives, handles, the power etc. all contribute to a cars personality.

That doesn't mean a fast car is fun. I've driven slow cars which were a lot of fun and who I thought had character.

PlanoA4 - 8/29/2006 11:22:11 AM

+2 Boost

No magic mushrooms were eaten to create this post.

But as I thought, those who agree drive a European make, and those who don't see the light, drive a Japanese make. Basically proved the point, unless you have owned a European make you will never understand. Somewhere in the Xeroxing process the Japanese do so well the intangibles were stripped, and the personalities of those vehicles were permanently maimed. The DNA is missing.

BTW for those of you that don't see the light I have another revelation for you.... The world is not flat. Hard to believe but it is true.

Rupert - 8/29/2006 5:40:44 PM

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bmw530i,
a citroen 2cv is a perfect example of that.
that has more character than the horse it replaced.

lankaat - 8/30/2006 12:42:12 AM

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I guess a car gains a soul as it ages.

synx - 8/30/2006 5:01:47 AM

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i think that some cars do have souls. the lambo gallardo etc..., bmw m3, most ferrari, merc cls, s-class, astons, rolls phantom. agree with thegenius, lexus "fans" or owners may be astounded and shocked by such an idea. one theory is that, for a car to possess a soul it must be an exact representation of the company that made it, but be special in a way and sick out from the norm. also, and you may disgree with this, it has to have a fault. that sums up why lexus makes great cars but they don't have character, a personality or have souls-lexus follows the book too precisly. all the cars i mentioned have faults-ie not perfect (although many come close in many aspects)>

Rupert - 8/30/2006 7:54:36 AM

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s class and rolls don't have souls, they are machines.
limos never have souls.

Steve - 8/31/2006 6:57:10 PM

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Never before has so much been written about so little.