Dream cars of C-U

I sincerely agree with my colleagues when we discuss the "uniqueness" (aka "freak factor") of Champaign-Urbana. Although I do have to make a bifurcation here: California is the home of the freak show, and Venice Beach is the capital; I should know, because I lived in SoCal prior to moving here. However, there is quite a myriad of what my friends and I call "teammates" in C-U (see me for more details on this social game in person). And they're not just townies. I've seen some grandmothers, professors, blue-collar workers, students, and a large portion of Rantoul express their freakness.

One way that the "team game" is played is to call out "team cars." There are some examples listed below that elaborate on the above pictures.

#1. Okay, the qualifying elements for labeling this a "team car" are as follows: note the signage that says 'Gangsta Granny.' While I'm not one to lean towards racial profiling, the following must be deduced—when was the last time you saw somebody who was 'gangsta' driving a PT Cruiser? And when was the last time you saw a 'gangsta' who put a decal on their back window stating their professed underground occupation in life? I also must let the reader know that this picture was taken in spring at Prairie Gardens, the home of gangsta landscapers. Oh, and it must be noted that I live in an all-black neighborhood, and I know none of my neighbors would be caught dead in a PT Cruiser. In fact, one of my gay friends says he wouldn't dare drive "one of those 'fairy-mobiles.'" My apologies to anyone who does drive one, or has parents who do.

#2. The next car has a license plate that says, "Jhihad," either a misspelling of "Jihad" or was the second person in Illinois to try to get the original spelling, but lost out to some other morally responsible individual. Fact: the Illinois Dept. of Transportation has an extensive list of license plate letter/number combinations that are not allowed to be used on vanity plates. I'm surprised that either "Jihad" or "Jhihad" is not on the list. Again, it must be noted that the person that got out of this car was a white student at Parkland College. What?

#3. Manrod Electric is a real company out of Rockford, Illinois. This particular company vehicle was parked outside of the Champaign Chevy's restaurant. Depending on who you ask, "Manrod" can either be a name of historical esteem in Ohio, or, as according to the Urban Dictionary, a term for, well, you can just click on the link.

Want to join me in finding the team cars of C-U, or even around the nation? Send me your photos. I'll give credit where it was due.

All photos above are property of Moot Caroo.