[Bob Bidonde]

Driving a Model "A" stimulates all of the human senses, so I suggest you copy this post and show it to your doctors who think you need more exercise.

Visually we are keen to see who is tailgating behind us, who is alongside us and will potentially cut in front of us. We are keen to sense the car in front that will make a last minute decision to cut into the hamburger joint. Scary are the nighttime reflections on the windshield that look like an eminent head-on collision is about to happen. Annoying is the persistent fog formation on the windshield that blocks our vision and causes one-hand to come off of the steering wheel to frantically wipe the fog away when it rains. Even more exciting is when you are wiping fog off and you need to downshift for a corner.

Noises are plentiful, but we are keen to hear a bearing knock, valve clatter, an exhaust leak and a strange vibration noise. Perhaps the scariest noises are made by the jerk who pulls alongside and blasts his horn to say he admires your car, and the motorcycle that roars past with no muffler.

Smells get our attentions, especially the smell of hot crankcase fumes from the oil breather, the smell of gasoline leaking from carburetor, the smell of antifreeze boiling over and the smell of exhaust fumes from the leaking manifold connection.

Touch & Feel also get stimulated as we are keen to detect motor vibrations, clutch chatter, the sticky steering wheel on a damp & rainy day. Urinary Tract stimulation is unavoidable. If you have a hard time emptying your bladder, just take a ride in a Model "A". Thanks to the vibrations, none of your limbs go to sleep when driving a Model "A", and they keep your heart pumping. It is exciting when a bump in the road makes you airborne. Not to be overlooked, the contortion you get into getting into and out of the driver's seat stimulates muscle cramps. It rarely occurs, but hand-cranking the "A" to start it is good for a muscle pull, and if the engine kicks-back, a hurt thumb is a possibility.

Taste is last because it is uncommon in the Model "A" experiences. However, I met a few old timers who tasted the dip stick to check if the oil was good. There are folks who taste strange liquids dripping from the "A" to find-out what they are.

So the next time you see your cardiologist or general practitioner, tell them how stimulating it is to the whole body to take a drive in a Model "A" Ford!