I was born fairly close to the Mexican border. To put it in perspective, I moved north to get to Houston and up until recently Austin was the furthest north I'd ever lived. Now I live in Chicago. Chicago is great, but Chicago is freaking cold. Unnecessarily cold. I was out shooting photos last night and most didn't come out because my hand was shaking too much. Today, it warmed up to the 20s. I need summer. I need summer now. I need all of you to tell me what your ultimate summer car is. I need stories of warmth and beaches and barbecues. Stat.

What car makes you dream of summer? For me it has to be my father's old Subaru Brat, which served its purpose as a beach car/truck until it was determined that it wasn't the ideal car for a growing family. Somehow, the ideal car for a growing family was an Isuzu Impulse. Go figure.

Send an email to Matt Hardigree, the author of this post, at matt@jalopnik.com.