Who wants a starring role in today's biggest, smashiest hit, the INTERNET? You do! And how can you do it? By helping Jalopnik start a good car-based meme! Why not? You've got an internet-set, right? May as well use it!
Here's what I'm thinking: remember Speed Buggy? it was one of those innumerable 70s-era Scooby Doo knockoffs that had some teens and a sort-of-sentient-non-human something (whale, dog, robot, ghost, cat, etc.) that would travel around, getting into jams or scrapes and occasionally foiling some sort of low-level real estate scam that involved the wearing of masks. Well, I remember it, mostly because as a kid I really liked the anthropomorphic (with correct eyes) Myers Manxish buggy.
I was looking for some images from the show online, when I realized that, in scenes where the mechanic character is interacting with the car, the car's expressions are sort of, um, lurid. There's just something weirdly intimate about a lot of these stills. That seemed creepy enough to merit a caption, so we have obscure pop culture image + caption * creepy = meme! Let's call it the Dirty Speed Buggy meme.
As an aside, look how well, considering, the underpaid animator drew this Type I air-cooled VW motor. It's a bit small, and missing the generator, but you can absolutely tell that's the engine they're trying for. Also weird to think about is that the engine's from the equivalent of their friend or pet. This scene would be like you and your pals happily inspecting some other friend's brain or heart on the table.
Here's a few I made. Let's see what you can come up with. C'mon, it'll be fun!
This is the first one. Just look at the car's face. And the way that mechanic has his arm all the way in there? Something's up. It makes me feel funny.
And the second one— it really looks like the car and that mechanic have been, you know, caught. It's not just me, is it? Because now I'm getting worried.
Once you start thinking that way, they all sort of seem dirty. Oh God. What have I done?