When all the other 9 year-olds were memorizing batting averages and ERAs, I was cadging brochures at dealerships, memorizing gear ratios and option codes. My Christmas gift of choice in 1965? A hardcover Motor repair manual. The last time that I sat down and counted how many cars I've owned, it was more than 50, including a '71 Jag XJ-6 that I sold because it didn't break down ( I was getting anxiety attacks waiting for it to strand me on the side of the road, and couldn't afford a therapist) and a '69 Boss 302 that I bought for $1,500, drove for a year and sold for $1,650 - and thought that I had done a good thing. All four of my sons learned to drive with a manual transmission, and I still have one as a daily driver. In my day job, I'm a self-employed consultant.