The object of my desire: The Chrysler Thunderbolt
When I decided I would write a preview of
Sensuous Steel — the Frist Center exhibit of Art Deco automobiles that opens this weekend— for Thursday’s Scene, I felt extremely out of my element. What do I, someone who drove a 1989 Chevrolet Cavalier for about three years and then took the subway for the next 11, know about cars? But after visiting The Frist a few times last week to watch as the cars were unloaded, I realized the people I’d heard referring to them as “rolling sculptures” weren’t being as hyperbolic as I’d thought they were — these cars are phenomenal.
My particular favorite — everyone who visits the exhibit will pick a favorite, believe me — is without a doubt the 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt. Read on for a description of the Thunderbolt, a detail shot of the thunderbolt on the car's side door that punctuates it like a mark of Zorro, and a video of one of the other four models of Thunderbolt that was shot at a recent car expo.
