Re: RS2

[aspeer@mail.utexas.edu (Andrew J. Speer)]

Thanks for the quip on the RS2.  We had an interesting discussion a few
months ago on a possible RS2 sighting in California that turned out to be a
poseur 90 with delusions of grandeur.  So an RS2 DID make it here despite
the federal governments best efforts, here's a cheer for good old American
ingenuity!

I feel compelled to contribute my own little sighting, which was, oddly
enough, also quasi related to my own lawyerly activities.  While I was
clerking at a law firm in Peru last fall (long story, they basically needed
someone versed in letter of credit transactions, who was fluent in Spanish,
and also willing to work for free) I bought an '84 4kq.  While I was driving
this vehicle to a beach South of Lima, doing a steady 80 mph, a glance at my
rearview mirror revealed spec of black moving at ludicrous speed, darting
through the traffic I'd just negotiated (itself crawling at an average 50
mph).  Before I knew what hit me he flew past.  To my utter fascination, it
was an S6.  A rare sight indeed in these southern latitudes.  What really
blew my mind, however, was to see the numbers "4.2" emblazoned on the trunk
lid.  A V8 S6 in Peru!  He must have been doing at least 130, I've never
been passed by a car with anything near that speed differential.  Needless
to say I made no attempt to catch up to him (even if my faithful 4kq could
possibly hope to make that kind of speed).  This was not exactly an
autobahn, in fact some 5 miles further down the road the highway turned into
a dirt strip (no signalling of any kind) for a few hundred meters, only to
again become paved.

That, however, was not the end of the story.  A couple of weeks later I was
walking by a swank restaurant in Miraflores (an upper class neighborhood in
Lima) when I saw the car in the parking lot!  Not wanting to believe my eyes
I stepped up to check it out.  The parking attendant looked at me very
suspiciously, so I had to explain to him we were in the presence of
automotive royalty and I had to pay my respects.  We struck up a
conversation.  It turns out the owner was a regular customer, and his money
came not from South American talcum powder, but from the family pasta
empire.  What is more, both him and his company turned out to be clients of
my firm!  Peru is a relatively small society, so this is far more likely
down there than here, but still this was almost too much coincidence.  I
considered calling him to ask how he got such a fabulous vehicle into Peru,
but decided it was far too nosey on my part.  Peru is a country where
wealthy businessmen are still quite wary of being kidnapped, and the spectre
of terrorism is still on everybody's mind.  A crazy law student calling to
ask about a car would raise a few eyebrows, not to mention those phone
numbers were confidential.  Still, I am curious.  If I'm down there again
soon I might give in to the temptation.


Andrew Speer