Back when I was a wee lad, back when Coors was considered artisanal and Ma Bell was the only phone company, a Z was a Z. And it was a Datsun.

Back then, before the heydeys of fancy-pants personalized license plates, Bozos made due with the tools at hand. And the Z crowd used the license plate frame to claim their membership in the Z club. Frames proclaimed “Z Doctor” and “Z Expert” and “Z Repair” as if only those so anointed could properly work on a Z, and with a hint that Zs seemed to need lots of work.

Then came the 80s. Datsun became Nissan, the 2002 and the Beetle died along with the Z. And then the Z came back. No resemblance to the car of lore of yore.

But, Tuck is clinging to the past, my friends. Tuck bought the Mustang II of the Nissan world and wants us all to know. Here, it’s not about the price, my friends, it’s that no one would think this thing is a Z. Good luck, Tuck.

Maybe one day, you'll get a real Z

Ah, yes, longtime readers of this blog will notice at once that we don’t know precisely “what” is for EMMES, but I feel that the implication is clear. It’s just that Emmes, owner of this Benz for several years, judging by the color of the plate, has style. Or, as Thurston Howell III might say, shtyle, lovie.

So, while this may be a slight departure from the rigid tenets of this project, I’m letting it ride.

So subtle - like a puzzle