A 1974 Dodge Dart Custom Sedan was the ultimate collector’s item for Observer writer Charley Soderbergh. Courtesy Charley Soderbergh

After a rather harrowing winter, which included a case of vertigo and a city-wide water crisis here in Richmond, V.A., I decided it was time to cast my troubles aside and make my automotive dream come true with a 1974 Dodge Dart Custom sedan, nearly as old as I am.

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The first time I turned the ignition, it screeched like a seagull, harsh and unrefined to the outside world. But to me, it sang. That sound transported me back to my childhood—to the front bench seat of my family’s blue 1969 Dart, sandwiched between my parents. I could smell the lingering tobacco from the ever-present ashtray, hear the reactive static of AM radio, and feel the reassuring slap of an adult-sized arm across my chest at sudden stops. It wasn’t just a car; it was a time capsule of a life that no longer existed.

Some people travel for adventure, but I prefer to putter along below the speed limit in cars I’ve collected over the years. Not for profit, mind you, but for........

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