Explain the appeal

Who are those loud-car people? I hear them zooming about late at night, engines reverberating through the sleeping suburbs. The decibel level is so high that they could be miles away for all I know. But where are they going? Or are they going anywhere at all? Are they racing around in an empty corporate parking lot? Are they zooming down near deserted main drags? And why do they have to be so very, very loud?

Of course, loud-car people are actually seen in the daylight as well. Not sure if they are the same people or if there are diurnal and nocturnal varieties. The ones I spy in daylight are nearly always male, seemingly split between young people in somewhat dilapidated cars and middle-aged men in rather sporty vehicles. Almost all the loud cars I see are very dark - usually black with darkly tinted windows. It seems evident the loudness is desired, as the newer cars at least would probably be serviced regularly.

Also, the loud cars do not need to travel fast to be loud, so apparently there is not a necessary link between high speeds and loudness. These people want loud cars. But why? Who are they? What drives them as they drive noisily about?

I am really curious. I hope someone can explain.

Gerry McGovern

Naperville