The Road to Romance in a 'Cool' Car
20 April 2000
The Road to Romance in a 'Cool' CarCelebrities and Survey Respondents Say Stylish Cars Fuel Romance on the Road;
National Search for Real-Life Romances Sparked By 'Cool' Cars
CYPRESS, Calif., April 20 The road to romance may start
the moment you jump behind the wheel of an attractive car. A wink of an eye,
a toot of the horn or a "cool" lowering of the shades can accelerate a highway
attraction sparked by a "cool," stylish vehicle. To help fuel the spirit of
romance on America's roadways and celebrate the arrival of its 2001 Eclipse
Spyder convertible, Mitsubishi Motors announces "The Search for Road
Romantics," a nationwide call for real-life stories of the most memorable
flirtations and romances that "started up" with a glance at an attractive car.
Entrants are invited to visit Mitsubishi's Web site at http://www.roadromantic.com to
document their personal experiences with romance on the road. One winner will
receive a grand prize of a new Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder convertible.
"Whether people want to admit or not, many judge others by the cars they
drive," says Ellen Gleberman, a Senior Vice President at Mitsubishi Motor
Sales of America, Inc. (MMSA). "As evidenced by our new national survey, the
majority of Americans admit that many romances are sparked by being attracted
to a stylish and sexy car first, then checking out who's behind the wheel."
According to Mitsubishi's survey, many people recall a funny or memorable
incident where they believe they were flirted with, asked for their phone
number or asked for a date by another driver who was initially attracted to
the car they were driving (or "to the car being driven"). One in ten adults
say they had actually gone on to date someone they met while driving,
suggesting that the way to a person's heart may be through the sex appeal of
their "wheels."
Famous Flirts
Celebrities, including Jennifer Tilly, Coolio, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen and
Edie Falco have experienced romance on the road. Actress Jennifer Tilly
recalls an incident where she was driving alongside a man in a classic pink
convertible who followed her to her next stop and asked her out on a date.
Jennifer remembers another episode where a driver boldly asked for her phone
number, after which they went on to date for two months.
Rap artist and actor Coolio says he has dated many people from whom he got
phone numbers while driving. He says that if a car were a potential
"significant other," he would be most attracted to a convertible. Edie Falco,
who plays Carmela on HBO's "The Sopranos," admits to having been attracted to
someone based on the kind of car the other person was driving, as well as
losing interest in someone, or not dating someone because of the kind of car
they drove. Actress Tiffani Amber-Thiessen recalls the following car-related
romantic encounter. After returning to her parked car, she found a man had
left his phone number and a rose in the driver's seat of her sports
convertible.
According to the Mitsubishi survey, among those who were able to recall
the funniest or most unusual experience about meeting someone while driving,
women are more likely than men to remember having been flirted with, asked for
their phone number or asked on a date by another driver. Approximately two
out of ten women recall such an experience, compared with slightly more than
one out of ten men.
Complete survey results and celebrity accounts, as well as a guide to
"road romance" and interesting real-life road romance stories can be found at
http://www.roadromantic.com. Entrants in the Mitsubishi "Road Romantics" search
should visit http://www.roadromantic.com and e-mail a brief description (not
exceeding 500 words) of their personal romantic encounter on the road or mail
their story to "Search For Road Romantics," P.O. Box 2232, 101 W. 23rd Street,
New York, NY 10011. One grand prize winner will receive a new 2001 Mitsubishi
Eclipse Spyder GT. Four runner-ups will receive a gift certificate for a
romantic dinner for two. The deadline for entries is May 12.
The 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder is the convertible version of the all-
new Eclipse coupe, highlighted by a muscular chassis and "geo-mechanical"
style. It takes 15 seconds to complete a metamorphosis into a gorgeous drop-
top.
Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, Inc. was established in 1982 by
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Tokyo, and markets a full line of vehicles,
including coupes, convertibles, sedans and sport utility vehicles. Their Web
site address is http://www.mitsubishicars.com.
