The MX-5 Miatas of the Month from

May 2004

Victor Nelson and Camelia

nelsonvd@hotmail.com

Congratulations to Victor on the selection of Camelia as the May Miata of the Month!

Ever since I was a young boy, around 7 years old, I have dreamed of having a car that could change colors. I even worked out a plan to build such a car.

I would start with a car, preferably my Dad's 51 Desoto, and cover it with a glass shell. I would attach the shell to the car in such a way as to leave a thin airspace between the metal and the glass. I would then pour a colored liquid into the gap. If I got tired of having a blue car, I would open up a stopcock at the bottom of the car and drain the blue liquid out of the airspace. I could then pour in a different color liquid and, Voila, change the color of the car.

To my young inventive mind I could not see why this would not work. Alas, at the tender age of 7, I learned the first rule of inventing things. RULE #1: Don't ever share your ideas with any other human being. I was scoffed at and ridiculed and called all kinds of funny names that I did not understand. And that was just at the family dinner table. I wouldn't dare bring my ideas to school. A kid in second grade could get beat up for having thoughts about color changing cars. However, I continued sharing my ideas with the family dog.

By the age of 9 I had devised a system of pumps and containers so that I could use a dial on the dashboard to select a color and have the old color liquid pumped out and recycled, then the new color pumped in.

During my brief career as a child inventor I also invented the color television set. It was based on the concept of pumping colored liquid through a double-layered glass screen. Unfortunately, RCA beat me to the punch and started selling electronic color televisions.

I even invented an invisibility suit. Again, based on the colored liquid principle. Whatever light hit the suit would be transferred photo-liquidly to the opposite side of the suit. Thus, rendering the wearer totally invisible (except for his shadow).

Well, long story short, my inventions were put on hold when I discovered girls. Even the memory of my great inventions lay dormant for 40 years. They were stirred again on one fateful September day in 2003.

I had taken my Mazda 626 to the local dealer for some minor service work. As I departed the service area I drove past the showroom. A strange green-blue flash caught the corner of my eye. I immediately stopped and looked in the direction of the flash. There, parked in the front of the showroom was the most beautiful car I had ever seen.

It was a 2002 Miata show car painted with Dupont Chromalusion Perfect Jade paint. Due to a thin layer of microscopic prisms the car changes seven different colors depending on the angle of sight and the amount of ambient light. This is not exactly compatible with my original specifications but… the car does change colors. I'll take it!

I just hope I don't have to wait another 40 years for my invisibility suit.

Victor Nelson
Fairfax, Virginia
nelsonvd@hotmail.com

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