India, Feb. 20 -- Last Sunday, I stopped at the parking lot near my home, because my friend was at it again.

Half his body had vanished into the open bonnet of a 25-year-old Toyota Qualis. It looked like he and the engine were mid-conversation. We tease him about this weekend ritual. But watching him last Sunday, it struck me that he was enjoying himself in a way that felt unfamiliar, and somewhat enviable.

Like so many of us, this friend had moved into a world of code, cloud servers and invisible software architecture as a young man. All week, he still lives within abstractions. And so, on Sundays, he chooses metal.

It isn't a vain or fruitless pursuit (although those can be precious too). Take a drive in this car, and it doesn't ratt...