Dashbored.

When you're a big car fan, you need a dashboard you like. Spending hours touring around facing a dashboard you don't like isn't fun. It has to be attractive and functional, with the controls laid out where you can easily see and reach them. Some might even say that the design of the dashboard is as important as the design of the exterior, because you spend more time looking at the inside of your car than the outside.

This concept is very ingrained in me. It goes back, way back. Before my first car. Before my first driving lesson. Actually, I think that my passion for cars probably started with a dashboard.

Meet the 'PlayMates Fun-To-Drive' dashboard! I spent hours and hours and countless D-cell batteries as a kid racing with this Corvette-inspired toy. Sometimes I would go for a leisurely Sunday drive through the countryside, while other times I would race through the city on a mission. Sometimes I would put it in first gear and drive gently, while other times I would throw it directly into second and burn rubber as I dodged the other cars on the road. I always made sure to obey all rules of the road, of course, and especially prided myself on my impeccable mastering of the left and right turn signals.

The best part was driving at night. With the pop-up headlights raised, you could light up a whole room, which allowed you to drive into the wee hours of the morning. I was never bored with this dashboard, that was for sure!

While mine is long gone (I suspect one of my sisters smashed it in retaliation for a Barbie beheading), I found this video on the internet so that you can all discover the excitement that is the Fun-To-Drive dashboard!!!

A YouTube video of the dashboard in action!

So there it is, the source of my obsession with cars. If I can get my hands on one someday I'd love to take it out for a spin and recall my first driving experience! Let me know if your first time at the wheel was also with one of these wonderful toys!