Nate Martinez

Tractors. My fixation with loud, mechanical, metal objects began with tractors. John Deere and Caterpillar work machines tickled my young fancy. My parents played a huge role in fostering this love. They used to take me to a tractor show every year for my birthday. I would drool and crawl all over the tractors -- sometimes simultaneously -- until my parents grew tired of walking around the same displays time and again. At the end of each visit, they'd buy me a scale model; I still have each green, blue, and orange machine packed away.

When I was young, my uncles and cousins were heavy equipment operators. I'd go with my mother to construction sites just to watch the monsters they controlled. We'd eat our lunches to the sights and sounds of crunching rocks and ear-piercing backup beeps. A few years later, she'd take me to CART's Long Beach Grand Prix every spring.

My father and uncles had a knack for elementary mechanical engineering that was bred years prior because of necessity and meager financial means. My father taught me the basics of car care and maintenance in every driveway and garage we had. (He was as a park ranger for San Diego County, so we transferred a bit). He made sure that I learned how to change oil, swap a tire, and wash a car properly between dirt-filled play dates with my Hot Wheels or Tyco R/C cars.

He'd let me "drive" his 1983 Mercedes-Benz 300TD while sitting on his lap. I instantly fell in love with every aspect of driving. The act of commandeering a piece of complex engineering, going where I wanted, and fast, opened my eyes to a new area of my passion. He'd tell me stories of the many cars he owned, worked on, and drove throughout the years; the ones my uncles used to have in their garages; and of my grandparents' time when horses and carriages were all the rage. His 300TD will always be special to me.

With my maturation came an appreciation and interest in automotive history, design, engineering, and craftsmanship. I'd beg my father to take me to car shows, concorsos, and exotic car dealerships to experience fantastical cars in reality. I'd spend hours on the Internet researching vehicles. I'd fill floppy disks, Zip Disks, and CD-Rs with downloaded images of cars, then print them out and Scotch Tape them to my bedroom walls. I subscribed to five car magazines. A few family vacations revolved around the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Indianapolis Speedway. (My idea).

My penchant for putting words on paper/screen came in high school and college. I loved writing; my friends didn't. Following graduation from the University of San Diego, I knew I wanted to be in the automotive industry someway, somehow. I began in the aftermarket, and eventually, landed here at Motor Trend. I get to drive those fantasy rides that used to hang on my walls. And I get to write until my fingertips tingle to boot. Since 2008, I haven't stopped pinching myself.