On the road, everyone yields to The Boot.
That what Cars.com's crew concluded after driving L.L.Bean's giant boot around greater Chicago. Joe Wiesenfelder waxes enthusiastic about the "diesel-powered galosh," which he says is quite well done:
The proportions are close to perfect, and while I expected it to look like a single giant molded plastic piece, details like the real rope laces give it an overgrown realism. (Bean says they're tugboat ropes with a test strength of more than 100,000 pounds.)
I've driven countless head-turning vehicles, but I've never gotten the attention the Bootmobile commanded. People freakin' love it. Smiles were everywhere. Pedestrians shouted their approval, and a few admonished us to tie our laces. (Mothers … .) I pulled alongside a gaggle of tourists, and a white Ferrari 458 Italia nearby might as well have vanished.
He says he, well, actually, the boot, was photographed everywhere he went -- even those snap-happy drivers in the opposing lanes.
Chris Woodyard is an auto writer for USA TODAY who covers all aspects of motoring. He revels in the exhaust note of a Maserati and the sharp creases of a Cadillac CTS. Chris strives to live a Porsche life on a Scion budget. More about Chris