A long time ago on a website far, far away, David Tracy introduced us all to the concept of the ‘Holy Grail’ car. The Holy Grail car is the best, weirdest, or rarest version of a common car. In the olden days, the Holy Grail was a common Jeep Grand Cherokee, but with a rare manual transmission. Then, David started finding these Jeeps over and over again. It became an inside joke and then an entire series over on this site. Outside of our little bubble, the grail is supposed to be the cup that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper. Yet, we keep on finding grails of our own.
This fact has ruffled some feathers over the years. There’s usually at least one comment on a Holy Grail history entry about how we’ve ruined the meaning of the term. Perhaps we have, but when you see us write about a ‘Holy Grail,’ it’s really just our way of saying that this vehicle is something special.
To David Tracy, the Holy Grail of BMW i3s is his Galvanic Gold 2021 BMW i3S Rex with Giga World interior and every option but the moonroof. Of the 1,476 i3s sold in 2021, perhaps only 200 of them were painted in gold. Of those, perhaps 50 had David’s chosen interior, perhaps 30 of those with the Rex, perhaps 10 of those as the Sport model, and maybe a handful with the Harman Kardon sound system.
DrDanteIII is onto David:
At this point David Tracy has bought more holy grails than the catholic church.
EmotionalSupportBMW has an idea that has me feeling all tingly:
Now that you have two i3s. It’s time to ruin one. Create the Overland i3. Roof top tent, little A/T tires, bit of lift, whole nine yards.
Dr Buford knows old David is still around:
DT: I swear to god I’m no longer a car hoarder!
Also DT: and this is my *other* i3…Nice work! Nothing like getting a car you really want and already love.
As does StillNotATony:
Five years from now-
DT: “So, the city code enforcement has declared the 15 BMW i3s in my backyard in various states of repair constitute an unlicensed junkyard. Now I gotta figure out which ones to keep , and which ones to sell.”
Speaking of David, he wrote a take that off-roading in a convertible is one of the greatest automotive experiences you can have. Honestly, anything involving a convertible is pretty much an adventure, so I agree. MikeInTheWoods has a funny story involving ‘vertibles:
For my wedding, we rented a convertible instead of a limo. I was driving to the church in my tux on a sunny, summer day in Vermont. It was so nice that when I drove past the church, I thought: “wow, someone else is getting married today too.” Then it dawned on me that it was the church I needed to be at and turned around.
Have a great evening, everyone!
perhaps you can also argue that Christ drank from many cups in his life so in fact David’s many grails can be much like the many cups Christ drank from. Down the like some Oldsmobile in Detroit is much like a discarded ancient big gulp cup.
This is just a plot so David can assemble his Holy Grails and then claim some religious exemption from taxes and planning restrictions
I do think the paint/sound package is a bit of a stretch, like to me it seems it should be mainly engine/transmission/body combos that increase desirability.
Like an HHR SS Panel 5-speed is probably fairly Grail-ish, or to reference DT’s articles directly, a diesel 5-speed Dodge Caravan in Germany is decent Grail territory, as a diesel manual definitely increases the desirability of a Dodge Caravan.
But also, the Autopian is in on the joke, so it’s a bit tongue in cheek too, and I can appreciate that.
I think we must all agree that paint and trim colors do not impart Holy Grail qualities. Otherwise we fall into the Classic American Car owner trap of the only Midnight Blue so-and-so built on a Tuesday when the relative humidity was below 40% and so on.
For the purposes of my Holy Grails series, I agree that paint and trim colors alone do not count. I am willing to make exceptions for a vehicle that’s already grail-worthy that happens to come in a rare color.
For example: the 2006 Volkswagen Phaeton W12. Already a rare, historically significant car. But just a handful were painted in what VW called Waterworld, an incredible pearl finish. Of course, the Phaeton is already technically a Grails entry, but I think you get what I’m saying.
That said, if David wants to call his i3 a Grail, I won’t stop him. He does sign my checks, after all. 🙂
Good, exceptions make the rules.
My Corvette is Best Corvette…
David offered me a chance to drive his OG “Holy Grail” back in 2019. I had loaned him my old beater Chevy, and when he finally made it back to Denver to return it he graciously offered to let me take a spin in the Grail.
I declined for two reasons: first, I could tell that David and his friend Brandon were completely wiped out and just needed to get to a motel and crash, stat. The second reason? It was a holy grail to David, but just a beat to hell old Jeep to me.
My blind friend calls his bible the Holy Braille.
Arthur: “What manner of man are you who can summon up fire without flint or tinder?”
Tim: “I…am an enchanter.”
Arthur: “By what name are you known?”
Tim: “There are some who call me…Tim”
Arthur: “Greetings, Tim, the enchanter.”
Tim: “Greetings, King Arthur !”
Arthur: “You know my name?”
Tim: “I do. You seek the Holy Grail !”
Arthur: “That is our quest, you know much that is hidden, O Tim.”
Tim “Quite.”
Arthur: “Yes, we’re…we’re looking for the Holy Grail, our quest is to find the Holy Grail.”
Arthur’s knights: “Yes. It is.”
Arthur: “…and so, we are looking for it.”
Arthur’s knights: “Yes, yes, we’ve been looking for some time… yes, ages.”
Arthur: “…uh… and so anything you could do to help… would be… very… helpful.”
Search this website for “Holy Grail” and you get 92 pages of hits. Search for “bad decision” and you get 79 pages. Maybe it’s time to stop flogging those dead ponies.
Comment of the Day should henceforth be known as the Daily Grail.
Too many articles open with one or more context paragraphs. Grail was tired years ago. Yeah we know about your fleet and interests. Jump right in, explain at the end, or not at all. Thanks for listening.
Maybe if I join your airline/carwash class system it’ll be better?
A few years ago I used to jump right into the subject at hand without any context. Commenters complained about not having context. My editor at the time, a former editor from the New York Times-turned car enthusiast, taught me that it’s wise to assume your audience doesn’t know everything you do, so providing context is important.
Likewise, you have your regular readers and those who are visiting your site either for the first time or irregularly. Your regular readers know all about you, but those outside visitors do not. So you face having to balance writing for the readers you already have and for those just stopping by. Context can be helpful for that latter group, people who may not already know what you’re talking about.
Perhaps I am bad at that balance, in which case I apologize.
Wow, today it’s the Full Monty of Python jokes in here. Everyone really did feche la vache.
You chose… poorly.
A lot of the “Grails” you feature aren’t even grails. I suggested you feature a VW Rallye Golf. 5,000 made (allegedly, rumoured to have not made the full Group D quota) at VW Motorsports in Belgium, or if that isn’t rare enough, a Golf Limited (72 made for VW execs.). Crickets. Dodge trucks with special paint jobs/sticker packs (yawn) instead.
I apologize for that. Our emails are inundated with piles of spam every single day. I try to sift through them by using terms like “grail” or “holy grail,” or by limiting the parameters to mail directed to just me rather than the Tips line. This site’s comment search feature also sucks. It’s sort of like Google where the results are whatever WordPress thinks is close enough.
Sadly, it’s clear that some great suggestions, like yours, have slipped through the cracks! Again, that’s on me and I’ll try to be better with that.
So, you’re looking to filter out “Holy Grail”… In the back of my head I’m hearing “None shall pass”.
I really feel sorry for the people reading all of these comments that aren’t familiar with the Monty Python movie (uh, David?). Without that context, there’s a lot of really strange verbiage here!
You REALLY need to stop this Holy Grail crap!!! I just bought a new Ford Maverick in Atlas Blue. I found it had a particular piece of dirt on the right rear wheel. I have an Holy Grail!!! Stop it…
Unlike the writers of most other sites, we do appreciate input from our readers. David, Jason, and Matt can all attest that I’ve brought up possibly changing the Holy Grail naming several times. The majority opinion remains that it is a fitting “brand” and in-joke for the Autopian and we will continue to use it.
If it helps, don’t take the meaning literally. As I noted, it’s just our way of talking about a vehicle we think is special.
+1
While I haven’t been to That Old Site for quite some time, I still feel we all owe our existence to that place. The Holy Grail (TM) is our little reminder of where we came from.
This COTD is the holy grail comment of the millenium.
It dawned on me that David’s idea of holy grails comes from Monty Python, and that explains a lot.
…y’all got extra space over there? Because my buddy sent me this sweet Cayenne, and if I can leave it in your yard…
David, you’re strangely dressed, for a knight. May you always
Choose Wisely
Five years from now-
DT: “So, the city code enforcement has declared the 15 BMW i3s in my backyard in various states of repair constitute an unlicensed junkyard. Now I gotta figure out which ones to keep , and which ones to sell.”
“The Holy Grail” is a great name for a junkyard.
If he were stilling living in the Rust Belt, “The Holey Grail” would be a good name.
StillNotATony:
Five years from now-
DT: “So, the city code enforcement has declared the 15 BMW i3s in my backyard in various states of repair constitute an unlicensed junkyard. Now I gotta figure out which ones to keep , and which ones to sell.”
This was so damn hilarious!!!
Municipal inspectors keep visiting to find that Holy Grail infraction in the hoarding yard that finally puts a stop to it.
I think the term Holy Grail is perfectly apt for this feature because it’s the search for the Grail that has rendered the term ubiquitous. Throughout history there have been many false or unsubstantiated Grails, but that doesn’t stop believers or historians or thieves from continuing the search. David has simply joined the quest setting aside one cup for another as his search for the true Grail continues. In this context, you can’t water down the meaning of the Holy Grail because there can be as many Grails as searchers until somebody finds the One. Meanwhile, our cups runneth over.
Holy Grails, or How Autopian Turned Wine into Water
Occasionally, water into wine.
I usually turn wine into water at least on fridays and saturdays.
They used to turn water and iron into brown dust
Yahweh says, “let there be shrimp in this wheelbarrow.”
To think, we’ll forget all of this when David moves on to his next series of Holy Grails…
<checks notes>
… the Plymouth Breeze.
EDIT: Wow! Zero Plymouth Breezes sold on BAT, CAB, nor eBay in recent times!
There’s a lot of cars I don’t really see anymore but the Plymouth Breeze may be the first car I’ve actually just forgotten it existed at all.
My older brother bought one for his first car. He was so proud to have the only one around… that and it had orange dash backlights. sigh
At this point, they’re more like Grail-shaped beacons.
Bad Zoot!!
Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate?
Ni!
The old site’s owner was a hamster, and the place smelt like elderberry.
They fart in your general direction
Go away now or I shall taunt you a second time. You filthy English pig dog.
So far I think he’s found one, two… five!
(Three, sir)
Three!
Dare we ask David: What… is your favourite colour?
And also, does the i3 go faster than an unladen swallow?
African or European?
Great question. Being a BMW, that would suggest European. But it’s electric, which ties it to a certain South African. I guess the question is, then he wrenches on it, does he grip it by the Musk?
Shalt thou count to three. No more. No less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shalt be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out.
… And now for something completely different, a man with three i3s.
And…
“We are on a holy quest for the grail!” “Ah, we’ve already got one. It’s very nice. Now go away or we shall taunt you a second time!”