Note:  the cow car was "put out to pasture" in April of 2001.

I am just a little cow car.
I live in Cambridge, MA with my friend Tony. I live in the driveway... Tony has to live in the house.
I like to moo at people and answer their email: cowcar@cowcar.com (please put the word "MOO" in the subject to be sure I see it)
I like to spend my time parking and not learning HTML.

Cowcar Update

• Jul 14, 2004 Cow Appreciation Day!

  Steve from 123greetings.com has pointed out that Bastille Day is also Cow Appreciation Day. Stop by 123Greetings.com to send a fun e-card to friends to celebrate. You may want to stop by Mapquest.com to find some alternate routes in case traffic gets really bad, too!

• Apr 22, 2001 The cow car has been put out to pasture!

  It is with heavy heart that I must report that Mad Cow Car Disease (what some people call rust) overtook the cow car and she has been put out to pasture.

  She provided around 9 years of mooing, zooming fun, and her memory lives on in this website and in The Cow Car Foundation. Perhaps at some time I will have another cow car, but for now a plain one reflects the passing of a great, fun car who just wanted to say, "Moo! Moo!".

• Jan 2001. The Swimsuit Edition of Cow Car Woman Magazine has hit the stands. Moo!

• Dec 28th, 2000 The Cow Car Foundation, a salt-lick for humanity, is established. It is dedicated to promoting worthy charitable causes, with a focus on historical preservation, advancing peace, and promoting educational opportunities in geographic and cultural areas where need presents itself.

  Geraldine Dodge and Paul Mellon, watch out.

• The cow car received its first SPAM email message on May 21, 1999 and is giddy with delight. It promised a compelling opportunity:

  Date: Fri, 21 May 1999 00:50:56 -0400 (EDT)
  From: Brad Henschel 
  To: <cowcar@cow.net>
  Subject: Work at home in your underwear
  
  Hello! I apologize if this message has reached you in error. I recently purchased a list of 
  people interested in a business opportunity and your address was on the list. Just delete this 
  message and you will never hear from me again.
   
  I want to let you know about a very successful way to do
  business on the Internet. I own my own business and I have 
  discovered that the best way to market my product is by simply letting
  my customers see it before they buy it. This concept is called
  shareware and it is available now thanks to the Internet. However,
  shareware is only cost effective when your product is information
  based. If you would like to see how this method of marketing works, you
  can check a site that offers FREE information using this
  concept. The site is
  (deleted to avoid promoting this)
  
  Hoping this information to be helpful, 
  

• This web page won a Cow Pie Award from socool.com. The Cow Car is happy. Other awards continue to trickle in... a sign that you don't have to slave over your home page.

• No book deals just yet, however.

• The Cow Car appeared in the July 8th, 1996 issue of Fortune Magazine

• The Mooz Control is on the fritz...

• The Cowcar last lived in Cambridge, near Porter Square

Do you work at Ben & Jerry's or Gateway?

No. I am working on an independent historical research study called The Dreadnought Project.

In recent past jobs, I worked at Wildfire Communications, Resounding Technology, HearMe, and Orange.

Then why is your car painted like a cow?

Just for fun.

Does she moo?

Yes! I installed the Mooz Control Option Package (you may have to search around to find one that works for you... someone sent me this link). A button makes her moo with 110 watts of gusto. The regular horn beeps as always (most cows have 2 horns).

Who painted her?

She was a white Miata. I realized she was a cow at heart. A friend put me in touch with Woody Jackson (the man who did the artwork for Ben & Jerry's). I asked him to help reveal the Holstein within my car. Woody offered to paint a model car, so I built a 1/24th scale Miata, and Woody generously designed the scheme and refused efforts to repay him. (Thank you Woody!) I based my work on his scheme, simplifying it somewhat. I masked out the patterns with a vinyl tape, filled in the broad regions with masking tape, and took her to Maaco. They sprayed her black. After drying, I removed the masking, and voila a cow car!

Why is she painted white now (Jan 2001)?

The cow car needed to be repainted, and it is winter now. I painted her white (at A-Z Autocenter in Cambridge) to ensure that the winter did not hurt her ailing paint. I will apply the spots as soon as the weather gets warm.

Does the cow car have a name?

Well, Jessie-- But I mostly just call her The Little Cow Car. I find myself talking to her alot. You'd be surprised at how many people call her a "cow car" when they see her for the first time. The name is inescapable.

Why Jessie?

I wrote a song named "Jessie the Cow". There's also a children's book of the same story.

Why does the license say HOW-NOW? Isn't that "How now, brown cow?"

Yes. I'd be very interested in discovering the origin of that phrase. The truth is that I asked for "MILK-ME" and the Registry people nixed it. I see HOW-NOW as reflecting a confident air that says, "I'm a cow car and I feel good about it. Who are YOU?". The subtext, however, remains "Milk me!"

Are there other cow cars?

Yes! I have seen a half dozen with my own eyes. The cow car gets all happy to have friends and moos with glee. If you own a cow car, send mine email (cowcar@cowcar.com) and we can arrange a cattle drive.

Are they on the Web?

Yes! (or scanned onto my page here) Here is just 15 head from the global herd.

• from California has had a variety of cow vehicles: a 1958 Ford truck, a 1973 Suburban, and even a racing motorcycle.
• Andrew Bowden had a very nice SmartCowCar in England, but he was thinking of selling it.
• Christian Larsson and Hanna painted a '82 VW Jetta as a cowcar and named it Kobilen ("cowcar" in Swedish, as this is where they live).
• Sarah Bacik of Somerset, England has Big Moo (photo 2 photo 3 photo 4)
• Perry Lesh has Cow-maro (cowspotted interior, and license COWMARO!)
• Sam Draper and Julie Magenis have a Cow-de-lac
• Marlon Weiss in Nebraska has a cow-van called "Moo Me".
• Martin Jensen in Denmark has a cow spotted ford.
• Brook the Realtor drives his own Utah cow car.
• There is a Scottish Cowcar who receives her email at ANIMALMAIL@AOL.COM.
• The Holstein came from Germany. Bernd has a good native example. It even has another webpage.
• A person in England has a sporty Cow-Caterham Super 7
• A Neon cow car is actually the 4th fastest such car in the US in 1998!
• Brian Jackson painted his own cow car and enjoys the looks he gets
• Island Farms in Vancouver (their website is here) has a VanCowver, seen here by an old high-school friend who snapped its pic in a Duncan Day Parade.
• Donald Laird takes care of PT-Moozr a Chrysler PT Cruiser painted you-know-how
• Julie Villafana may still be trying to sell her LIL MOO. If you are interested, it is negotiable at approx $2500 US somewhere in (I believe) Canada. Email Julie at her hotmail address if you are interested.
• Charlie Gregory finds his pupils in Blacksburg, Virginia appreciate his Tercel Cowcar
• Joe Arpad and Susie Smith from Fresno have a Cowvan with magnetic stickers for spots
• Michael Civello sent a picture of Jamie's cowcar.
• Gary McEacham's '89 Civic is now a cowcar living in Manitoba.

Can I send email to the other cow cars?

Often not. Cow cars face real challenges in getting access. It's a problem.

That sucks! Maybe someone should offer services to get cow cars better access to the Information Super Highway.

That's a good idea. COWZ is a Bovine-inspired computer Bulletin Board System that offers internet access and email connectivity for people and cow cars alike. They are really fun people, and they helped the cow car get hooked up. Go check them out!

Can I have a ride? I want to make the cow car moo!

You can always ask. The cow car and I enjoy people who have a sense of fun. Just stop me if you see me parking.

Moo! Moo! Ahem -- I mean, where can I find more cow information?

I think you better check out the Cow Car's Bookmarks.

Why doesn't everyone drive a cow car?

I blame narrow attitudes in Detroit. I mean, what jerk came up with the marketing jingle, "Cattle lack, cattle lack, cattle lack style?" How mean-spirited can you be?

Is there a downside to driving a cow car?

Sometimes, it is tough to have a lifetime posting as the ambassador of fun. It is not easy to be pissed off when there are kids waving who deserve a smile and a wave back.

Do you ever drive other cars?

The cow car is my only car. But sometimes I go on a trip and rent a car and find it reassuring that people stop pointing and laughing at me.

I was in Harvard Square and... and... I was mooed -- repeatedly!

It sounds like my friend Keith must have been at the Mooz Control button that day. The police suspect him of several unsolved drive-by mooings, and I have to say he is more reckless about it than I am.

Basically, this seems to be a car pretending to be a cow. What if you approached this from the other angle?

I suppose if a cow thought it was a car, it would invite the development of products like the cow wash.