DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Mark At The Palace Of Fine Arts Theatre

Q: Hi Mark. This is a beautiful car. What can you tell us about it?

A: The car is a replica. It is not an authentic model, but it looks so much like one. It is a replica of a 1953 MGTD series. The body itself came from Brazil. It's fiberglass. The engine in it was originally a Volkswagen engine, but I had it modified to match the specifics of the 714 series Porsche had. It gave it a little more umph. The pan underneath and the running gear are from a 1968 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.

Q: How long have you had this car?

A: I've had this one for about 15 years now. When I say this one, I mean I've had others. I've always had one red roadster. I've always had at least one sports car that's totally unusual and unique, so that I know someone's not going to park next to me with a car that looks exactly like mine. Red is the active color and I'm a Scorpio. We like red.

Q: Is there a story behind why you chose this specific car?

A: Back when I was 15 years old, closer to 14. Hot Rod Magazine, a black and white publication. When we were teenagers we were all totally devoted to cars. That was the year of the hot rods. What I did, I would buy Hot Rod Magazine every month. Then low and behold, they came out with a color one! They featured the MGTD and it was red. I had pictures of this car all over my walls when I was a boy.

Q: Neat! Can you tell us about your licence plate?

A: I used to have a license plate that said, "Sobriety bought me this car and not smoking puts gas in it." Now my license plate reads "H-I-O-N-S-F," which epitomizes my feeling about San Francisco. I'm so in love with San Francisco. I'm euphoric.