"You have to carry the fire."
"I don't know how to."
"Yes, you do."
"Is the fire real? The fire?"
"Yes it is."
"Where is it? I don't know where it is."
"Yes you do. You just need the keys. You need to buy Cormac McCarthy's car."
I'm almost positive that's what was in the last edition of The Road I picked up.
Ever since William Faulkner's heir apparent died in 2023, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the books he gave us or what work may have been found lurking in the drawers of his desk. But wondering about whatever happened to Cormac McCarthy's car hadn't crossed my mind. If you've had the same lack of stuff in your thoughts, there's good news: McCarthy's 1995 Lotus Esprit S4 is up for sale. Hagerty Auctions is running the show, with seven days left before the gavel falls. At the time of writing, the highest bid was $25,250.
The car is being sold by McCarthy's youngest brother, Dennis, acting as executor of the estate. According to Dennis, McCarthy bought the Esprit in 2010 with just over 18,300 miles on the clock but never registered, titled, or meaningfully drove it — the odometer still shows essentially the same mileage. The car doesn't currently run, with two mechanics pointing to a failed in-tank fuel pump. It's being sold as-is, a project for whoever takes it on.
McCarthy apparently loved cars and had amassed a sizeable collection over the years. Dennis has sold off 13 of the author's other rides since his death. For a mechanically minded literary auteur, this could be the automotive opportunity of a lifetime.
Previously:
