This is very well said. Just as a fan of fast cars and classics, I appreciate being able to talk the ins and outs with people who are also so inclined. Many of whom are not really into driving, and more into the beauty of the machines. Yes, they're also a teenage symbol of "freedom" - I grew up in LA in the 80s-90s, where rich kids had expensive cars, but cool kids had hot rods or souped up rice rockets. It wasn't just mobility, it was your most expensive and treasured possession. But it's actually a pretty false, limited type of freedom, as I realized when I grew up, sold my Camaro and left the States for 12 years. That sense of freedom from your parents turns out to be a few road trips in your life. It's not like you can just drive down to Patagonia (unless you want to court imminent death a dozen times along the way). In any event, basically no one does it. So the freedom aspect is kinda bunk, like all the other freedoms Americans think they have but never actually test.
In terms of the pure pleasure of driving a difficult-to-drive, classic that I saved and restored from the scrapyard, with a hair trigger clutch, listening to every sound from the engine, I feel like I'm probably one of the only people I know who enjoys doing it every day. But it's driving as an art, just like fixing cars is an art. I think that's the true value of the car culture, not the commercial patina of "freedom" sold with every lease.