It was about a guy who worked in a car dealership, saved up a lot of money and bought an expensive car. Doesn't follow break-in procedures and wrecks the engine in a street race. IIRC it was by a famous sci-fi author, I thought maybe Kurt Vonnegut but I can't find it in his bibliography. Came back to me because I saw the manufacturer Isotta-Fraschini in the CM newsletter and I think the only other place I've seen it is in that story, I didn't even know if it was a real manufacturer.
Other details I can remember:
- The protagonist had a weird name
- The story takes place in a vacation town, maybe on an island?
- The car had an Italian name I'd also never heard before, likely fictional, had "marino" or "marina" in it IIRC?
- In the end someone at the dealership says that all the car's value is in the engine
I think someone on here may have linked it to me.
