It was inspired by a short story in Road & Track magazine. I always loved “Red Barchetta,” but I only learned of the story about a year ago.
Here’s the short story:
https://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19731100roadandtrack.htm
That is some good background information. I love that song, by the way, and know the lyrics very well. There are some clear similarities between it and the original story, and it’s quite amazing that Neil was able to come up with a futuristic version based on it. The turbine freight, the wire, the motor law, the alloy air cars, all from his head it seems. Very fascinating.