The Final Leg And A Final Cheer For The Drive Home II Team

Our remarkable culmination of the 2100-mile Drive Home II journey began early today at the Lincoln of Troy auto dealership where we had a grand reunion with our beloved ’61 Chrysler 300G. After breaking an axle on Tuesday, Lincoln of Troy Owner Paul Sabatini and his team did an amazing job getting our big-finned beauty road-worthy and operational in just a 48-hour period, and we’re truly grateful for that. A crowd gathered at the dealership for our sendoff down Woodward Avenue, and a bonus for me was a visit from my wife’s Aunt Kathy and Uncle Vic who live nearby. We had a great time catching up, and it was fun introducing them to our Drive Home II team.

Dale answering questions from curious dealership employees about the Crane-Simplex

Aunt Kathy and Uncle Vic pay me a visit

At about 10:30 a.m. our procession departed the dealership led by the Michigan State Patrol and followed closely by America’s Automotive Trust CEO David Madeira and Rock Ventures COO Josh McManus who were driving the open-air 1917 Crane-Simplex in the frosty 10-degree morning sunshine. Behind the Crane were the proudly reunited three red classics, and the absolute highlight of the trip was David telling me to take the wheel of the Chrysler.

Cruising the Chrysler down Woodward Avenue

We moved down Woodward Avenue past miles of fans and onlookers who honked and waved as we made our way to Cadillac Square in downtown Detroit. Once there, we held a press conference in a heated tent that included remarks by Josh McManus about his company’s passion for the revitalization of the city; Max Muncey who heads PR for the North American International Auto Show; and David Madeira, who shared the mission of America’s Automotive Trust to preserve the heritage of the American car and his gratitude for the partnership with State Farm, Rock Ventures, the North American International Auto Show and all of our sponsors.  

 America's Automotive Trust CEO David Madeira speaking at the Detroit Press Conference

After a celebratory lunch with the Drive Home II team that included victory toasts and a lot of laughs, I headed back to our hotel and ended the day with a fun and relaxing dinner with Lisa McFarlane, my wife’s longtime friend who lives in Detroit.

A fun and relaxing dinner with Lisa McFarlane

We have one more day of events tomorrow, but I will confess that driving the cars down Woodward Avenue and delivering them to Cadillac Square was for me an emotional peak of an amazing 11-day adventure that was simultaneously exhilarating, energizing, and exhausting. Our team faced daily challenges – and many of them unexpected – but our collective experience, professionalism and perseverance allowed us to overcome them. I’ve been a part of many teams in the past 30 years, but the Drive Home II Gang was truly amazing in every respect, and my compliments go out to each and every one of them.

Like the great leader and salesman he is, David asked me today if I’m in for the Drive Home III next year, which is rumored to originate from somewhere near Miami and include muscle cars. I’m not sure what I mumbled back in reply to his proposition, but if it includes a team like ours, Florida and muscle cars, it could be hard to resist.

The Drive Home II team in Detroit's Cadillac Square 

In the meantime, I salute my Drive Home II partners – David, Valerie, Ashley, Bill, Dale and Derek. Thank you for your commitment to preserve the heritage of our American cars and thank you for the trip and adventure of a lifetime -- I’m truly proud to have traveled with you on this terrific journey. 

Cheers and Regards from Detroit,

Rock

A Smooth Landing After A Long Journey

A snowy Jan. 5 morning found the Drive Home II crew being hosted by Dawn and Mike Fisher at their impressive MFD Classic Motors in Traverse City.

 MFD Classic Motors' Dawn Fisher and Valerie

Cars and Coffee at MFD Classic Motors

 Dale and David beside one of the Fisher's cars: A 1959 Plymouth with 6,000 original miles

After coffee and fare with a good number of local car buffs, we headed south with auto journalist Steve Purdy and another new driver, Josh McManus, COO of Rock Ventures, at the wheels of the classics. I followed the cars out of Traverse City in the SUV with Derek, Valerie and Ashley, and for several hours as we rolled south over fairly icy roads to a coffee and cars event in Lansing, MI, which is very near my wife’s alma mater.

Michigan State Universty

Cars and Coffee at Belle Tire in Lansing, MI

Within about 80 miles of our final destination, the SUV became a rolling collection of laughter as we recounted some of the events of the day and journey, the kind of delirium that comes with traveling in close quarters on a 12-day odyssey. One of these moments came when I had lost my sunglasses and wore Valerie's to cut the glare from the snow. Looking a bit like Elton John, I drew a few curious stares from passing cars, and  every time I turned my head toward Ashley and Valerie in the back seat it set off an explosion of snorts and giggles. 

Another 80 miles and we celebrated the culmination of our 2,100 mile journey as we arrived in Detroit and checked into the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham. No mechanical difficulties or problems to report with the exception of a fire alarm and momentary hotel evacuation (that we’re certain Derek had something to do with), and then we were off for a reception hosted by Quicken Loans and Rock Ventures.

A smooth landing after a long journey with a great team. Now the real fun begins with our triumphant drive up Woodward Avenue tomorrow and the possibility that the dealership may have the Chrysler 300G repaired and ready to join us--we're all stoked about the possibility of that reunion. Guaranteed great pics to follow!

Icy Road To Traverse City

The Drive Home II Gang started another early morning with a series of Fox 17 TV interviews at the station's Grand Rapids studio.

After a couple of news interview segments, I took reporter Annie Szatkowski for a ride-along to our Cars and Coffee event at Lambert, Edwards & Associates, and she did an 11-minute Facebook Live segment during our trip.

When we arrived, Annie also wanted to do a segment with the 1917 Crane Simplex and our team went about unloading it to meet her live-shot deadline that was about 8 minutes away. Dale repositioned the truck and trailer for the unload; at that point we were down to about 4 minutes and the real fun began. The lock on the trailer was unexpectedly frozen so Dale grabbed a propane torch and heated it until it opened. Three minutes to go, and we discovered the back door of the trailer was frozen shut and two people had to put their shoulders to it from the inside with more pulling from the outside to pry it open. Two minutes to go and Dale is scrambling under the car to unhook the axle straps and then winch it off the trailer ramp for the shot. One minute to go and Annie tells me to get in place in front of the trailer as we’re going live. The live shot starts and the camera rolls just in time for the camera to roll – the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

We then added a new driver, auto industry journalist Steve Purdy, who piloted the Mustang on a snowy four-hour trip north to Traverse City, MI. Steve was new in Grand Rapids, but not new to the Drive Home effort as he drove part of the Drive Home I effort from Tacoma to Detroit last year. Along the road to Traverse City, things got icy and slick with occasional white-out conditions, and at one point Steve looked in the rear-view mirror to see a pickup slide sideways off the highway and roll into the median. It was at that point our good Samaritan mechanic Dale pulled over, called 911 and stayed with the uninjured passengers until the state patrol arrived.

 

We made it to Traverse City and were given a great welcome by the folks at Hagerty Insurance. Hagerty is a specialty classic car and boat insurer that houses its 800 employees at a campus in downtown Traverse City. Hagerty is also a big supporter of the America's Automotive Trust and the America's Car Museum and it shares the Trust's passion and mission to preserve our automotive heritage. It was fascinating to tour their facilities, get an inside look at the culture and compare/contrast it with the State Farm operations I’ve known for 30 years. The evening came and were hosted to a great meal with Hagerty employees, their friends and local car buffs at the Hagerty Garage, which features an impressive display of classic vehicles, many of which have been restored by employees.

 

Thanks to Steve Purdy for relieving me from an icy Mustang drive and thanks to all the folks at Hagerty for their tremendous hospitality.

On to Lansing tomorrow for more events – Go Spartans!!    

A Day Of Ups And Downs

Our crew began the day with a fantastic tour of the Indianapolis Speedway and its museum in Speedway, IN. Ellen and her museum team were terrific hosts as we explored the historic cars and got a bus tour around the “brickyard” track that included a chance for the ceremonial kissing of the bricks at the finish line.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

 

The Marmon Wasp - First Indy winning car

 



 The ceremonial kissing of the bricks for good luck

 

 The Borg Warner Trophy on display

After that, the trip north to Grand Rapids got very interesting very fast. I was driving the Mustang up Highway 31 near Peru, IN at 60 mph following Derek in the Chrysler 300 when his rear right wheel caved outward, the axle dropped to the pavement and sparks flew backward about 30 feet until he was able to guide it toward the side of the road to safety.

 

Calamity strikes the Chrysler on Highway 31; just glad driver Derek wasn't hurt

 

Definitely an unexpected turn of events, and I have to tell you that it felt like the collective heart of our team sank to the pavement along with the axle as we saw our mammoth, tail-finned beauty crippled and helpless by the side of the road. Without any hesitation, the team responded to the disaster by putting out safety triangles beside our vehicles. Dale, Ashley and Valerie then went to work on their phones and made magic happen. Within about 40 minutes, they had a tow truck on the way, an axle and parts being overnighted from Seattle and a dealership in Troy, MI ready to take in the Chrysler. The best news was, depending on how it goes, it’s possible our big red beauty may be ready to drive again by Friday. An AMAZING outcome, given what happened, and we’re all truly grateful Derek wasn’t hurt and was able to “land the big red plane” as well as he did.

While Dale and Valerie waited on the tow truck, the rest of us pushed on another four hours to Grand Rapids and a media event at Lambert, Edward & Associates, the PR firm that manages social media for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. On the way, we lost a wiper blade and arm off the driver's side of the Nomad, but Bill and Derek jury-rigged a temporary fix and Valerie located a replacement nearby. A few media interviews and hors d’oeuvres after we arrived in Grand Rapids, we checked into our hotel to get ready for another day that includes a 6:15 a.m. Fox TV interview, a coffee and cars event, and a drive to snowy Traverse City.

A valiant effort by the Drive Home II team today – we proved again that while we may be slowed, we won’t be stopped on our way to Detroit and the North American International Auto Show.  

    

Long Road To Indy

Our Drive Home II crew was up early again this morning for a 360-mile drive from Pittsburgh to Indianapolis. No events today, but a good photo opp for Derek at Heinz Field (Steelers Country!) and several gas stops along the way at Shell stations to fuel up and surprise fellow fuelers with $10 gas cards from our Shell Corp. sponsor.

 Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA

 Valerie treating a young fan to a seat in the cockpit of the Nomad during a Shell fuel stop

Heading through West Virginia and into Ohio we stopped for lunch at Schlepp’s Family Diner in Belmont where Bill had a meatloaf sandwich the size of his head and Ashley’s club sandwich probably wouldn’t have fit into the Chrysler’s trunk.

Ashley and Bill at the highly recommended Schlepp's Family Diner in Belmont, OH

 

It was about then that Dale noticed a bar on the trailer hitch had lost a part and was unsecured. Dale cornered a local fella named Ron Moore who was coming out of the restaurant and inquired if Ron knew of a nearby repair shop where we might get a large bolt to fix the hitch. With full Midwestern hospitality, Ron said, “Yes, I’ll drive down to the Ford dealership and pick one up for you.” What a gracious offer and we accepted it with appreciation.

Dale thanking Ron Moore for going out of his way to get a repair part for us



The rest of the day was several hundred miles of windshield time with me driving my old friend the Nomad and recalling the twisting roads that have led each of us to where we are today. My mom recently made me think of this when she reminded me that 41 years ago today I hitchhiked 260 miles across Colorado. An 18-year-old and six months out of high school I had no money, no plan and no prospects when my dad offered to put me to work in his Glenwood Springs paint store. With no car, I took to the highway from Greeley, and the most memorable part of the trip was getting picked up in the mountains by three college girls in a Volkswagen Beetle and sliding down the backside of a very snowy Vail Pass.

Much has changed since then, but help and support are still around when you need it, particularly from the car community and people like Ron Moore in Belmont, OH. To those who have helped the Drive II Gang along on our adventure from Boston, you have our great gratitude and thanks. 

On to Grand Rapids tomorrow – drive safe out there and you may want to stay clear of hitchhikers with no money, no plan and no prospects...

   

A New Year's Like No Other

New Year’s Eve morning of 2016 found the Drive Home II caravan on the road at 5:45 a.m. winding its way through northern Virginia toward a Katie’s Coffee and Cars event in Great Falls. Still dark when we arrived at 6:15, the parking lot was already filling up with classics, hot rods and exotics. The folks at Katie’s gave us prime parking spots for the 300G and Nomad, and Dale unloaded the Crane-Simplex as well. By 7 a.m. some 100 cars had shown up along with families and enthusiasts, many of whom said they were following our exploits on social media and the ACM Web site. Katie’s Coffees and Cars has been a weekly event for the past five years, and in the summer we’re told it’s not unusual for 400-500 cars to show up.

 Katie's Coffee and Cars, Great Falls, VA

A few hours and some miles later we connected with a dozen or so motor aficionados who came out to meet us for lunch at the Prince Street Café in Lancaster, PA. The cars included a ‘62 Chrysler 300, a ‘60’s Rambler, and a ‘70’s Z-28; additionally, there was a mid-40s Pontiac gangster-style coupe with a violin case/fake tommy gun on the back seat and whose driver was decked out in mafia-wear that included a black overcoat and hat and white wing-tipped shoes. After a good lunch, the troupe traveled with us for a good ways toward our next stop in Allentown, PA. Charlie, the driver of the ’62 300 that he lovingly called Marilyn (named after Marilyn Monroe), followed us all the way to Allentown even though he lived about an hour in the opposition direction.

New Year’s Eve for our crew was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience as well as a chance to reunite with our beloved Mustang. Keith Flickinger, owner of Precision Motor Cars, invited us to the 27-acre property of the NB Center that includes his facility. NB stands for the Nicola Bulgari of Italian jewelry design fame, and Mr. Bulgari is also a board member of the LeMay-America’s Car Museum. Besides jewelry, Mr. Bulgari is well-known for his passion for collecting and preserving classic American cars. He has a particular affinity for older Buicks and fell in love with them as a 9-year-old in Rome because Buicks were used for transporting the Pope in the WWII era.

The NB Center is really beyond description. Once the home of a drive-in theater, the movie screen was retained and is still operable with a state-of-the-art projector (only two like it in the entire U.S.) and a monstrous sound system so loud that it actually echoed in the Pennsylvania hills around us. In the middle of the property is The Lodge, a large conference center built entirely of repurposed wood and stone from 19^th Century barns in the area. Gone are the drive-in speakers and poles for movie viewing; they’ve been replaced by an asphalt track that winds its way around the property in a series of course configurations used to run and race the hundreds of vehicles housed in nearly 10 large buildings. Besides Mr. Bulgari’s vehicles and Precision Motor Cars, the structures also house the Historical Vehicle Association dedicated to documenting and archiving the history of the American automobile.

 Nicola Bulgari's favorite Buick -- A 1935 96S Sport Coupe

The view from Mr. Bulgari's apartment at the NB Center 

Mr. Bulgari was in Italy, but Keith and Christina hosted us to a fantastic dinner of lobster, filet mignon and lamb chops prepared by Mr. Bulgari’s Greek chef. This was followed by a tour of several of the buildings and a sampling of the gorgeous cars before we celebrated the New Year with champagne and retired to our hotel about 2 a.m. after a long (!) day

Up and back at Precision Motor Cars by 8:30 a.m. Dale checked out all the cars to ready us for the trip to Harrisburg, PA. Rolling out of Allentown, I got my first chance to slide behind the wheel of the 300G and it was like a driving vacation with power steering and a much quieter ride than the Nomad. 

 My first chance to pilot the Chrysler 300G

But, wait, I digress… because if you’ve been following our saga you’re probably wondering whatever happened to the Mustang that dumped every drop of its transmission fluid last week near Times Square in NYC… and here’s where things get interesting. You may recall we had it towed to Keith’s shop and after a full inspection and adding 6 quarts of fluid to its parched transmission, Keith and his team couldn’t find anything amiss with it. The final diagnosis was that the transmission must have boiled its fluid in the stop-and-go New York traffic; this compromised the front seal to cause the spew, but when the car cooled down the seal went back to work.     

 Dale gives the Mustang a final inspection at Performance Motor Cars 

Now, back to Harrisburg: New Year’s Day morning where we were greeted by a dozen or so car community friends at an event near a Starbuck’s. Among the group was Harrisburg State Farm Agent Ed Ross, who helped give us a warm welcome, and it was great to connect with one of my fellow State Farm Good Neighbors. Ed shared that he and his son have been longtime car buffs and help coordinate several major car shows in the area.



State Farm Agent Ed Ross came out to greet the Drive Home II Crew in Harrisburg, PA

Noontime on New Year’s Day found us at the Carlisle, PA Events Center, an old fairground in the town that is now host to 12 specialty car shows and four auctions each year. Ed, Ken and Mike of Carlisle Events hosted us to a pizza lunch and a grand tour of the facility, including the collection of specialty race cars, many of which had truly interesting provenance.

From the Carlisle Events Center collection: The last car Dale Earnhardt finished a race in before his final race 

We then jumped onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike for the four-hour trip to Pittsburgh and a dinner event. About 20 miles outside the city, Valerie reported that the Nomad started knocking badly. From her description, Dale surmised it was likely a loose rocker arm. Dale followed Valerie as she babied the Nomad into town and the hotel. In the meantime, the rest of us traveled to the Eleven Restaurant and met up with a couple of “followers” – John Fisher, who had driven over two hours to connect with us and Kurt Kuntz who lived more locally. After swapping stories and sharing a well-deserved meal and beer, we bunked in at the Pittsburgh City Center Marriott.

That was the start and finish of a truly spectacular New Year’s holiday weekend, meeting new friends and creating awareness for the mission of America’s Automotive Trust: Celebrating and preserving the heritage of our great country’s cars.  My only regret was that my wife Alison wasn’t here to share the New Year’s celebration with me; it’s the first time we’ve been separated on New Year’s in 24 years, but I did Facetime her when the ball dropped in New York to try to earn some points.

Cheers and Happy New Year from the LeMay-America’s Car Museum Gang heading west toward Indianapolis!

A Fairly Ordinary Day on an Extraordinary Trip

I'm pleased to report that while Day 4 of the Drive Home II adventure included a few notable occurrences in Washington D.C., it contained no mechanical malfunctions or unplanned delays that were my fault – or anyone else’s! Being well spent by our taxing Day 3, the team used part of the morning catching up on administrative work; the exception was our ace mechanic Dale, who tackled the Chrysler 300’s issues by bleeding its brakes in the cold and windy hotel parking lot. Just another reason Dale is a top contender for the Drive Home II MVP Award.

The rest of our day was spent treating folks around the Washington Mall to a good look at the Drive Home II cars and giving Derek ample opportunity for video footage. Along the way there were lots of waves, cheers and requests for me to rev up the throaty engine of the Nomad; and at one point, we heard someone say – “Look, the LeMay Museum, that’s out in Seattle!” (Well, close…)   

Driving the Nomad in D.C. with a tiny White House in the background

Two additional notes of the day included:

·         Bill showing us the long stone staircase used in the final scene of the 1973 movie “The Exorcist.” You remember, it’s the scene where the priest launches himself down several hundred steps to finally release himself of the demon. Oh, you don’t? Well, neither did any of the rest of us, and we were a bit perplexed why Bill would know or care about such trivia. It was also mildly disturbing when he insisted on photos of him recreating the final position of the priest lying at the foot of the staircase while Dale feigned the role of the other priest in the movie giving him his last rites. (Viewer discretion is advised here, but you may find photos of this strange re-enactment in the coming days on Bill’s Blog at:www.blog.hemmings.com.)

      Topping this stop off was a construction worker who saw the cars, pulled in and proceeded to show Bill and Dale an incredible array of classic and antique cars he owned. As Bill remarked afterward; “It’s amazing – car people are everywhere.”

 ·         The second curious moment occurred when the Capitol Police took issue with Derek filming our cars “hatch-up” from the back of the SUV directly in front of the U.S. Capitol. Valerie was at the SUV’s wheel, and – rather than come to her aid -- as soon as we car drivers saw the squad car lights, we high-tailed it around the corner to get as lost as possible in the Mall traffic. Certainly a solid example of lost chivalry here, but to show our concern we found parking places at a safe distance to witness the confrontation and possible incarceration. Two police cars, two motorcycles and six policemen later, Derek and Valerie were politely but sternly advised that filming from moving vehicles in front of the U.S. Capitol is not prudent or acceptable.

The scene just before the Capitol police altercation

Another good team dinner full of stories and laughs, and we’re ready for a rockin’ and very full New Years Eve day and evening tomorrow. In the meantime, Happy New Year from the Drive Home II Team traveling the high-roads and by-roads on the Heritage Run!

PS: For those curious about the Mustang, stay tuned; this is a bit of a cliffhanger. We got word late today that the shop in PA put 6 quarts of transmission fluid in the car and it’s running just fine. No leaks and no idea why it drained itself on the asphalt yesterday in Times Square. We'll be there tomorrow to check it out first-hand. More mysteries to solve, and we’re thinking a transmission exorcism from Dale may be in order…