P
PNewitt
Guest
I wanted to comment on the spirit of determination and the passion of the love I've seen for the GT/CS Mustang in the past few years.
The recent event of Amy trying to get her classic from Los Angeles to Seattle really spoke loudly and clearly about this passion for a car, that's just "40 year old pieces of metal and fiberglass". Amy is not a mechanic, and yet, she defied the odds, and so dilligently pushed forward the risks of getting this car. She wanted this car so much, she was willing to (literally) go the distance to have it in her own garage.
I know how the words on this screen we read everyday; it's like yesterday's news, things fade, but if you were really there, you'd seen the look on Amy's face during this difficult "mission" of hers, and you'd feel her determination, and yet, you'd be moved to tears by her two-day struggle.
By how the story went...this CS went out, and after 400 miles, it plowed off Highway 5 in the dirt; reminiscent of the Bullitt scene where McQueen hit the ditch, breaking the lower control arm; both like wounded, fallen warriors after a fierce battle.
This dramatic example is only one of so many stories of the passion and determination that I've seen over the years. I've seen red concours CS brought back from a junkyard hulk in the midwest....and I've read story after story of how people got their CS, or passed them down through the family. Many hearfelt stories that I keep in my files.
I know Mike Jewell's story, how a CS he owned in the 70's was later sold to Bob McClurg.....was almost crushed, then brought back home for his meticulous restoration with lots and lots of love (and $$). This CS is Mike's life, and we all should be so very proud of him--and how he won a MCA Gold Award for his efforts.
And how Bob Teets (and many others) will trailer his 428 CJ HCS across the country to car shows...not an easy feat...
There are the stories of how owners watch their CS like a hawk...for all the attention they get. Once one was stolen, then recovered...to be loved again, again and again... Other stories of how a restoration began as "just one thing" and spread like crazy to the whole half of the car!! (i.e. Victoria, B.C.??).
EVERY person out there that is, or has pulled their CS apart into a zillion pieces, has the passion to put all of them back together, piece by piece. This is not easy, and it HAS to be a labor of love, to endure the tedious-ness of such an ordeal. Hunting for parts, waiting for body and paint, and going to swap meets to get a better part, or an OEM or concours part--are all part of this personal quest.
I know these stories...and as registrar, I have moments when I am so overcome by how impressed I am with YOUR love and appreciation of your own GT/CS "quest". And the back stories of the owners...how absolutely proud I am of those who have, or are serving in our Military...how we owe them so much graditude....
EVERY one of you while driving your CS is an emissary, passing on the word. This is why I do what I do. It's there in the letters, and in the phone calls, and when I meet owners at shows. It's there where I see very very strong beliefs in the spirit of the GT/CS Mustang. This one-year Mustang has captured so many hearts to own and appreciate forever.
We know this feeling of spirit, every time we see a stranger pull up in a GT/CS, greeting them as if you've known them your whole life... This was just the feeling at the Galpin event last April.
These are my observations, and thoughts on the wonderful sense of comraderie and "family" that I am so proud to be part of.
Thank you all for your continued support--and for your ongoing help with other owners.
Paul M. Newitt.
The recent event of Amy trying to get her classic from Los Angeles to Seattle really spoke loudly and clearly about this passion for a car, that's just "40 year old pieces of metal and fiberglass". Amy is not a mechanic, and yet, she defied the odds, and so dilligently pushed forward the risks of getting this car. She wanted this car so much, she was willing to (literally) go the distance to have it in her own garage.
I know how the words on this screen we read everyday; it's like yesterday's news, things fade, but if you were really there, you'd seen the look on Amy's face during this difficult "mission" of hers, and you'd feel her determination, and yet, you'd be moved to tears by her two-day struggle.
By how the story went...this CS went out, and after 400 miles, it plowed off Highway 5 in the dirt; reminiscent of the Bullitt scene where McQueen hit the ditch, breaking the lower control arm; both like wounded, fallen warriors after a fierce battle.
This dramatic example is only one of so many stories of the passion and determination that I've seen over the years. I've seen red concours CS brought back from a junkyard hulk in the midwest....and I've read story after story of how people got their CS, or passed them down through the family. Many hearfelt stories that I keep in my files.
I know Mike Jewell's story, how a CS he owned in the 70's was later sold to Bob McClurg.....was almost crushed, then brought back home for his meticulous restoration with lots and lots of love (and $$). This CS is Mike's life, and we all should be so very proud of him--and how he won a MCA Gold Award for his efforts.
And how Bob Teets (and many others) will trailer his 428 CJ HCS across the country to car shows...not an easy feat...
There are the stories of how owners watch their CS like a hawk...for all the attention they get. Once one was stolen, then recovered...to be loved again, again and again... Other stories of how a restoration began as "just one thing" and spread like crazy to the whole half of the car!! (i.e. Victoria, B.C.??).
EVERY person out there that is, or has pulled their CS apart into a zillion pieces, has the passion to put all of them back together, piece by piece. This is not easy, and it HAS to be a labor of love, to endure the tedious-ness of such an ordeal. Hunting for parts, waiting for body and paint, and going to swap meets to get a better part, or an OEM or concours part--are all part of this personal quest.
I know these stories...and as registrar, I have moments when I am so overcome by how impressed I am with YOUR love and appreciation of your own GT/CS "quest". And the back stories of the owners...how absolutely proud I am of those who have, or are serving in our Military...how we owe them so much graditude....
EVERY one of you while driving your CS is an emissary, passing on the word. This is why I do what I do. It's there in the letters, and in the phone calls, and when I meet owners at shows. It's there where I see very very strong beliefs in the spirit of the GT/CS Mustang. This one-year Mustang has captured so many hearts to own and appreciate forever.
We know this feeling of spirit, every time we see a stranger pull up in a GT/CS, greeting them as if you've known them your whole life... This was just the feeling at the Galpin event last April.
These are my observations, and thoughts on the wonderful sense of comraderie and "family" that I am so proud to be part of.
Thank you all for your continued support--and for your ongoing help with other owners.
Paul M. Newitt.
