The Eyes of a Car Guy

We have all heard the term “car guy” used all our lives, many times referring to ourselves. I know I have used it many times to describe my own personality to people I meet.
Most people would assume that meant we are people who like cars, and that is true, but many people may not have any comprehension of what that really means, or just how far that goes.
When a real car guy looks at a car, it doesn’t just mean that a car was flashy enough to get noticed, though many times that may be part of it, but often it goes much deeper than that. Especially when it’s something truly unique, or we have a deeper understanding of the car’s mechanical attributes and performance capabilities.  It’s not just a visual image, but our mind is in hyper drive, reviewing all the things that make that car something special to us.
That’s why some images we have seen thousands of times never are enough. Our mind could find something more to love every time, through the eyes of a car guy.
For more of my "car guy" past, check out my book at: Grab Some Gears

Timeless excellence, in the eyes of a car guy.

US Air Force

Yesterday marked 50 years since I became a member of the United States military.  On January 26th. of the year 1970 , I joined the US Air Force , and flew off to start basic training in Texas.
I spent four years as an air traffic controller, at Luke Air Force Base west of Phoenix, Arizona. The Vietnam war was ragging at the time, but my number never came up, and I didn’t get sent to that country.  I am proud to be a Vietnam era Veteran.
After my four year enlistment was over, I ended up back in Northern Utah. The commander of the local Army National Guard unit offered me a promotion to put my military experience to work for them, so I spent three more years as a communication specialist in the Army.
My years in the military taught me many life lessons, that have served me well ever since.

Me, as a 19 year old US Air Force recruit. 

50 Years

Yesterday was our 50th. wedding anniversary.  Jackie and I were married 50 years ago in Phoenix, Arizona. Wow, where did all that time go?
Some things seem like they happened so long ago, and others seem like only yesterday. I guess that's the way with most things we are remembering after many years have past.
In this day and age, a couple still together after 50 years is kind of a rare thing. I'm very proud of what we have accomplished in this life. I love that lady so much, I can't imagine my life any other way.

Jackie , The love of my life,  in 1969 before see moved to Phoenix.

In the year 2020

“In the year 2020”  sounds like a line from some old time-travel movie we might have seen many years ago. Well, it finally happened, we now find ourselves living the year 2020. The future has arrived.
Now that we’re here, what great things can we accomplish in our lives this year?  We get a new start every new year, but somehow this year seems a little more special to me. Maybe because Jackie and I are celebrating our 50th. anniversary next week, or maybe because I have my 70th. birthday later this year, something is a little different about 2020.
With all these life milestones happening, I think I should be celebrating with a new Shelby GT 500. That sounds like a great way to keep me young.  Kind of a time machine.  Ok, maybe that would be a stretch, but could be a lot of fun.

Cruise into the future in a new 2020 Shelby GT 500. (Twitter photo)

New Decade

Just a few days left and we will finish this decade, and the first 20 years of this century.  It doesn't seem that long ago we were finishing up 1999, and ready to enter the 21st. century.
I was thinking about that this morning, and looking at some old photos, and realized that was the last time I owned a yellow Mustang. Our 1999 Mustang GT was a lot of fun for us, and very popular at car shows. People would walk past a line of Mustangs, and stop to walk around ours, and talk to us about it. That's when we first noticed how much attention the bright yellow color attracts.
After a few years, the yellow 99 was followed by a number of red Mustangs, with some pretty awesome cars among them. The 2003 "Terminator" Cobra, and 2007 Shelby GT 500, were a couple of the most rare and powerful cars I have ever owned.
I have enjoyed all of my cars, no matter what color they were, but for years we kept thinking how much we enjoyed having a bright yellow Mustang. When we saw that they would have a sharp yellow option available for the 2015 models, we knew we wanted one. We special ordered a 2015 premium GT in the bright "triple coat" yellow. It has been a joy to own and drive, and the color still attracts a lot of attention at car shows, and supermarket parking lots. I get comments almost every time I drive it. Even people who generally don't like yellow, comment on how much they like it on that Mustang.
Anyone interested can check out more in my book, just follow this link: Grab Some Gears

Our 1999 Mustang GT , back in the day.

Car Movies

I've been thinking about this subject quite a lot in the past few weeks, as the "FORD v FERRARI" movie was being advertised. I'm planning on seeing it myself in a couple days, and I'm looking forward to it. That got me thinking of the other car movies that have been special to most car enthusiasts over the years. There have been many.
The first one I want to mention is "Bullitt", and its now famous chase scene between the Mustang and Charger. That car chase was the best part of the movie.  Steve McQueen and Jacqueline Bisset  did a great job in that, other wise, slow moving movie.
Another classic that meant a lot to me, as a long-time "street racer", is "American Graffiti". I identified with a lot of what was going on in that movie, and I loved it, . . . even though the final street race ended badly for Harrison Ford in the Chevy.
Many of the car movies have had a lasting effect on our "car culture" over the years, but none more to the Mustang crowd than "Gone in 60 Seconds". As a Mustang fan from its introduction, I loved that movie. But, the use of a modified Mustang "movie prop" car as "Eleanor" has had a lasting effect on the classic Mustang culture. Now a whole generation of enthusiasts think that "Eleanor" is what a real 1967 Shelby GT500 looks like. Now, after 20 years, "Eleanor" clones are everywhere. That was my only disappointment with the movie, because they changed many of the most beautiful styling details of the actual 67 Shelby.
Another car movie that had a special meaning for me was "I Am Legend" in 2007.  The new Shelby GT500 that Will Smith drove in the first few scenes was identical to the 07 Shelby that I owned at the time (red with white stripes).
Anyway, I do enjoy car movies, and I'm looking forward to seeing "FORD v FERRARI".
Car enthusiasts can follow this link to check out my book; Grab Some Gears

The  "American Graffiti" movie car race    (Google image)

Wildest Dreams

This is a subject I’ve covered in my blog several times before, but I find it necessary to address this issue again. The subject is those new cars that capture our attention, and we start wondering if we could actually own one.
The one that keeps catching my attention lately, is the new 2020 Shelby GT 500. The sites that I follow on Twitter have been full of pictures and amazing performance specifications, and it has me drooling and dreaming of what it would be like to actually own one.
The thought of 760 supercharged horsepower and 7-speed automatic transmission, contained in such a beautiful package, is the stuff of dreams.

My wildest dreams. (Twitter photo)