Given all that has been taking place in our world lately, there is one thing that I think we could all use more of: Levity.
For those who know me, I'm the kind of guy who finds just about anything funny (appropriately so, that is
). And, as I was reflecting on some work to be done on my current 67 GT350, I realized that there are MANY stories I've stored away that, in reality, where both horrifying and funny, especially to someone other than me.
So, in that spirit, I've started this thread with the goal of transparency and (hopefully) a good laugh. And, to break the ice, I'll go first.
The first Shelby I ever bought was a 1967 Shelby GT350 - 0022. After my purchase, I immediately went about having the car restored. And, as many of you already know, this takes time. So, after over a year of waiting, the date had finally arrived for me to receive my car! It arrived via covered carrier around 10pm on a weeknight, and I spend the next 2-3 hours driving it around. I was elated!
The next morning came quickly, as I had to get up early for work, and I decided to take #22 with me (we had secure covered parking and my boss parked next to me, so I figured I was safe). At lunch, I headed out to the car for a quick trip bite to eat. I put the key in the ignition, cranked it...and the car lurched forward...it was in gear! To make matters much, much worse, there was a 4 foot tall concrete wall inches in front of my parked car. Immediately following the lurch, I became extremely aware that the car had made contact with the barrier. I turned the key to off and ran around the front to assess the damage. The front of the fiberglass (NEWLY FINISHED fiberglass) hood was cracked and bent down about 2-3 inches from the front edge. Luckily, this was the only damage to the car... but, what an IDIOT!! I NEVER start a manual without first checking to see if it's in gear. In fact, I usually spend (what seems like) 30 minutes shaking the shifter side to side just to ensure I'm NOT in gear. Now, I had a fully restored car with a damaged hood. I hadn't even had the car in my possession for more than 15 hours, and I "wrecked it"!
Luckily, I came into contact with some amazing people (a whole other story) who are not only Shelby / Mustang enthusiasts, but they also run a local body shop. They came to the rescue and fixed the hood for me - no trace of my stupidity left to be found!
So, for those who seek to be humbled (and I wasn't), I received quite the heavy dose that day.
Share if you dare!