Tom Goes for a Ride

A true story of giving from Dick Ruzzin

At a recent car show I was about to get into my car and leave when a woman and a boy about seven walked over to me. We spoke briefly about my car and then she asked if I had time to take her son for a ride. She explained that she was an engineer and that she was trying to acquaint him with different kinds of cars. She thought mine was special and their favorite car in the show. She said that she would really appreciate it. Of course I could not turn down such a heartfelt request.

We went for a short ride, I did have a chance to step on it a little and the boy was very respectful. When we returned his mother was waiting, holding his jacket. I got out and went around to open the door for him, he had a big smile on his face as he got out. His mother gave me a big smile, she thanked me and then said, “ Could you give me a ride too?”

We drove off and I took a different route that gave me a chance to let the car out a little more. She was enjoying it so much that I found it hard to turn back, but we finally did. I had the greatest feeling of pride that all the hard work that I had put into the car was recognized and also gratitude that I was able to own this wonderful car and the fact that they both had enjoyed the ride in the Mangusta so much. The ride ended and I never saw them again.

A meeting at Janet’s Lunch, Grosse Pointe Park, MI

One day after going to the hardware store I walked across the street to Janet’s for a coffee. The place was like going back in time as it was about a hundred years old and a little frayed around the edges, like a favorite book. There were a lot of nice and interesting people that frequented the place including the owners Bob and Alison, as well as all who worked there. I sat at the u-shaped counter next to a fellow that I had been introduced to earlier as Tom. We talked, he had lived in the Detroit area all his life, he had experience in the car selling business in the 1950s as a young man and still had a lot of enthusiasm for the business. He stayed up on what was going on in the industry and we would exchange theories about the whys and wherefores of the car business as we were on the opposite ends of it. I designed them and he sold them.

He seemed on some kind of diet but would always order an extra carry out breakfast for his dog, eggs, toast and bacon. One day he asked me what I was doing for the weekend. I told him that I was going to a little car gathering at Pasteiners store over on Woodward Avenue on Saturday morning in the Mangusta. He had never been there so I asked if he wanted to go with me and he said “Yes.” I was surprised but happy to have him. Later I thought of how bizarre that it would be for him, riding six inches off the pavement in a car forty-two inches high, motor sounds from behind, all of this very different from his Lincoln sedan. He had no idea what he was in for and I hoped it would not be too much.

Saturday at 8AM I parked in front of his house and went to knock on the door, he was ready. It was a beautiful morning, sunny with a bright blue sky and a few puffy white clouds, a little cool, perfect for a cruise as there would not be much traffic. The red Mangusta contrasted with the green grass, shrubs and trees of Grosse Pointe Park and after Tom told me that my car was “The lowest car that I ever got into”, we drove off toward I-94.

When you have someone else with you in your car you see, hear and feel things that normally just skip by as part of the ride. After working on it for years, getting every single aesthetic and mechanical thing exactly as you want it, you eventually find yourself driving and enjoying all the effort usually by yourself. You are always by yourself when you are tuning or adjusting whatever.

We took the east down ramp to I-94 off of Vernier Road and I ran the engine to 6000 in second and then coasted back down to 55 mph in fifth as that was the speed limit in the city. We drove along talking and I noticed that an SUV that passed us had a wheel opening that was taller than my car. We talked above the exhaust noise and he told me about a Facel Vega that he had washed for a dealer customer where he worked in Detroit during high school. He recalled that it had a Hemi engine. We exited at Woodward and soon arrived at Pasteiners. There was a good crowd and a lot of great cars and a lot of nice people, as always. Later I saw Tom excitedly talking with a small group, he had met someone else who knew of the Facel Vega. We had a nice calm drive home and I enjoyed his company but I secretly suspected that the trip might have been a little stressful even though he said that he had really enjoyed himself.

Tom’s first big show

Time went on, the following spring at Janet’s he again asked me what I was doing for the week end, I told him that the Mangusta had been invited to Eyes On Design at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House on Sunday which was a short distance away. We talked about shows in the area and I decided to ask him if he would like to go with me in the morning as my wife was going to join me later. He said he would like to very much as he had never been in a show or gone to one. He would have to leave early as he had an afternoon commitment, a birthday party that he was invited to, he said he could not miss it.

I picked him up again, the car was extra clean and shiny and we were on our way to Eyes On Design at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House. We had a wonderful ride along Lakeshore Drive, the water was still and bright blue, we entered the Ford House grounds, drove on a curving path through a small shady woods, picked up our show credentials from Doug and then were led around to the large meadow between the trees in front of the house. A magnificent place, the meadow between the trees was already filled with over two hundred cars of every kind and age imaginable. We parked in our show spot between a Dino Ferrari and a Lamborghini Espada, two of my favorite cars. The show provided each car owner and partner a breakfast and then a nice lunch later and I was able to introduce Tom to a lot of people. After lunch he apologized as he had to leave, someone was picking him up to go to a very special birthday party of a friend that he had gone to kindergarten with, in fact the friend had spent a lot of time right there at the Ford House as a child.

He really did enjoy himself…

About a month later I saw Tom again, he looked great, healthy and he was in good spirits. He asked if I ever went back to Pasteiner’s on Woodward, he said that he would like to go again.
I was pleased to hear that as I was afraid that the noisy trip and the freeway traffic in a small and very low and noisy car had been too much for him. I told him that I could not do it that week end as I was rebuilding the shift linkage in the car but that as soon as I had it back together I would call him. He said “Please do”. Tom recounted that he had really enjoyed the trip as well as meeting everyone and seeing the cars. I felt really good about that and looked forward to calling him.

Two weeks later I went for a coffee and Alison asked me if I had heard about Tom. I said no. He had died of cancer a few days before. I was shocked….

I only had a few brief experiences with Tom as described here but later I realized the enormity and significance of his last request. He was secretly fighting cancer and did not know how long he would live, yet he wanted to have one more car experience, one more trip to visit Pasteiners and the cars and the people that collect there every Saturday morning.

What is the point of this story?

Here is what I learned from Tom, the woman and her son. Share your car, take a friend, neighbor, a business acquaintance or even a stranger for a ride and then do it again. Do not let your car be something that people only can see, something untouchable, something they will never have the chance to experience. Share your car, you will not regret it and it will add great value and satisfaction to all the work that you have done to make your car the machine that fulfills your dreams. I guarantee that you will be rewarded. Of all those that will ride with you, surely some will catch the fever as you did and we know that it will enhance their lives forever.