Classic Cars, Tech Center News, April 09, 2001

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TOP HAT JOHN-CLASSIC CARS COLUMN - Tech Center News, April 09, 2001

THE following is the first installment of a weekly car column that will be covering specialty car talk-from real live old car and new car road tests, to special interest stories on people, places and things involving the car hobbyist.

Automobiles-probably the one word synonymous with what America is, other than freedom and its people-that is what America is. Automobiles and people, that is what this column will always be about. With emphasis on special interest vehicles and the people who were involved with them as a hobby, vocation or way of life.

There will always, no doubt, be questions and debates among auto fanciers as to who built the first automobile and where, in regards to its initial origin, or who is actually credited with the birth of mass production. So lets follow some historical chronological facts of how and where-The Automobile.1710-Antoine De La Mothe Cadillac founds Detroit along the Straits of Detroit. The future Motor City.

That is how the first CLASSIC CARS by TOP HAT JOHN column in this paper started out on April 20^th, 1992, and has continued weekly with the same thought patterns and writing style. So here it is that at this ninth year anniversary, I say thank you to all the people that helped me and allowed me the opportunity to write this column.

My dad who ‘taught’ me automobiles. Mom- who, in the early ‘50s, let me cut out cars from new car dealer brochures and pretend I was driving them around her kitchen floor and parking them along the walls … while she was making apple pies. Mr. Sabaugh, who was the Osborn High School editor, The Lance, and let me write an automotive column. Mr. Swearingen, my ‘power source’ auto mechanics instructor at Osborn High School-he put up with my insane antics and outlandish high performance engineering proposals. The world famous Harley B. Ferguson, proprietor of Harley B. Ferguson Garage on Van Dyke in Detroit-Mr. Ferguson taught me mechanics … and let me break a few things in the process. My big sister Marcia-who let me blow up her 4-speed ’64 Chevy Impala SS convertible … five times. ‘Little Eddie’ who would let me tune his ’57 Ford for our Friday and Saturday night Woodward excursions-he also insisted I have it fixed by the following Wednesday.

I know, have met and will continue to do so-the best automobile people in the world, right here-Detroit

So again I say a sincere thanks to the people that accept this column each and every week for publication, I appreciate it and, to all the folks that read this column-thank you. To the wonderful people with the automotive companies; GM, Ford, Daimler-Chrysler … please keep the doors open. Past, present and future, I love ‘em all. And thanks in a real big way to the U.S. Government for letting me fly that F16 a few years back … and Mr. Winkler for recently ‘flying’ me in his AA/GS ’41 Willys Coupe. Next, hopefully, comes over 200MPH at Bonneville to complete some more childhood to adult dreams come true. Yes, thank you.

TIS’ fast approaching …the season for car shows and cruising with the old car. There are a lot of places to cruise to, which is far more fun than sitting in a hot parking lot ‘doing’ a car show. Things must be changing as I am hearing more car people saying that ‘cruising’ is what they prefer to do. With that in mind, I will be listing cruise nights, spots and shows that might be fun to drive to.

TOP HAT JOHN is also a contributing columnist for U.S Auto Scene.