So there I was...
I was out on a photo job for a friend who does amazing glass work, when I heard something from afar. Now I am a car guy through and through, so I knew what I was hearing was either not built in my lifetime, or someone was in need of a car guy. As I started to walk towards the noise, I noticed a group of people standing around something-- then it happened. This 1922 Model T just popped out of the driveway and down the road it went. I was grinning from ear to ear, and I guess they could see the smile from down the block because I instantly heard, "You wanna ride!?" My response was simple: girly laughing and lots of head nods as I pick of my pace. What I walked into was nothing short of a 100 year-old man's birthday party in the making. Before I could even say that I had things to do, I was sat in a chair next to the birthday boy, Allen, to hear how he acquired this awesome piece of history.
So what do I do?
I do exactly what anyone in my position should do. I shut my mouth and listened to a great story. He went into the history of the car first, telling me about how it was not as old as him, but still pretty old. He noticed my hat and asked if I was from Nebraska. "Yes sir" I replied. He then goes on to tell me that he was from McCook, NE, but spent most of his years in Wyoming. I then made my classic joke "Nebraska, its a great place to be from.", and we both laughed. We continued some more small chit chat about last names and who is who, and then he asked if anyone had told me how much he had paid for the car. I told him no, and he quickly told me that he bought if from a guy for $10, and he laughed again. He went on to say that it's paid off and runs great. He had me laughing along with his close friends and family. We then made our way to the car for some pictures when this took an awesome turn.
"Want to go for a ride?"
- Allen at 100 years and one day old
This is when I decided that I wanted to do a follow up article on Allen and his '22 Model T. As seen in the three pictures above, we were sitting there getting our picture taken, and he just looks at me and asks if I want a ride. Being me and not thinking about a lot of things, I say "Heck yeah!" Not fully understanding that HE wanted to give me the ride. Well, he moved some levers, pushed in a peddle and fired that thing up. I started laughing out loud from excitement ,and maybe some fear. But the fear was put aside when his son came up and offered to give me the ride. Allen had no problem with it, and I did get my ride. And on that ride was when his son and I talk about doing a story on Allen, and him driving this piece of automotive history. So this is the first article about my new friend, Allen. Please follow From the Bumper for the next! And Happy 100th birthday, Allen!
