Our adventure started in late May when Bob Meneely was coming
down to our house to give me a “Brush up” Driving Lesson
in the speedster, since I had not been behind the wheel since
the 2006
Endurance Run and the car had not been on the road in a year.
Glenn and Bob were having difficulty getting the Speedster to
start. So they opened up a little window and saw several teeth
missing from the ring gear. I was so disappointed that I may
not be able to drive in June. (NOT) Glenn and Bob went to work
immediately taking the engine apart. Glenn was on the phone
ordering parts. I tried to convince them I would be OK with
taking the Model A on the Lowland Tour. But they were not going
to give up that easily. Glenn continued to work on the disassembly
as much as he could while the parts were in route. When the
parts arrived so did Bob. Funny thing, it took longer putting
it back together than taking it apart. They kept plugging along.
In the mean time we all attended the Model A Nor Cal Meet at
Lake Tahoe. On Sunday, June 6 Bob
appeared with reinforcements. Bob, Ray Fontaine and Glenn got
the engine back in the car with no left over parts. They fired
it up and wow! It sounded great.
I drove a few times down our road during that week. On Friday
I thought I better get serious, so after work I drove about 20
miles back roads into Gilroy to get a bite to eat. It started
coming back to me. Maybe I can do this. On Saturday we trailered
the Speedster up to Bertolotti’s for Tech Inspection. We
received a great reception. Everyone was so happy to see Glenn.
We passed no problem. There was a wonderful turn out for the
Bertolotti Collection Open House. And 125 attended the BBQ that
evening. There was a very special guest. Bill Speegle was able
to attend for a short time. As a past First Place Winner he
was missed in the run. So happy to see him looking so well after
surgery. June 14 turned out to be a beautiful day. No rain as
predicted. The
Starting Line Festivities in Downtown San Jose are a site to
behold. Thank you to all the Model A Members who have continued
to help behind the scenes and support the Event. The street
is lined
with 40-50 Prewar cars and people dressed in Vintage Outfits.
It is like stepping back in time. Then the Antique Fire Engine
leads the Speedsters to the Start Line. National Anthem, and
then, “Gentleman Start Your Engine,” the ground shakes
and away they go!! It was a great morning route ending up at
Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy for Lunch.
The afternoon was literally in our back yard. I chose not
to take the gravel road from Redwood Retreat Rd into Mt. Madonna
Park. Been there, done that. Going down into Browns Valley was
enough excitement for me. We went through the beautiful Redwood
Forest of the Santa Cruz Mtns, back to Los Gatos and on to Santa
Clara. We decided to stop and get a milkshake and take our 15
min. afternoon break. Big mistake!! As we were turning right
into McDonalds we saw George & Genelle turning left. Should
have followed them!!
Crossed the finish line! Yes, I did it! Drove the whole
way. Glenn did a little screaming and praying. But he survived.
I had a great day, the car ran great, the weather was perfect,
the route was fun and I didn’t have to drive over Mt Hamilton.
Thanks to everyone for their encouragement. Thanks to Bob and
Ray for getting the car on the road. Even though I did not finish
in the Top 10 I did finish as “The Lady Driver Closest
to the Winning Time.”
Vicki Wildman
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