Friends Don't Let Friends Drive El Caminos

The Hugger Orange '69 Camaro drives as good as it looks

It was an exciting day of driving as Bill reluctantly relinquished the Camaro keys to me for our cruise through the rural backroads of Alabama and Georgia on our 300-mile trip to Greenville, SC. The Hugger Orange Camaro SS is enough to make a hot rodder’s mouth water. It slid through the forested Southern woods on Highway 78 with the hood louvers glistening in the sun, while the cammed-up 350 with headers growled along, snarling occasionally at pedestrians as I down-shifted the four-speed through small town intersections.

David followed behind on the Triumph Thruxton Ace, enjoying the hills and curves and when we stopped for a quick Wendy's lunch we all agreed this was the most pleasant drive so far.

Wendy's for a quick lunch

I had warned Bill prior to trading him for the Camaro that our beloved El Camino had some backfiring issues at certain points under acceleration. At the first gas stop, I could tell he thought I had slipped him an automotive mickey when he said loudly to everyone within ear shot: “This El Camino has issues!”

Bill and Ben trying to enjoy the El Camino mickey I slipped them

I quickly jumped back in the Camaro, locking the door and claiming squatter’s rights and we drove on to Greenville, SC. There we were greeted in the cold Yard House parking lot by a few hearty classic car aficianados, including our host, Michelin's Brian Remsberg, and his three sons.

A hearty group braving the Greenvile, SC cold

After an excellent dinner, we retired early knowing we have four stops to make tomorrow. It’s showtime, and you can be guaranteed our Drive Home III crew we’ll be raring to go!

Dinner at the Yard House

Day 4: Grand Reunions and High-Flying Emotions

The Day 4 itinerary included travel from Tallahassee to Birmingham with a bit of a twist. Part of the group took a direct route, while David, Tabetha, Keith, Dave, and I hatched a plot to surprise AAT Marketing Manager Ashley Bice at her house in Niceville, FL. Ashley has participated in the past Drives, but more than that she’s been the main marketing, communications, and social media strategist who has made these efforts such a success. She would have been right along with us on the Drive Home III as well, were it not for the fact that she and husband Jay are within a week or two of having their first child. (BTW, she continues to drive our schedule and provide detailed coordination for us on a virtual basis from home while she and Jay wait for the big day to arrive.)

The Big Niceville Surprise crew left the hotel first driving the ’62 International, the ’72 El Camino, and the support truck and trailer. About 10 miles out we realized we had SUV keys that were needed by the other group, so I wheeled around in the El Camino to give them to Bill who had come halfway out to meet me in the Camaro. Transfer completed, I did my best to catch up with my Niceville gang but the El Camino sputtered and sorted badly up through the carburetor making it hard to reach 70 mph or better. (Keith later indicated it may have a bad spot in the carburetor because of a stuck needle or float.)

When I finally caught up and followed along behind the International, it wasn’t long until Tabetha came over the walkie-talkie to say the truck’s heater core had failed and antifreeze was leaking on the floorboard. Once stopped, our McGyver mechanic Keith re-routed the hoses to bypass the core altogether. While that solved one problem, it created another – the truck had no heat, so Tabetha and David used a blanket on their laps to try to stay warm. At the next fuel stop, David identified a hole in the floorboard that was contributing to the chill, and he stuffed it with a rag for a quick temporary fix.

We made it to Niceville and pulled in the driveway just as Jay and Ashley were going out to breakfast. The poor girl was so surprised she looked like she was going to hyperventilate and collapse, but she held up and we had a great reunion and Tabetha presented her with some really thoughtful shower gifts.             

 

 

Leaving out of Niceville, we hotfooted it for about five hours to Birmingham for a Cars and Cocoa event at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Complex and Museum. The Barber facility features a 2.38-mile racetrack and 1,400 motorcycles and cars in a gorgeous multi-floor museum that you have to see to believe.

The Barber folks were gracious enough to let us run our Drive Home III cars around the track, and I drove with Dawn Fisher in our Plymouth Fury. Dawn is a highly experienced track driver (with a special affinity for Audis) who has actually raced at Barber in the past, and I believed her when she told me: “You’re lucky they told us no passing other cars today or I’d make you scream!”

On to dinner, I had an extra special treat when my sister Joan Wymer and her friend Brooks Marie drove down from Huntsville and joined us at a Trussville restaurant. I haven’t seen Joan in more than five years and during that time she’s become an experienced and highly popular master falconer in Alabama. I’m super proud of my sister’s passion and expertise, and it was on full display when she took our group to the parking lot and uncrated Watson, the 7-month-old red-tail hawk she captured and trained, and now regularly hunts with. Watson put on a good show for the crowd, Joan answered questions and shared a lot of interesting falconry info, and I had my first chance to have “a hawk on the fist.”

 

All in all a day of grand reunions and high flying emotions. Send positive thoughts for good weather our way: Tomorrow we skip to the northeast toward Greenville, SC and more Drive Home III adventure!    


#DriveHome, #AATDriveHome

Day 3: A TRIUMPH-ant Run

Ace Café in Orlando pulled out the hosting stops again with a great Cars and Coffee event this morning, although it took a while in the 35 degree Florida temperature for the cars to show up.

 
Not to waste the opportunity, our crew busied themselves with fixing the back window of the ’59 Cadillac that had dropped down from its mechanism and replacing the voltage regulator on the ’62 International Travelette

While that was going on, David got a rundown from Ace mechanics on the 865cc Parallel Twin 2014 Triumph Thruxton Ace that our hosts are allowing him to ride north toward Detroit. The formal bike description notes that “The Thruxton Ace combines the silhouette of a true Triumph classic racer, with a fabulous one-off pure white and jet black paint livery reflecting Triumph’s long historical connection with the Ace Café.”

After being interviewed by local TV about the Drive Home, David mounted the bike and the entire team roared toward Tallahassee amidst some significant traffic and drivers who seemed much more concerned about getting to their destination than the safety of our caravan.

 

 

After a few stops that included a visit to one of seemingly dozens of Florida Citrus Centers (complete with a wide variety of produce and gator heads) we finally made it the 256 miles to Tallahassee around 7 p.m. A long day, especially for David who had ridden the whole way in sub-45 degree temperatures.

 



 

 

We’ll say goodbye to Florida early tomorrow as we move toward Birmingham, AL and the Barber Racing Complex – stay tuned, the fun has only just begun!

Editor’s note: Not sure why Keith Flickinger is in nearly every photo today; as you can see he's not a particularly shy fella and it seemed like every time I raised my camera he jumped into the frame…  


#DriveHome, #AATDriveHome

Day 2: Fast and Furious

Day 2 found us moving up the eastern Florida coast from Ft. Lauderdale to Orlando. A leisurely   188-mile drive with six cars and our support vehicle, a 2016 Ford F-350 pulling a 36 ft trailer. Other than the usual I-95 weekday traffic it was a ho-hummer, except the El Camino seemed to struggle at highway speed with my pedal nearly to the floor and burp a backfire or two through the carburetor every so often in protest. When we made a stop, I reported the struggle to my partner Bill Hall and astutely asked why I was carrying 350 lbs of sandbags (for our displays) in the bed of my truck. I didn’t have a good answer so we moved the bags to the support truck trailer and it made a measurable difference in the El Camino’s performance.

Back on the pavement, we cruised up the road until Dave in the support truck reported a vibration that within an hour had been diagnosed as a catastrophic bearing failure in the front wheel. Off to the nearest dealership went Dave and the truck and trailer and we kept ambling north for a video shoot on the coast of A-1-A near Honest John’s Fish Camp that has been in business since 1888 (or at least that’s what Honest John says).

Keith and Tabetha working on the 1962 Travelette

About that time we stopped at a gas station to check the 1962 International Travelette, which was having electrical problems and driver Tabetha decided to just run it from the battery and bypass the generator. At about that point someone looked up and noticed a pickup had driven off with a gas hose stuck in its side so Keith reported to the attendants that pump No. 10 seemed to have a bit of a problem and was leaking gas. While they were deciding if they should get a bucket to catch the gas under the pump we got back on the road for Orlando. But not too much later the side rear window on the Cadillac came loose and dropped into the quarter panel, leaving Diane, Kip and Michael a chilly ride the rest of the way. Not to be outdone, Keith soon reported some noise in the Chrysler he suspects could be loose flywheel bolts (more on that when fully diagnosed in the next day or so…).

Needless to say we were all ready to arrive at the famed Ace Café in Orlando. If you don’t know the history and provenance of the Ace Café, it’s something worth looking into. Owner Mark Mckee created a terrific event for us and as it happened George Tsuchnikas, a Londoner, and one of the partners that started Ace was there as well. He shared the fascinating history of the Ace Café, why it’s a unique concept and why he gets weekly calls from all over the world from entrepreneurs wanting to open new ones.    

From left: Keith, George Tsuchnikas, and David

As if all that weren’t enough fun for one day, the State Farm Good Neighbor Crew showed up to provide giveaways to the several hundred attendees who came to see the cars and enjoy Ace food and beverages.

But the real highlight for me was connecting with fellow State Farmers -- Agents Gary Merideth (and his wife Vivian), Matt Balady, and Manny Acosta as well as Agency Administration Leader Jim Williamson. The six of us had a great dinner discussing family, Gary’s Corvairs and Porsches and Matt and Manny’s new State Farm agencies.

From left, Agent Matt Balady, Rock, Agent Gary Merideth and wife Vivian, Agency Administration Leader Jim Williamson, and Agent Manny Acosta

All in all a Fast and Furious trip to Orlando. But wait, there’s more: The good news is that Dave got the truck fixed in Vero Beach and rolled into the Ace Café by about 7 p.m. Even better, we were really glad he showed up because he has all our luggage in the trailer…

Back to Ace in the a.m. for Cars and Coffee and then on to Tallahassee where we hear the snow has melted but the chill is still very much in the Florida air!   

Day 1: The Sendoff

Welcome to sunny Fort Lauderdale! Well, not quite, but the Drive Home III crew made the best of windy, rainy and cool weather with two great sendoff events on Day 1. The morning began with a hotel briefing for our expanded crew. Returning from last year: David Madeira, Vice Chair of the America’s Automotive Trust; Bill Hall, auto journalist for Hemmings Motor News and ClassicCars.com (driving the 1969 Camaro SS); videographer/photographer Derek Kline; and me (driving the 1972 El Camino).

New to this year’s Drive Home and their vehicles: The NB Center’s Keith Flickinger (1955 Chrysler C-300); MFD Classic Motors’ Dawn and Mike Fisher (1959 Plymouth Fury); Hagerty Insurance’s Tabetha Hammer (1962 International Travelette); and the Concours USA’s Diane Flis-Schneider who is teamed up with Kettering University’s Kip Darcy and Michael Ciesielski (1959 Cadillac Coupe Deville).



After our briefing, we were off to The Creative Workshop, a classic and specialty restoration shop in Dania Beach.

There we were welcomed by owner Jason who held a kickoff reception and lunch for some 60-70 customers and car buffs that braved the rain to celebrate our departure.

Following remarks by David and Diane Fitzgerald, President of the America’s Automotive Trust RPM Foundation (dedicated to auto restoration, preservation, and mentorship), we roared up I-95 for another kickoff event hosted by sponsor Montecristo Cigars at Casa De Montecristo in Boca Raton, which also included wine tasting for several dozen attendees from another Trust sponsor, Hedges Family Estates.   

A great first day and I was glad to put a few test miles on the El Camino before we chalk up serious miles. The road north begins tomorrow and we’re hoping the ice and snow that just blew through the Southeastern U.S. is long gone by the time we get there!

#DriveHome, #AATDriveHome

The Call to Adventure Part Deux

A year has flown by since the final team celebration dinner for the The Drive Home II when America's Automotive Trust CEO David Madeira turned to me over margaritas and said, "So you're in for next year, right?" Although somewhat exhausted from 10 days of driving and not sure how I would sell it to my wife, David is a hard guy to say no to, so I chirped, “You bet…”

State Farm is a major sponsor of America’s Automotive Trust and its LeMay – America’s Car Museum, which is how I earned my driver slot for last year’s trip from Boston to Detroit. Oh, and also the fact that while watching the cars depart at the first Drive Home kickoff in Tacoma in 2016, I told David I wanted to drive in the next one and he called my bluff.   

So here we are on the eve of The Drive Home III, a winter road rally and collaborative event between the America's Automotive Trust and the North American International Auto Show dedicated to celebrating the glorious history and role that the automobile has played in our American culture.  

More on the route, the cars, and the cast of characters in the coming days. Buckle up -- The Drive Home III: Driving The Future adventure is about to begin.  

ITINERARY

January 3: Cars & Coffee, The Creative Workshop, Dania Beach, FL & Kickoff, Casa de Montecristo, Boca Raton, FL

January 4: Boca Raton, FL I Cruise-ln, Ace Cafe, Orlando, FL

January 5: Cars & Coffee, Ace Cafe, Orlando, FL

January 6: Tallahassee, FL I Cars & Cocoa, Barber Museum, Birmingham, AL

January 7: Birmingham, AL to Greenville, SC

January 8: Greenville, SC I Cars & Cocoa, Detroit Speed, Mooresville, NC

January 9: Charlotte, NC I Casa de Montecristo in Nashville, TN

January 10: Nashville, TN to Bowling Green, KY to Cincinnati, OH

January 11: Cincinnati, OH to Birmingham, Ml

January 12: Drive down Woodward Avenue, cars into Cobo Center for the North American International Auto Show

 
#DriveHome, #AATDriveHome