This year wasn’t all bad.
2021 has been a rough year, espeically if you're a car person. The market has been wild if you're trying to buy a new car, and absolute hell if you're trying to find restoration parts. But we're not going to focus on that, not for the next few minutes, here are some of the high points of 2021.
100-Year-Old Man Gifted Bentley He Used To Chauffeur
Lacock, U.K resident, Eddie Hughes used to drive a Bentley S3 that he picked up from the factory for his employer back in 1964. He drove his employer around for a year before moving on to a different job, but never forgot the Bentley. When his family gave him the keys to the car recently, he was very surprised.
Ron, his 69 year old son, set out to find the car twenty years ago when his father told him about the car, and how much he admired it. Eddie’s son contacted Bentley club all over the globe, but it was when Ron’s son, James, punched in the registration through an online search that they found the car for sale in the United States.
The car was sold to the family through the Beverly Hills Car Club, and it was shipped to the U.K. after the sale of $44k. However, it was in need of some help as the years had taken a toll on the classic luxury car. Read the full story here.
Ferrari Dealer Gives Child Cancer Patients Free Rides
Cancer sucks and it’s especially painful to see kids suffering from its ravages. That’s what makes Rides to Remember, an annual event Ferrari of Atlanta has put on for the past 15 years, so phenomenal. The dealership allowed the roughly 60 pediatric cancer patients who attended to ride in a variety of cars, from police cruisers to exotic Ferraris, around Atlanta Motorsports Park for two hours. Read the full story here.
94-Year-Old Gearhead Gets Surprise From Fellow Enthusiasts
Memories JT Shoemaker has been going to Cruisin the Coast since it started 25 years ago. Unfortunately, that was not the case this year. Since he could not make it to the Cruisin the Coast event, his family made arrangement for the car cruises to come to him.
Classic cars lined the roads around Park Court North Street in Biloxi to pay Shoemaker a visit. It wasn’t a planned stop, but it was detour the group decided to make to give the elderly man a smile and make his last wish come true.
“His hospice nurse Tracey Ladner put it on Facebook. We shared it on Facebook pages. We shared it to Cruisin the Coast Facebook page and the last we know it was shared over two thousand times.” Read the full story here.
80-Year-Old Car Collector And Speed Demon Shoots For 300 MPH
NorCal resident, Gary Matranga, is no stranger to going fast, and he has no plans to take it easy anytime soon. He’s a well-known figure around the car community, and now he’s looking to hit that magic 300 mile per hour number.
"I can't — you slow down you die," Matranga said.
Gary’s ride is an intense 2,400-horsepower Barracuda, that’s not much of a Barracuda anymore. The famed Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah is where this extremely modified muscle car gets to stretch its legs. This same Barracuda has gone over 200 miles per hour with its previous owner, and Gary knows this car has a lot more left in it, and he’s going to find out. Read the full story here.
Man In His 90s Giving Car Collection To Charity
George Allen passed away at the age of 94, an age most of us would consider to be a luxury to reach. During his long life, he was able to fulfill his automotive enthusiast dreams, and collect many of his dream cars. After George passed away last year, it was revealed that he graciously dedicated his car collection to a charity.
Resident of Halstead, U.K., George Allen left behind a modest collection of seven collectible cars that included four Ford Model T cars, ranging in model year ranges from 1911 and 1921. His family shared with a local news outlet that he had considered donating them to a museum, or even multiple museums, but ultimately decided on a more righteous cause. George decided that the best thing to do would to let them be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to Cancer Research, British Heart Foundation, Essex & Herts Air Ambulance and RSPCA charities. See more here.
