John Phillips, cousin to my brother and myself, drove to Valparaiso a day early to meet up with Gale Larson, a retired Air Force Colonel and the gentleman John had bought his Factory Five 1965 Cobra replica from. John wanted to not only show Gale the finished car, but also give him an opportunity to actually drive it. Gale had purchased the kit with the intention of building it for himself but sadly became terminally ill and was unable to finish the project. Enter John and his experience in having built two such cars before over the past 25 years, his desire to build another, and it was the perfect solution for both men.
John, along with Gale, who had driven down from his home in Michigan, stayed at the same hotel in Valparaiso. While dining at the hotel the next day for breakfast John noticed a young family in the hotel restaurant with three delightful children who were also guests at the hotel. The children were absolutely charming and the little boy had on a shirt with tractors on it. As they were finishing their meal, John approached the family asking the kids if they would like to sit in a real race car. Of course the kids excitedly assured John that they would, so they all proceeded to the parking lot.
The children’s father is Daniel McClure, and Daniel’s father Bill, a minister and international missionary has been a “sports car guy” all his life. Daniel took photos of his children in the car, and sent them to his dad, asking “do you know what kind of car this is”. Daniel’s father Bill texted back “I not only know what kind of car that is, I know why it’s here and who owns it!” Bill’s son Daniel was dumbfounded!
Now the back story. Bill McClure is a lifelong dear friend of mine from first grade. I was to be in Valparaiso the very next day to attend the memorial and life celebration service for Bill’s wife Kathleen, who had passed into eternity to be with the Lord after a courageous five-year battle with cancer. I had been sharing the details of our planned Route 66 adventure with Bill for nearly a year prior, and he was familiar with the cars and our intent to fulfill a lifelong dream of driving the length of Route 66 while raising money for charity.
I met Daniel, his wife, and their children at Kathleen’s memorial and we had such fun relating the details of this chance meeting with each other. We took the opportunity to also take a picture of his children in another of the “3 Cousins” cars taking the “C3 on Route 66” trip. What a delightful encounter for all involved.
More adventures to come!
Mitch
