Friday, May 17
Lansing, IL to Detroit, MI

“Is This Paradise?”

Awoke at 5:00 AM in beautiful Chicago suburb of Lansing for the trip to the Motor City — Detroit, where American iron rules the streets, cars are king, and cubic inches separate men from boys.

Wash the Way Cool Mothers® Vortech Mustang at 5:20 AM, and in rush to complete bash head on side mirror. Big red welt will match my peeling sunburn and gray hair, thank you. Have coolest car in lot, well maybe not, but certainly cleanest at 5:45 AM. Quick shower and meet in lobby at 6:00 AM for manufacturer hot foot to Detroit. Notice Gene from Centerforce is long gone. Not surprised.

Convoy leaves — me, Callaway Corvette, Optima Battery guy, MSD guys, Splitfire Cobra (now keeping respectful distance from Way Cool Mothers® Vortech Mustang) and others. Kicker guys and Gus from Jet nowhere to be seen. On our way at a good clip. Radar detector keeps sleeping. Good thing, too.

Catch up with Total Performance trailer at gas stop. They have really cool 427 SOHC 1963 Ford and ’95 Mustang with 600+ HP 604 cubic inch aluminum motor. Nice car is an understatement. He suggests we follow him to stop, as their shop is three blocks away from next party. We agree. For diesel pulling fifty-three foot trailer it runs pretty good. Splitfire Cobra should stay away from it, lest it be spanked again.

We leave for parking lot. Locals are pulling in already. We are given primo space in Super Shops booth next to Callaway Corvette they are giving away tomorrow. I wash both cars, and wax Way Cool Mothers® Vortech Mustang besides. Other Tourers will be SOOOOO jealous as they drive by to their peon parking spaces.

Eat lunch — more dogs, but pizza slices, too. Square though. Must be Midwest thing. Find Kunzman trailer. Nice. Race car is nice, too. Even if it is Chevrolet. They will look me up later. Way Cool Mothers® Vortech Mustang is tricked out. Callaway is okay looking. Give up on waxing Way Cool Mothers® Vortech Mustang any more and cover it to protect from dust. Go to hotel and check in. Police motorcycle escort arrives with front of Tour. Over 200 cars. Crowd goes nuts. See all road buds drive by. They cast jealous eye to ever clean Way Cool Mothers® Vortech Mustang and Callaway, too.

Meet brother, sister-in-law, and four nephews. Look at cars. Get free food. Get free Summit Racing T-shirts. Get ice cream cone. Look at cars. Look at still more cars. Wow, there are a lot of cars here. Mayor estimates four thousand cars on street.

Give out product and T-shirts to those who express sincere interest in me making fun of their Chevy. Amazing what abuse people will put up with for a T-shirt.

Unbelievable what cars this town possesses. Serious machinery, and immaculate, too. This is paradise, Utopia and Xanadu all rolled in to one. Oh yeah, many Harleys too for Pat.

9:30 PM. Street racers getting real serious. Cops do better crowd control as bleach bottles come out for heavy machinery. Oh baby.

Leave for hotel — can see it, but can’t get there on one way streets. Make wrong turn, area is darker than the universe Stephen Hawking has written about. Glad for eleven pounds of boost as I boost myself out of there post haste. Find hotel. Find parking space right in front of water faucet. No doubt who will have the cleanest, coolest Way Cool Mothers® Vortech Mustang tomorrow for ride to Norwalk.

Story and photos by,

Forrest Tosie
Mothers® Polishes•Waxes•Cleaners