Over the last 20 years, I've had to cold call/email a lot of people regarding cars. When you think about that ordinary-sounding everyday task, it seems like a rather cut-and-dry process.
But when the cars in question were owned and raced by a family, the cars tend represent something more. Memories of Mom and Dad, a child's youth going to a track. The best of times- perhaps not always the case, but memories. A flood of memories. The smell of oil, the loading of a trailer- seeing friends at the track who seemed united in this strange car culture. When Tanner T-2 H-mod came to us last week, we knew it had been owned and raced by the late Frank Isaacson from 1960 to the mid-to-late 1960s, and renamed the Lyne Special in honor of his wife. The more I dug into research, I found races won at Wilmot Hills, Road America and top finishes at IRP and even Lynndale Farms. But I just had two photos to work off of. So I went forward and contacted one of Frank's next of kin- Eve Pribel, a friend-of-a-friend it turned out. She was more than happy to scan family photos and send info about the Tanner, and her father, who passed away in 1989. I cannot thank her enough for doing so, especially in December. The holidays are tough for so many, and even the thought of a certain holiday song turns me into a complete mushy puddle when I think about some of my lost friends and family this time of year. But Eve and her family can rest assured that a slice of her family is going to motor on in her father's familiar orange in the near future, hopefully sliding along a few of the same tracks as it did 60 years ago. Happy holidays to you all- JD |
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September 2023
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