Johnny Fotsch
Throughout my life I have had many friends I greatly respect, share with me the belief that “Less is More”! Well, after 48 years of being a Motor Junkie I would like to say, “Less is Not More”! I can honestly say that it would be difficult for me to recall a day in recent years that I didn’t enjoy a moment of “Automotive Thought”. For me, this illness started when I was 4 years old in Greensboro, North Carolina. My sister Alice, an attractive 15 year old, was constantly being pursued by many a suitor. One teenage boy found what he thought was a sure fire way to get my sister to notice him. He would come over to the house on weekends and bring with him model car kits that he and I would build on my mom’s kitchen table. The one model I can clearly remember was a 1959 Chevrolet Impala. When it was finished, he gave it to me to keep. I cherished that plastic model for years. “Much longer than his infatuation for my sister”!
It’s been said that we remember special times in this order:
Our 1st Car
Our 2nd Wife
And
Our 3rd Realtor
I’m not sure how accurate this is, but most car guys I’ve met, when questioned can always tell you what their first car was. Mine was a 1967 beige Volkswagen Bug. It was special to me for many reasons. Not the least of which was, it was the Chariot I whisked my wife of 34 years off in, on our first date. I also remember that @ $51.9 cents a gallon it seemed to never need gas! It’s been quite a few years of great memories, connected to the affair I’ve had with cars. My wife, Gay, say’s that she might feel jealous if it weren’t for the fact that car collecting is “Much” cheaper than other women.
I feel, if you could acquire a degree in Car Collecting that it might be possible that most of the cast of characters I call my “Car Buddies” would all have the distinction of being referred to as “Dr. of Car Collecting”. I myself would carry at least a B.S. in car collecting. You can surmise what the B.S. stands for!!!
All kidding aside, I wouldn’t trade a moment of all my years in the Car Hobby from knuckle scrapping in the garage to involvement in numerous car clubs. It has indeed been an Honor to share the field of Car Collecting with such a diverse group of participants, many of which I now consider friends.
Live Long and Keep Motoring,
Johnny Fotsch
aka Johnny Car Wash
