Restoration of the "Faithful Pursuit" Buick

[BqUICK]

Practicing Christianity as a Catholic racer has its own challenges. There are

great responsibilities that come along with acknowledgeing God, family, and

knowing all those things come before the fun and expense of racing.

Knowledge of the long suffering and illness that Pope John Paul, II,

of the Roman Catholic Faith, has endured has brought many of us great

cause for saddness and the same time reason to rejoice as soon he will go to God.

Going back to 1979 or so I drove the Faithful Pursuit, then my flat black, Thrush exhaust, beat up daily driver to the old Academy of Aeronautics, now the Vaughn College of Aeronautics & Technology, near La Guardia Airport in Queens, NY.

One sunny evening evening, as I stopped at a light preparing to go onto the Grand Central Parkway, the calm was shattered by the squeal of tires as a car came careening nearly out of control, fishtailing wildly as it crossed in front of me and the two or so lanes of traffic I was at the head of. Several police cars wheeled around the intersection, not in pursuit, but ushering everyone out of the way escorting a large black limosine.

The police PA system blared "Thats right, lose it turkey!!!" as the hapless and traumatized driver fishtailed from side to side and finally pulled it over and out of the way of the onrushing motorcade. As the limo rounded the intersection in front of my old Buick, I caught a glimse of the man in white, Pope John Paul, II!

I have often been on my knees in prayer during this 22 year long odyssey of a restoration project. Through three major medical setbacks and the deaths of two great supporters of my efforts, the "Faithful Pursuit" is now nearly complete. The link is off the Buick Club of America Page.

http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/showflat....;o=&fpart=5

When I think of those early days driving my car to college, I often think about how surreal that Papal experience was. Perhaps it was a decoy motorcade? Was it really him? It sure was intense! All I can say is,

God Speed John Paul II