Bringing up Baby

It was a late night delivery. Brian paced outside the Motor Palace waiting for his Baby to arrive.
When he first told me he wanted to bring home Baby, sight unseen, I got a little nervous, but he’s been waiting so long for the right one to come along that I couldn’t say anything but, Go for it. Luckily I’m the kind of wife who will accept another’s Baby into my home.

I remember what it was like the day mine was delivered, back in 2006…
What a glorious day.

And now it’s Brian’s turn. Nearing midnight, Baby arrived, all four wheels and tires in tact, a perfect bouncing bundle of joy.
Baby–and yes, all of our vehicles end up with names, the Lincoln became the L-Rod, the Vette, the Porn Sled, our old Mercedes, The Blue Car, and of course, Bondorella–anyway, Baby is exactly the Jeep Brian has been looking for: Right year (’66). Right motor (V6 Dauntless). All original. And the thing that really put him over the edge: The hubcaps.
Baby’s life thus far has been a working one. She’s low mileage (17000) because she spent the last 47 years working on ranches, first at a cattle ranch in the Santa Ynez area, then moving on to an orchard near San Luis Obispo (where Brian found her). In fact, she hasn’t even been registered for the street since the early nineties. So yeah… she definitely deserves some pampering. And pampering she’ll get.
Our good pal Dale jokes that vehicles hit paradise when they find their way to our garage, and he’s right about that, but not because of me. Noooo. Sadly, thee’s a reason my nickname is Dr. Destroyer. Brian, though, has a knack for slowly bringing things back to life in a way that honors their history. He doesn’t restore, he preserves. He brought home an insanely corroded V-Rod once and now you’d swear that bike has never seen the outdoors. His recent acquisition of an Evo Heritage has gradually transformed from an overdecorated, neglected beast, to a lovely example of a classic bike. He does this with everything he owns, taking his time, cleaning each old part, lubing, oiling, refining until they find their way back to glory.
I tell you, Baby is a lucky little devil to have landed in Brian’s hands.