Letter From FFR Customer Vince Adkins

 

I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WHAT YOU DO MEANS TO SOME OF US.

 

Four years ago, the day after thanksgiving, my father suffered a horrible debilitating stroke where he lost the use of the entire right side of his body. His right thumb was the only thing he could move and it affected his speech to the point that for several days it was hard for us to understand most of what he said. The following year, in June, my father and I went to the “All Ford Nationals” in Carlisle, Pa. where I pushed him in his wheelchair all day. While there, we ran across a Factory Five on display. He was absolutely enrapt with the car. Even though he was 72 years old at the time, he said that he had never seen one of the cars before. I explained what it was and that it was a “kit” car. The rest of the day and the entire 7 hour drive home, that’s all he talked about, he wanted to know more.

 

So, when we got back, I started doing some research and went to your website after reading about the quality of your product and your customer satisfaction rating. I got the brochure and the DVD and dad and I went over them line by line, minute by minute. I explained about the donor car concept and how the kits were set up to use the Mustang GT as the format for many of the components to complete the car. He ask about finding a donor car, but , I still wasn’t sure how sincere he was about building one until the next thing I know he’s counting out one hundred dollar bills for a 95 Mustang GT. On the way home from buying the donor, we stopped to eat and I asked him “When do you want me to order your car?” well “Right now!” he replied with his altered speech.

 

I started tearing down and prepping the GT right away trying to get ready for the kit that was due in August. The night before it was supposed to arrive, I went down to the local Wal-Mart and in the parking lot set the truck. DANG!! It's here I thought! The next morning we were there bright and early to pick it up. Then the real work began in earnest!

 

My parents are “snowbirds” and live in Florida during the winter months. So this past year while they were gone I made it my goal to have the car painted and setting in the garage as a surprise for daddy. Kandy Tangerine with white Le Mans stripes is what he wanted so that’s what I did. The look on his face was all that I could have hoped for.

 

Then my mother began to tell me things that I never realized. You see, after the stroke my dad became very depressed and was really having a hard time finding the motivation to do anything. Mom said that he acted as if he had lost the will to live, but when he saw that car, at Carlisle and ordered his kit he was so excited that it gave him the motivation to go and to move.  Even on days that he felt so tired and bad he didn’t want to do anything, if I showed up the work on “the car” he would find the strength and the will to move. He had to be involved even if was only handing me a wrench.

 

Well, I know it may sound very cliché, but your car was the dream and dare I say miracle that my dad needed to give him the desire to live. When there isn’t anything else in the world we can talk about, we can always find something about his Roadster that will bring that light back on and drive him to try. “Hhhhhmmmmm maybe a new chrome roll bar” he might say. “That would be great dad” I reply because it’s his dream car.

 

 

Now, I know that it’s not the most professionally built car or the most awesome performing one ever but in dad’s eyes, its pure heaven. He will never be able to drive it due to the stroke but the look on his face when we’re driving it, you can tell it doesn’t really matter. It’s his car!!!

 

Thank you for the life you gave back to my father through the cars that you build. Who knows, maybe we’ll want the '33’next!!