chapter 545

12/30/2019

Swap Highlights

looking in the rear view mirror

I know you have all been waiting for this for a long time. How do I look back in the rearview mirror without retreading on old highways. I'll try.

It was the swap drives, driving dealer vehicles to and fro that launched my blog career in 2004. This first delightful delivery of a new Audi Cabriolet to Kennebunkport, Maine that go my foot in the door. An investment banker wanted to surprise his wife on her birthday. She was tickled. Drove their leased red snazzy Volvo convertible back to Albany.

It wasn't much later that I snapped a shot out the window of an Acura on the way back from Westchester County that made the newspaper. The kids all survived.

We've all had bosses that we weren't so pleased to work with. Jen at Keeler Honda was a congenial Sales Manager who allowed me great flexibility in doing my job.

I got to spend time with many relatives that I otherwise would never have gotten around to doing. Acura Sales Manager Steve Coons was another guy who gave me free rein to stay overnight in Buffalo to visit Uncle Gene in his later years. Various war stories and other musings were discussed. He proudly displays some of his golf trophies here.

It was on that same Buffalo trip when we got together with Uncle Dick. He had travelled around the world in his 90's with grandson William Mungrall here on the left. William is an architect in L.A. and was invited to a house party with Janet Jackson.

Keeler Motorcar trusted me and allowed me access to their master key vault via their biometric fingerprint scanner.

Lanagan Porsche sent me to Manhattan Motorcar for a Porsche Cayenne S pickup but I had to spend some time with the Bentleys, Rolls Royces and Lamborghinis.

On a BMW run down the Hudson Valley, I took a little side trip to visit Orange County Choppers and lunch. Paul Teutil Jr was out back having a smoke when we had a brief chat.

One of the true highlights of the job was representing Keeler Motor Car at Watkins Glenn Grand American Cup Challenge. We had given this Nuzzo Mini Cooper race team some sponsorship money so the team treated me like I was special. I was delighted when one of the Vice Presidents at Keeler had offered me 2 free tickets to the race.

Tony Nuzzo came in third beating out some Mustangs, Porsches and BMWs. It was his first podium finish and he was ecstatic as I rushed into the winners circle with the other "official photographers". Later on I delivered some racing components to Tony at his Glen Head Long Island home where he offered me a job.

During my few years I had worked for over a dozen local dealerships, drove hundreds of swaps and enough miles to go around the world. Worked the International Car Show at the Jacob Javits Center. Took taxis, planes, trains, subways and buses. Drove a lot of nice cars, some trucks, and a lot of Hondas. Went underground at the Boston harbor where they store the amphibious touring Ducks. There were so many highlights and interesting trips people and events but in the end it was the longer drives that I got tired of. Too many details, too tedious and boring to mention.

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