Loud Pedal: End Note.

by Robert Goldman

Dorothy’s little boy Robert never expected to sell auto parts for a living. He expected to manufacture and sell restaurant salt and pepper shakers (I’m not joking). But circumstances change.

As evidenced by the attached black and white photo, in June of 1977 the kid was dressed by his mom, had no sense of style, and had little or no idea how to behave in public, an affliction which haunts me to this day.

It was my first British car show. I had seen a Porsche parade in a hotel parking lot once, but that was it. Now, suddenly, I’m at the awards banquet of GoF Mk24, in Dearborn, MI, with the two guys negotiating the sale of Moss Motors. I’m not sure today if at the time I knew why I was there.

Jump forward 44 years and my most recent car show adventure was the Austin Healey Conclave at Big Bear Lake, CA, back in May. In between these two events, I’ve accumulated around 200 shows attended. Some of them were memorable, and some not, but between them they were sufficient to generate a lifetime of memories.

There are more than a few juicy stories in all those shows. (Sorry, what happened at the British car show stays there.) Unless, of course, you can use it to embarrass your friends in the telling. Now that’s priceless. Trust me, this long-winded wind up is leading somewhere. If you’ve not yet guessed, Dorothy’s little boy has covered enough ground, and gained enough stories to call it a career. And that’s what I’m doing.

No one is irreplaceable, certainly not me. I’ve been known to state in response, when asked what I do at Moss, “Every once in a while, I have a crazy idea which causes other people a great deal of work.” I’m not sure how one advertises for such a job description. Moss will be fine, without having to fill the position.

Thank you to every one of you who have made the pressures of doing business fun. Thank you to everyone who has considered Moss Motors when buying parts. Without all of you, and the memories you created, my life to date would have been a lot less full.

The late science fiction author, Douglas Adams, was in possession of a note left by the Dolphins, upon their departure from Earth. It said “So long, and thanks for all the fish.” He used it as a book title. I’m more of a beef-atarian myself, but you get the idea. MM