102-year-old driver still wows the car-show crowds with her 82-year-old Packard roadster

Margaret Dunning, 102 years old, has been behind the wheel for 94 years, starting on her father’s farm in Michigan. But her even prouder accomplishment is keeping her 1930 Packard roadster in car-show condition, making it an auto-exhibit hit.

Margaret Dunning started driving when she was 8 years old. Ninety-four years later, she’s still behind the wheel. The 102-year-old, who has continued exhibiting her Packard 740 Roadster well into her second century, drove fans wild this week at Ohio’s Glenmoor Gathering of Significant Automobiles in Canton. “People were blown away to find a lady who's 102-years-old who is as active as she is,” David Schultz, the Gathering’s organizer, told the Daily News. Schultz first met Dunning, who he called a sharp, independent sort, when he was a “college punk” in 1964. At that time, Dunning had already been driving for more than four decades. She started on her family’s potato and dairy farm in order to help her father with his chores. She crashed for the first time as a 10-year-old, breaking a board in her barn. The crash didn’t deter her from driving, a hobby that gave her a special connection with her father. When he died two years later, Dunning was given her first driver’s license — at age 12. Her mother couldn’t drive, and was able to get her daughter the document through political connections. Growing up in Redford Township, Mich., Dunning was surrounded by car enthusiasts, including one famous automobile pioneer — Henry Ford — who lived just a few miles away.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/102-year-old-driver-wows-car-show-crowds-82-year-old-packard-roadster-article-1.1165000#ixzz27CKKxtYg

Let's see, back in 1969 when I was 16, my Brother's Best Friend had a beat up 57 Chevy Coupe without a drive train. He wanted $150 for it.

I remember going to look at it and there was a big dent in the passenger side quarter panel. I remember saying to him, “I can't believe you would try and rip off your Best Friend's Brother” (me).

Then there were the other two cars that I missed out on, a 70 Chevelle SS 396 that my buddy wanted the ridiculously high price of $2750 back in the mid 70’s and the one I still have nightmares about, a 1969 Shelby Mustang GT350 H that I almost bought way back in 1974.

The guy who owned it did some business with my Father. My Dad calls me up and says this guy has the Car and he wants to know if I'm interested in buying it. I call the guy up and tell him I will come by the next morning after work (I worked Mids back then). He says OK, so after work I call him on the way to the Bank to get the $2000, yes $2000...

The guy says, sorry, he sold it to someone else the night before because the guy had the Cash. I think I would be in Prison today if I went over there and he told me in person that he sold it out from under me. I never talked to the guy again. 40 plus years later and it still pisses me off. My Wife tells me to let it go every time it comes up in conversation, like when I'm watching the Auto Auctions on Velocity Channel and Speed Channel.

That car would be my first Lotto Car. They only go for $125,000 nowadays. Or I raid my Retirement Account and get one before the Wife files for Divorce.

If I could get my hands on the Cobra I built for Dennis
Wilson of the Beach Boys to go Drag Racing I would better than wealthy now!!!

When Dennis went off on drugs and traded it in to Hollywood Sport Car for a motorcycle I could have bought it for next to nothing.

After we blew off thr Rodreguize’s at the Guadahara State Fair in 58 and sold the Corvette to them for $7,800, twice the price of a new one they offered me $800 a month in a bank of my choice and all living and traveling expenses around the world to work on their race cars, like a dumnmnie I had to come home and get married instead!

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