Dennis Kirban
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2009
The following story I printed last week in my Inner Circle I thought I would share with the readers of the Turbo Buick Forum....perhaps you know of other unique stories where a harden car collector had an usual request upon his or hers death. Below is a true story as I verified it with his son.
ONE MAN’S FINAL REQUEST -
If you are reading this story, chances are you are a serious car collector. Maybe you haven’t given much thought to what you want done when your time on earth has come to an end. Years ago, around 1982-1983, I became good friends with Dan, a GTO collector and parts seller. He lived in Columbus, Ohio. He would drive out to our house with his family from Columbus, Ohio with a car full of GTO parts to sell me. He would make this trip a few times during the year.He would also ship me parts.
I would give him a list of the GTO parts I would buy from him. The limit I would spend was about $250 per week. It is over 400 miles one way from Columbus, Ohio to our house in Pennsylvania. It was quite a drive for Dan to make.
Eventually he would start his own retail GTO parts business. We would reminisce about the good ole days when we would meet up at various Pontiac and GTO events over the years. Later years, he was pretty much confined to a motorized scooter at the car shows. Still buying and selling GTO parts.
I last saw Dan at the GTO National convention in Pittsburgh, PA in 2014. I was a guest speaker at that event.
Dan would attend the 2015 GTO National convention in Columbus, Indiana. As he and his son Dan Jr, were loading up the trailers, Dan passed away quickly with a smile on his face sitting on his scooterin the parking lot, doing what he loved, according to his son Dan Jr.
Dan had one single request upon his death, which I have verified with his son Dan Jr. He was cremated and his wish was that his son Dan Jr. would take his ashes and run them through the tri-power set up on his 1966 GTO at the Woodward Cruise and do a burn out on Woodward Avenue letting his ashes flow thru the carbs.
Dan Jr. was able to tee into a vacuum line on the intake manifold between the front and center carb, and run the vacuum line inside the car to a small check valve and to a plastic container with his Dad’s ashes.This was so he could control the amount of ashes to flow through the carbs. Too much at one time and it could possibly stall out the GTO.
Dan pulled off his father’s last wish in great fashion attracting the attention of 5 cop carsthat converged on him once he did the burn out. Once Dan Jr. explained his reason to the cops, they decided it was a noble cause and let him go with no citation, ticket, or jail time.
Dan Jr told me he later would spread his remaining ashes at various other Pontiac GTO events that Dan went to over the years.
Today Dan Jr works for Honda and still carries on his Dad’s GTO parts business. I had heard this tale earlier but wanted to verify it with Dan Jr before I put it in print.
I am not suggesting my readers take a similar path but this was one mans wishes!
ONE MAN’S FINAL REQUEST -
If you are reading this story, chances are you are a serious car collector. Maybe you haven’t given much thought to what you want done when your time on earth has come to an end. Years ago, around 1982-1983, I became good friends with Dan, a GTO collector and parts seller. He lived in Columbus, Ohio. He would drive out to our house with his family from Columbus, Ohio with a car full of GTO parts to sell me. He would make this trip a few times during the year.He would also ship me parts.
I would give him a list of the GTO parts I would buy from him. The limit I would spend was about $250 per week. It is over 400 miles one way from Columbus, Ohio to our house in Pennsylvania. It was quite a drive for Dan to make.
Eventually he would start his own retail GTO parts business. We would reminisce about the good ole days when we would meet up at various Pontiac and GTO events over the years. Later years, he was pretty much confined to a motorized scooter at the car shows. Still buying and selling GTO parts.
I last saw Dan at the GTO National convention in Pittsburgh, PA in 2014. I was a guest speaker at that event.
Dan would attend the 2015 GTO National convention in Columbus, Indiana. As he and his son Dan Jr, were loading up the trailers, Dan passed away quickly with a smile on his face sitting on his scooterin the parking lot, doing what he loved, according to his son Dan Jr.
Dan had one single request upon his death, which I have verified with his son Dan Jr. He was cremated and his wish was that his son Dan Jr. would take his ashes and run them through the tri-power set up on his 1966 GTO at the Woodward Cruise and do a burn out on Woodward Avenue letting his ashes flow thru the carbs.
Dan Jr. was able to tee into a vacuum line on the intake manifold between the front and center carb, and run the vacuum line inside the car to a small check valve and to a plastic container with his Dad’s ashes.This was so he could control the amount of ashes to flow through the carbs. Too much at one time and it could possibly stall out the GTO.
Dan pulled off his father’s last wish in great fashion attracting the attention of 5 cop carsthat converged on him once he did the burn out. Once Dan Jr. explained his reason to the cops, they decided it was a noble cause and let him go with no citation, ticket, or jail time.
Dan Jr told me he later would spread his remaining ashes at various other Pontiac GTO events that Dan went to over the years.
Today Dan Jr works for Honda and still carries on his Dad’s GTO parts business. I had heard this tale earlier but wanted to verify it with Dan Jr before I put it in print.
I am not suggesting my readers take a similar path but this was one mans wishes!
