"Oh come Ye my fellow board members and allow me be your chorus. Exercise your imaginary forces work as this poor wretch would dare upon this stage to bring forth the tale of two sage warriors who don the black armor of
Grand Prix "
"They came to meet at their appointed time upon the asphalt fields of New England. There near unto the village called Hartford, along the Berlin Turnpike, the two Black Knights did come face to face. He of the Order of the BlackArrow took the point of the north. His black steed glistening in the sun, its eyes peering through its face armor, it beheld and unexpected sight. The storied Dark Knight from the lands to the south did indeed arrive to proclaim his challenge, but he did so without his mighty black charge known as "Thunder"...gone lame on his journey to the contest. In its stead he mounted this slight, silver bird-like creature with but a rag for its roof. Hardly a match for the BlackArrow's weapon of choice. Small in stature he may be, yet he respects the challenger for showing despite his obvious disadvantage. The two Knights agreed upon a truce and also believed it was fated wisdom that since their meeting place was Hooters, at least one of their charges should have been topless."
And so goes my homage to The Bard
Last weekend BlackArrow and I met up at the aformentioned Hooters and I thought he would get a kick from a little "old english storytelling" given one of his pastimes, Ren-Fairs that he attends in full garb of the knights of old.
We shot the breeze and had lunch and before we knew it my wife was calling to see if I was coming back. Geez it had only been 4 or 5 hours. Like many lifetime carguys, BlackArrow is never at a loss for a story to tell (and I should know)
His screen name is inspired by the pristine black 98 GT sedan he arrived in, to quote him directly; "It was black and straight as an arrow"
This statement is no exaggeration, even though he admits his ride is a garage queen it takes nothing away from the fact that this car looks almost showroom. The camel cloth interior has covers over the front seats (arrowhead headrests are the only real giveaway) but you immediately get the feeling from looking at the rest of the upholstery that the covers are hiding a prefectly pristine set of buckets. His mods are subtle and would almost pass for factory if we didnt know what options were already offered. His two-pod pillar guage mount is as clean an install as I've ever seen.
However the real showpiece of this car is as unlikely as it gets. He opened what he jokingly referred to as his "Bat-utility trunk"...all joking aside his jest is not far from truth. I've seen plenty of cars with lots of stuff crammed in the trunk, but only at a car show have I ever seen it so neatly arranged. Obliterate the word "junkhole" from your mind here, this is more like some kind of black market saleman who rolls up and pops the decklid and says in a clandestine voice "whatever you need, I gots!"
A more accurate descrpition would be the master mechanic who slides open a drawer of his toolbox to reveal every tool neatly in place, and a specific place at that. You know these guys, the kind that work on cars all day and barely get dirty while a greasy tool would no more enter that toolchest than giving up a firstborn.
I would imagine that in the years to come,one day this car will grace a show floor and people will walk by and say; "I used to have one of these, and it looked like this when it was new."
My only real question here was given the rough condition of most of the New England roads, was all that stuff glued in place or did he just drive 10-20mph all the way there to keep from jogging any of it around?
If any of you are fans of the TV show "House" you would get major kick from this guy. Never with out a sharp and witty comment he also walks with cane. In true carguy fashion and in keeping with one of his favorite tv characters, BlackArrow sports Dr Houses' "bitchin cane"...a glossy black hardwood accented with flames. An absolutely perfect fit if I do say so myself.
He also showed me some pics of other rides in his stable. His Buick Riviera is one slick paint job away from being a real showstopper. But dont ask him to post those pics here since they are graced by a very cooperative (and scantily clad) young woman. Ah sleek svelte lines and curves where they should be. This car has classic shape and very cool set of headlights.
It was 5 hours that flew by all too quickly and a meet that I'm sure will have to be done again (since I am in his neck of the woods every year it seems)
"Hear Ye Order of the BlackArrow, when next I venture north, a worthy steed shall I be astride...and Ye shall hear my Thunder!"
Your mastery of the storyteller's art serves you well..as always, your words flow upon the page like Quicksilver itself...perhaps a suitable name for your curious bird-like creature but, yet I know not... 
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