June 3, 1998
Leaving Detroit, Michigan
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It was hard to leave GMATV in Troy yesterday. After all, the EV1's home base is in Troy, and this is where future General Motors Advanced Technology Vehicles are being created. William Sprague has been a part of the Impact/EV1 program from the beginning. Bill and I have corresponded for some time via email. We met at the Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS 14) in Orlando, Florida in December. Bill retired from GMATV on Monday June 1, the day before my arrival in Troy. I'm glad he made it to the finish line party that GMATV threw for my EV1 and I. Those of us that have EV1's know how to "wow" a crowd - just boot up the car and let the crowd look at the flashy instrument panel when it's all aglow. We can thank Bill for this - he designed the EV1's instrument panel.
Bill and his wife Mary Kay offered to take me out to dinner last night. When asked where I'd like to go, I suggested "The Whitney," a magnificent restaurant near downtown Detroit. Bill and Mary Kay love the place too, so we headed downtown from suburban Troy. David Whitney was a lumber baron in the 19th century, and his spectacular mansion is one of the finest restaurants I've ever eaten in. The service is unmatched anywhere, the setting is opulent, and the food is superb. This was my second visit to The Whitney, and it lived up to my fond memories.
Bill and Mary Kay offered to drive me from my hotel in Farmington Hills to Detroit Metro airport for the flight back to Los Angeles this morning. The flight was pleasant, but I spent much of the time thinking about all the wonderful people on the ground below who helped make my incredible journey a success. America is a land of considerable cultural diversity which is best appreciated on a cross country driving trip. My EV1 was a calling card that introduced me to hundreds of people during my three week trip. I doubt that I could ever recapture the excitement on a subsequent trip, but who knows, there's a lot of America that hasn't seen the EV1 yet. One thing's for sure, I wouldn't hesitate to drive an even longer route next time.
