AutoModia

Back in the mid-2000′s a relationship between two guys began. A relationship between 2 car enthusiasts. What do most car enthusiast relationships begin over? Well duhhhhhh…cars!! Their names were Roger Rodas and Paul Walker. Rodas was a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch and Walker was none other than one of the stars of the still fairly new Fast and Furious franchise. Roger was quickly becoming one of America’s top financial advisors and had quite a few years under his belt. Paul was in need of some good help with his investments and money management so the two quickly found other business to help each other with that did not involve cars. With both of them having some racing experience they became partners at a high-end shop called Always Evolving in California. Rodas raced Porsche GT3 cup cars before moving on to the Pirelli World Challenge series in a Boss 302S Mustang. He had many Mustangs that he collected and kept at AE, a man after my own heart! Walker raced an M3 in the Redline Time Attack series and was the new star of what would become a cult franchise to enthusiasts worldwide. That franchise being The Fast and the Furious (like I needed to say that…lol). Among other philanthropist efforts the two worked together in Reach Out Worldwide and would spend their last moments together on a joyride in a beautiful red Porsche Carrera GT. Which one of you reading this hasn’t taken a joyride with a friend at a car meet before? Raise your hand. I’ll wait……..

All of this boils down to one point. Love and friendship. Ok, that’s two points. Think back to when you first got into cars. How old were you? What was your first car? What did you do with that car? More importantly, who did you meet because of that car and your love of cars? My best friends to this day were all introduced to me via our love and enthusiasm for the automobile. Many business relationships all started because I love cars and wanted to share that love with others. Paul and Roger were ultimately brought together because of that love. It’s an instant conversation starter for all of us. It really doesn’t matter what kind of car you like versus what someone else likes. What matters is that you can find a common ground to strike up a conversation and build a relationship. Some folks share my love for the Ford Mustang while others despise it think that the Camaro is king. That’s perfectly ok…I’m always up for a rousing debate (lol). More importantly I am an enthusiast of damn near everything with wheels. I believe that if it was built to drive it was built to modify.

What you do with your love for cars is completely up to you. Roger and Paul weren’t just two rich dudes jacking around in a Carrera GT. They were human beings, philanthropists, fathers, brothers…friends. They did what they love and were very humble about it. They gave to their respective communities and helped people in dire straits. If you are out jacking around in your car one night just remember that our community is built on relationships just like that. It is what we do. It is what we love to do. Without cars I would be a lost soul.