OK Cars fans, it's time for the big reveal, and a moment that "changes Winston's life forever".
I want to thank you for reading along, and hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it.
Chapter 10 The Reveal
It is a custom for Chip to leave the masking paper across a car's windshield, blinding him or her to the expert work he does, until the moment he reveals his artful skill. However, as this car has been without sight for thirty five years, the custom designer made sure Winston saw everything he did. He watched as the skillful fabricator took an entire day to assemble a sturdy steel cage, one that could hold up to the power he was thinking of giving the old muscle car, taking time only to replenish the water that was still leaking from his damaged front end.
Winston observed with awe, as Chip worked hard into the wee hours every night, taking only a moment away from the job to get inspiration from the cars cruising on the brightly lit mother road, finding his answer in the many different designs that would go by. Foose then endured two straight days of grueling work, gently straightening Winston's twisted frame, with as little pain as possible to him, placing a new skeleton inside the Mustang's striped hull.
Now, nearly a week after Winston felt the awkward sensation of having his roof removed, he is NOT having any regrets. The sleek look Foose has given him, has made the destroyed car come back to life with a feeling of urgency. But it wasn't until yesterday, almost six days later, when Foose finally was able to replace Winston's roof, showing off his new design once, then folding it down into it's second home.
Winston stares into his rear view at this newly streamlined back end, knowing his roof is now tucked inside the trunk, along with the rest of his remarkably strong skeleton. It was detailed in length to the broken car, how this cage will become his new backbone, however, Foose strongly advised on how this new beauty will become a great weakness, if he forgets one simple rule.
"Don't go full out with the top down!" He said making sure the young car could see his seriousness, before finishing his statement. "You could twist yourself into a pretzel with the amount of torque this engine's gonna give you."
Since that moment, Winston has been like a child waiting for midnight on Christmas eve, shuttering with anticipation to see the heart that Chip Foose found to power him, and the final design of his artwork. He can hear the approval of his uncle Hudson from the other room, and begins to dream of different paint schemes, all of them utilizing his new blacked out roll cage.
His eyes return to his rear view, staring at the single black bar that crosses over his barren interior, knowing that will blend perfectly with his original red coat.
"Weird huh!" Ramone remarks, seeing the gray pony car staring at his opened roof, and Winston's new eyes turn towards the masked Chevy.
"Yeah...it sure is." He replies, as his stare returns down his drivers side, seeing none of his roof remaining. "I never thought I would like the look of a convertible, but I think it's starting to grow on me."
"I'm thinking you're gonna like it more when its closed!" Foose suddenly remarks as he rolls into the booth of Ramone's shop, looking one last time at the gray-primed car, and giving a very assuring nod.
"You should see the engine my friend Vic just gave us!"
Winston's eyes open wide, however, they soon show a bit of concern, as Chip grasps the tape gun.
"OK buddy, it's time...I gotta tape you off now, and this time it stays on, but only for a few hours...I promise.
Winston practically freaked out when Chip first primed his coat, as it was the only time he covered the young Mustang's new eyes.
"I'll try to remain a bit calmer this time." Winston begins to say, however, Chip leans against the gray Mustang, whispering into his empty frame.
"I brought in a friend to help with that!"
"Hey...why's he still gray?" Mater remarks bluntly through the white mask on his face, and Winston's eyes quickly focus on the rusty tow truck that became his friend in a day, then saved his life thirty five years later.
"MATER!" He remarks, and the tow truck shows his first best friend a pair of joy-filled eyes.
"I was hopin' ya'd remember me..." Mater replies, rolling up to the young Mustang that held a place in the back of his mind for so long.
"...because I could never ever forget you!"
Winston sobs for a moment, seeing Mater's eyes filling with tears, however, he does not cry as the tow truck quick switches emotional gears.
"But...now that I found ya...I don't have ta miss ya no more!"
Chip and Ramone begin to laugh as they tape off the headlights and side markers of the gray car, however, Winston starts to cry.
"I don't know what to say, except I'm sorry..." Winston replies somberly, looking back at Mater, and seeing a vision of someone else, someone who must have felt the same way as this incredible tow truck did for so long. Now, hearing such pain in Mater's words, and knowing that his loss is what brought that pain, Winston's mind begins to race. He realizes he has yet to see one specific car since he left Texas thirty-five years earlier, and her face suddenly flashes before him.
"...and how I only wish I could say that to my Mom!"
Chip and Ramone raise their eyes in unison towards Mater, and they can see the look in his eyes.
Both cars can see it in his expression, and sink on their tires, as Mater, not wanting to keep this important secret, blurts out a fast answer.
"Your Mom has been called already..." he replies, looking over at the shock in Winston's eyes, and also Ramone and Chip's faces as well. "...she should be hear ina few days, and will get a chance ta cruise with her son on the mother road!"
Winston shakes his head in disbelief, hearing not only that his mother is still alive, but that he will get to see her very soon. He uses all of the power the Sarge's generator is giving him to breath, and rolls over to the rusted tow truck, leaning his side against Mater in an embrace.
"Thank you, my friend! Because of you, I will have a chance to live...and to see my Mom again." He says with a great amount of sincerity, before looking deeper into the old tow truck's eyes.
"I will owe you everything I become from this point in my life."
Mater tries to smile, but finally understanding the deepness of Winston's emotion, he begins to tear up as well.
"I would do anything for a best friend..." He replies with the same amount of sincerity, helping Winston back up into position for his paint job. "...just ask anyone in town."
Mater notices Winston beginning to lose consciousness, and looks up at Chip Foose, whom suddenly shows a smile.
"Perfect Mater!" He remarks, picking up his tape gun, and quickly masking off Winston's windshield. He knew the tow truck could distract Winston long enough for him to calmly slow his engine, and shut the pony car down without scaring him.
"But why did you tell him mom was coming?"
"I know, Mr Foose..." Mater answers, staring down at the ground with anger, knowing he lied to his long lost friend, and hating himself for it. "...I couldn't tell him the truth...ya told me it'd make 'em harder ta paint!"
Foose looks over at Ramone, who quickly shows a smile at Mater's innocence, and loving the way he covered the truth with the perfect fib.
"That works for me!" The purple customize Prowler remarks, recovering his now pristine front end with a mask, and finishing a series of lines down Winston's side.
Ramone and Chip work quickly, hoping to get both coats of his base color down, before having to restart Winston's engine.
"I don't want him to be blinded when he wakes up, Ramone, so lets not take our time, but make it right!"
"You got it Mr Foose." Ramone replies with pride, happier then Luigi and Guido seeing a Ferrari, knowing he is working side by side with the great artist.
They work hard together, practically covering themselves in Mustang red, as the two cars coat every square inch of Winston's exposed frame.
Mater watches from the side as his old friend returns to the original red he first saw him wearing, and smiles wide enough for Chip to see through his mask.
"Do you like this color, Mater?" Foose remarks, and stops for a moment to get an answer.
"He looked a whole lot better with them black stripes Mr. Foose!"
Chip chuckles, knowing the stripes will come soon enough, and continues to lay a perfect coat upon Winston's hood.
"I need to get his engine inside first Mater, then we get to have fun making him look good for his reveal." Chip replies, looking at the tow truck in his mirror, and still laying out a perfect coat.
Mater smiles, knowing who the reveal is really for, as she arrived yesterday.
"Do ya think she'll be ready?"
Chip stops painting for a moment, and smiles, knowing his A team is working the other job to his exact orders.
"I have no doubts in my family..." Chip replies, and returns to his work. "...and I'm sure this young car is going to love what we did to her."
Winston can hear words being said, but is confused as his mind is not processing the information. He can tell his body is shutting down again, as barely enough power is coming from the life supporting engine he is still hooked up to.
The young car suddenly awakens along the side of Interstate 40, exactly where he had met a group of construction workers who changed his path in life.
"Hey!" He yells, noticing his rear tires frozen in the solid concrete where he was pushed, and the years of time that passed, influencing his frame as if he never moved from that spot.
"What the heck is going on here?"
Suddenly a voice is returned, but not the one Winston was expecting.
"You must calm down my son!"
"DAD! Where are you?" He cries out, unable to see his father anywhere in this odd vision. "I thought I was going to make it! Why am I here again?"
A single star begins to flash brightly in the night sky, and Winston's eyes quickly focus upon the heavenly body his father always pointed out.
"Easy my son...things are not what they seem to be!"
The red car tries to relax, but cannot, unable to understand why he is in this position again. However, from above, a voice that once settled a young muscle car on the darkest of nights, begins to settle his son once more.
"You are not where you think, my son...In fact, I have never seen you more alive, then I do right now!"
His father's voice begins to ease Winston's tension, as Ranger continues to speak through his unconsciousness.
"You have struggled so hard to survive, and I just wanted to tell you...that I am so proud of my son."
Winston begins to cough inside his dream, and quickly he snaps out of this odd vision. He awakens again, this time blinded and feeling confined.
"NO!" He yells aloud, thinking he is buried under rock again, and Chip quickly rips the paper from his windshield.
"Hey...calm down son...it's almost over!"
Winston begins struggling for breathe, feeling the anxiousness of being trapped again, and Chip gestures to Ramone to power the generator to full.
"I'm sorry Winston...I have a little bit left to do here, then we can place your engine inside, but I have to finish this now."
The red car continues to take deep breaths, looking around and realizing it was just a dream before settling his eyes on Chip Foose.
"I'm OK now!" He says with a calmer voice, understanding he was only running low on oxygen and hallucinating.
"I won't cover your windshield again, but just try to remain still for the next few minutes!"
Winston can see Foose's eyes return to his job, and he looks over at Ramone and Mater. A deep well of pride fills his pristinely painted shell, still hearing his father's voice so vividly, and realizing this is all because of his teachings.
"Thank you Dad!" he says softly, and Foose stops his painting again, noticing a big problem
"Ramone, could you please cover that engine with a mask...quickly!" He remarks, pointing at the generator's exposed carburetor, and watching the intake begin drawing in fumes like a black hole.
"I think he's starting to hallucinate...he just called me DAD!"
Ten hours go by, as Winston felt fine with his windshield fully covered, as long as Chip, or Ramone, or even Mater would talk. His fear disappearing every second as the Foose would crack jokes about old cars, and making sure someone was always speaking or laughing. It allowed the great designer to play with a scheme of paint, spraying the car with several colors, but making sure no one mention it to him, especially Mater.
He is going to have a bit of the reveal he wants, knowing the paint job will be nothing like Winston was expecting.
The single coat of clear has had time to dry to perfection, shining brighter in the white light of the paint booth better than any Ferrari could, and Chip knows it was Mater's that made it happen.
Winston was easily able to pass the time blinded, talking to his best friend and the ones fixing the incredible damage done to him; and they talked about everything. Personal or Private, it didn't matter to Winston, as he laid out his worst nightmares buried on the mountain and his greatest memories of traveling abroad.
Blinded to the world around him, Winston was so enthralled in the details of his story, he never noticed the amount of cars that heard him talking, as they worked quickly to finish every detail in the ten hours. Many things were spewing from Winston's mouth, and his mind was focused to tell it all to his best friend Mater, whom for once, never said a word.
The rusted tow truck would acknowledge his friend every few minutes, of course, but he kept his trap shut while the A team begin customizing the decked out convertible.
In a blur of conversation, Chip Foose gathered more inspiration, and his paint scheme begin to show the car's soul. His dream he just had on the Interstate, and the other moment where he stood before his father in heaven, was also the determining factor of Foose's design, and even Ramone had trouble holding his tongue when the artist had finished.
"I'm so thankful to you, Mr. Foose. I wouldn't have thought anyone would damage themselves so badly, just to save the life of a car they never met."
Chip shows a great deal of emotion then rubs his front end when Winston recalls the moment he came back from the brink, and the hard impact to his rear bumper that forced him to continue fighting to breathe.
"It's something I learned from my father." Foose replies, knowing the vast amount of knowledge taught to him by his hero, and using those talents to become the best at what he does...saving old car's lives.
"He told me never to give up on anyone, because life...unlike a radiator or a headlight...cannot be replaced!"
Winston smiles, and takes a deep breath from the Sarge's generator, however, Foose notices a large black pickup pull into the booth, and suddenly yanks out all three hoses leading to it.
"HEY!" Winston remarks with fear, unable to see what happened to his air line, but Foose is quick to call for the rest of his A team.
Several other cars maneuver into the small booth, and gently start pushing Winston out.
"It's time my friend!"
The red car tries to see what's happening, but with a thick brown paint covered paper still tape across his eyes, Winston is still blind to his surrounding. He becomes a bit anxious as he leaves the booth for the first time in nearly a week, and can hear the voices of another dozen cars just waiting to great the newest Overhaulin' Mark.
It is so overwhelming to Winston, that he exhales half of the air inside.
"Who are all these cars?" He asks, but Foose is quick to tell the red car to shush.
"Don't waste your oxygen...we still have to install that thing before you can breath again" He says, taring away a small section of the darkened paper, and pointing at the new engine slowing being lifted on a hoist.
"HOLY SHOOT!" The astonished pony car barks with all of his might, and Chip rolls his eyes, hearing all of Winston's air leaving his lungs.
"Well...that was not very smart!" Foose remarks sarcastically, but completely understands Winston's release of surprise, as even he was impressed with the engine Vic Edelbrock donated.
"JESSIE!" Foose demands to his scavenger, and the sleek ZR-1 is front and center in an instant.
"I need that replacement engine now!"
Her brow lowers with confusion, however, she has no time to even think of what he meant, as Chip rips open her hood. He removes several hoses connected to her powerful V-8, and attaches Winston's life support lines directly to Jessie's engine.
"OK...you can take another breath now, but this time hold it!"
Winston balks at his bluntness, however knowing he has Jessie holding her breath now, the red Mustang is quick to follow orders, taking a huge inhale to hold.
"That was the perfect engine to use for him Jessie...thank you!"
The sleek black Corvette shoots Chip an annoyed look, as he quickly reattaches her air hoses where they belong. However, with a gentle closing of her hood, and a deep and sincere gaze of appreciation, Jessie smiles and backs away.
"You know me...anything I can do to help!"
Chip gives her a quick wink, then proceeds with the job at hand, as several cars begin to lower the massive engine into Winston's empty chest.
"Easy guys...I just spent ten hours getting it right!" he yelps, using a delicate touch to move the huge motor inside without scratching anything. "...this baby is barely gonna fit, so just watch your clearances!"
Everyone barks an OK with an understanding of the job at hand, and after a slight adjustment to the angle of descent, the large engine simply slides into place.
"PERFECT!"
Several cars begin fastening down the motor into it's new home, as Chip attaches the main lines to the massive block, allowing Winston to take the first inhale of power from a new engine.
"WOW!" He remarks as this huge power-plant fires to life, sending a surge of energy throughout systems he didn't even know he had.
"There is more to show you my friend, and now that this engine beats strong inside of you...I can show it all."
Winston's new eyes open wide as Foose tears off the entire sheet of paper covering his windshield, and a deeper breath is taken by the vintage Mustang.
"Oh my goodness!" He gawks in surprise seeing the first thing that strikes him. A small blower mounted atop his new engine, high enough that it obscures a portion of his view.
"How in the name of Edsel Ford are you going to close my hood with this thing sticking up so high?"
Chip smiles at the young car's naming of the most terribly designed Ford, knowing he thinks the great designer has a flaw in this setup. However, he quickly gestures his eyes towards the wall, and the hood that belongs atop Winston's engine compartment.
"Oh wow!"
Two fork lifts carefully remove the candy apple red and black-striped hood that sat drying in this room, waiting for the reveal. They lay it gently over the Mustang's engine and bolt it on tightly to its supports. Only a fraction of an inch separates the blacked-out bulge in the center of his hood, allowing this powerful air intake to sit without blockage, and Winston smiles as his nose latches down to a perfect fit against his grille.
"That engine is set up for just you Winston, and will only power to full when your roof is closed...so if you please."
"Me!" Winston remarks, knowing Chip had to lower his roof manually the first time.
"It's a power roof...and now you have all the power you'll ever need!"
A wide smile fills the red car's face, and quickly he finds the button inside to close his top. The mechanism springs to life in a second, slowly raising Winston's trunk lit in the opposite direction and allowing the hard top convertible roof to unfold out over his new interior.
As the roof closes down, Winston can see two steel bars that sit on the inside of his unfolding roof, completing this incredibly designed roll cage. As the top closes, these bars extend from his windshield to the thick black roll bar that is permanently welded to his frame. The red Mustang can feel his entire body become rigid, as several clicks ensure his roof is locked in position.
The moment this happens, Winston can feel his heart increase with a vast rush of power. The rumble of his engine shakes Ramone's shop, and Winston shuts it down fast. He is so overwhelmed by this feeling, that even the brazen pony car is frightened of the power under his hood.
"Five hundred and sixty five horses!" Chip remarks, taking Winston's eyes from himself, and filling them with more shock.
"Five Hundred and WHAT!"
Chip begins to laugh, seeing the complete awe in Winston's eyes, and he slowly rolls up to his side.
"It will only produce that amount of horsepower if the top is closed, so you never have to worry about hurting yourself with the roof open."
"This is the most intelligent engine we have at Edelbrock!" A large white and red Chevy Nomad station wagon suddenly remarks, rolling alongside Chip to explain his contribution to the build.
"Winston...this is Vic Edelbrock. A good friend of mine, and a fan of the racing world..." Chip shows a great amount of respect to the vintage Chevy, and Vic nods his front end with a smile. "...he supplied you this engine!"
Winston's eyes focus upon the big white car showing humbleness that Vic has seen once before.
"I don't know if you remember me young man, but I saw several of your races back in '72, and I was the one who told Tex to keep an eye on you after your new engine was installed."
Winston takes a deep breath, suddenly remembering the white station wagon from years past, as he would always be around a racetrack, learning to hone his mechanical skills for a future in automotive excellence.
"I do remember you!" he replies, then suddenly notices his old engine sitting in the rear of Vic's wagon. "You install the engine the kept me alive."
"That's was me young man, and now I will restore it for someone else to use!" Vic remarks, then smiles deeply at Winston. "If it can keep a young car alive for thirty five years buried under sand, then this heart deserves a chance to race again."
Winston shows another humble look to the old car, and a single tear begins to form on his new windshield
"I don't know what to say!"
"You never need to say a thing my young friend, just as long as you use this engine the right way..." Vic says with a gentle rub of his tire, and a huge smirk on his face.
"...this is a racing engine, so make sure you race it hard this time!"
Winston tears up quickly feeling overwhelmed with such a gift, and Vic just smiles, paid in full from the young Mustang's expression. The custom white Nomad backs away to his position, and another car rolls up to Winston, and begins to explain what he did.
"We replaced your interior with all new leather!" A small Chevy Cobalt remarks, and Winston balks, believing he is still a shell of himself. However, as he looks within, his heart begins to pound heavily.
"Open up, and let us get a better look!"
Winston quickly presses the button on his console, and as the top breaks it's connection and draws itself back, the bright lighting inside the shop begins showing Winston what he missed.
"How the heck did that happen?" He says with shock, looking around at several other cars that begin to crowd in closer.
"We had a good story to listen to while we worked, and made sure a car that survived such a terrible tragedy would never have that issue again." The lead car remarks, and opens Winston's Passenger door.
"We waterproofed everything, just in case you get caught with your top down, and at the same time, we made sure the Sun wouldn't fade your leather that fast. We also put in a premium sound system with ten speakers, that puts out a thousand watts of sound."
Winston, still gawking at his new interior, does not hear anything the car tells him, so the small Chevy reaches his antenna inside and turns the radio on high.
Everyone in the room is struck with the powerful sound waves of music, and Winston quickly lowers it down.
"What in heavens name is that garbage!" Winston remarks, quickly looking for a new station, but nothing happens.
"Ahhh...that's not the radio...it's a CD!" The red Cobalt says, and Winston gives him such a look of WHAT
"He has not been around since 1973..." Foose remarks with a smile. "...He doesn't even know what a cassette is!"
Winston suddenly feels like the brunt of the joke, as everyone begins to laugh.
"Oh...so I guess telling him he can keep a hundred CD's in his trunk is pointless then, and I'm not even gonna try to explain what an MP3 player is...forget it!"
Again everyone laughs, but Winston really does not care, going back to admiring the new interior, and listening to the four cars tell him more about the radio he doesn't understand. However, the red Mustang suddenly shows a great deal of shock in his eyes, and Chip smiles as Winston finally notices he is no longer just...a red car.
"MY TRUNK IS BLACK!" He barks with surprise, and quickly turns to look at his designer.
"Not really!" Foose replies, rolling around to Winston's rear, and opening his trunk for the young car to see the real reason he spent ten hours getting painted.
The back of Winston's car now shows a nighttime scene, where a young Mustang is looking up to the stars shining above, with one shining brighter than them all.
"Dad!" Winston says and everyone in the room immediately tears up, knowing the significance of this single bright star.
"Now you will always have your father to watch your back."
Chip begins to feel the powerful emotions as Winston's windshield fills with tears, staring at his trunk with the feeling of love and loss.
"Don't fall apart on me yet, Winston..." Chip says, now starting to show signs of tearing up himself, as he knows what is coming next.
"...there is one more thing we wanted to reveal to you today."
Winston suddenly notices the entire town has started rolling into Ramone's shop, surrounding the restored convertible with wide smiles and tears of joy. The young Mustang is so overwhelmed by everyone's presence it take a seconds for him to recognize the last car the enters after her brother Hudson.
A completely restored 1962 Nash Rambler.
"MOM!" He cries out, as her tear-filled eyes are the one thing that gives her away.
Both cars meet quickly in the center of the towns folk, scratching several layers of their new paint in a powerful embrace.
"Hey man!" Ramone remarks after hearing a few more deep scratches, and both Winston and Nashly look over to the Vintage Impala. "You're gonna have to spend more time in that paint booth if you're not careful."
Winston smiles, and grinds his fender against his mom, making sure to gauge them both to the bare metal.
"That's fine with me Ramone..." He says, holding his mother tighter and tighter, and hoping this moment never ends. "...I don't think I'll ever enjoy time in a paint booth more than I will now."
THE END
What? THE END? But I promised you all another chapter
Don't worry...it is coming soon. We have to know who wins the ultimate grudge race...DON'T WE?
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