When I was 12, around 1971, I built a two-engine, four-wheel drive Mustang funny car for the local hobby shop's model car contest. I then brought the car to the New York Coliseum for the International Car Modelers Association contest at the annual New York automobile show. My father and I arrived too late to enter the contest. But Richard Carroll was there, probably as one of the judges, and he said it would have won if we had got there in time. He then spontaneously offered to take the car with him to Detroit, where there would be another car model contest at the Detroit auto show a few months later. He did this, and the car won first place in the junior division. I got a trophy, a couple of board games, and blue tires for my bike. It was a big thrill, something I still count as my main achievement in life. I hope I remembered to thank Richard Carroll for his kindness.
I telk this story to present a side of Richard Carroll that may not be clear in the remarks from other people. Of course, when I was 12 and seeing his amazing cars in Car Model magazine, he was a big hero. I never expected to meet him, let alone have him help me with anything.
