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18 economist suntribune wheels thursday aug 15 2002 hey there are people in those shiny cars by catrina coghill wheelbase communications maureen pendagras doesnt have kids and thats just the way she likes it this is my baby says the 48yearold administra tive assistant polishing the headlights on a 1978 ford mustang which she cod dles the same way a mother would a newborn the fact that she was born in 1954 the year of the horse if youre one of those types who buys into the whole chinese zodiac thing is a detail she does nt overlook in fact she is one of those people the greentea drinking yoga- practicing horoscoperead ing type who believes she was born to drive a mustang no kidding it was meant to be yeah ok ill go along with that considering its my first experience with what my editor calls your gar den variety show and shine so far theres not much thafs garden variety about pendagras she tosses me a towel and allows me to wipe down the windows inside cmon do i look like i do windows mo as her friends in her mustang club call her and i spend the better part of an hour waxing and buff ing her baby in preparation lease rates are those offered by mini financial services only on approved credit msrp for a 2002 mini cooper is 2495000 at a lease rate of 775 over 36 months is 29300 per month a down payment of 341000 is required as well as first months lease payment security deposit of approximately one months lease payment transport and preparation 1 29500 and all taxes upon signing options are available at an extra cost together with tax license registration and insurance annual kilometres limited to 20000 015 per excess kilometre delivery must be taken by september 30 2002 mini cooper above shown with 16 wheels included in the optional sport package available for an additional 30 per month please see dealer for complete details 2002 mini canada a division of bmw canada inc mini and the mini logo are trademarks of bmw ag used under licence by bmw canada inc mini markham a division of tbwncourrtry bmw 8111 kennedy road at hwy 407 kennedy 9055138900 visit our web site at wwwminimarkhamcom for the groups bi- monthly mixer a show and shine fol lowed by a cruise through our rather large metropoli tan down town area where lots and lots of people can and will see you just when i think i have time to back out she lets me in on the plan were going to meet up at a diner that sponsors the clubs reg ular shindig yes there are more people out there just like mo we stay long enough for the locals to ogle and pet the ponies before pendagras organizes the troops a fairly equal mix of men and women its hard to tell if the guys are drooling over the cars or their shapely owners and gets them saddled up for the embarrassingly slow ride this is the cruise part in case you were wonder ing down the main drag when were all in sync its a beautiful sight she says reapplying her lip stick that matches the glossy red paint on delilah everyone stares youll love it i doubt it but she has been kind enough to let me one of the uninitiated whose fascination with this odd ritual borders on mock ery ride shotgun for this beauty pageant of sorts i dont know if i should practise my miss america wave or lock myself in her trunk i remember my first time i went with my hus band in his mustang a 1 966 1 loved it more than i did him the stang she brags was part of the divorce set tlement both cars hers and hers she jokes are polished at least once a week although she only rolls out the 66 on special occasions more special than this im thinking then pendagras sheds a little light on what drives her club it was her built- in support group during the rather messy split it helps when we all have something in common like this it gives us a chance to socialize and get to know each other because we have some thing in common we all love our cars catrina coghill some maybe a little too much following behind us is one of mos gal pals terri wright who collects mustangs the way some women collect expensive pairs of shoes i have seven of them she boasts yeah one for every day of the week adds pendagras i can drive a different one to every event and never show up in the same car twice in a year wait just one second a dimlylit light bulb flickers on inside my head it took a few hours but i just real ized its not just the show ing off the smell of exhaust fumes and the love of the cars that keeps these other wise sane people groom ing grooming grooming their babies for these beau ty contests theres some thing there a little deeper just under the surface if you scratch a bit for it the next time youre off ogling some lovingly restored classic at the local show and shine look past the cars and take the timeto meet the people with the rags and polish shake some hands and ask some questions youll find a ther apeutic bond between them that not only helps restore their vehicles but their faith in themselves and the world around them really shes a riot pendagras says as we climb into her 78 and wright slips into a sassy violet number parked next to us she kept me laughing through my divorce they all did they still do i think thats why i didnt go insane insane now were talking im going mustang shopping right now catrina coghill is a journalist with wheelbase communications a world wide supplier of automotive news features and reviews you can email her at catwheelbasecomcom i l 1 i 3