A Girl with a Fast Car

Image courtesy of DodgeGarage.

My first car (1979 Datsun) was not nearly as cool as Margaret Gasperi Kloecke’s first car. I bet yours wasn’t either. And do you still have it? Me neither—but Margaret does. Her bright purple 1970 Dodge Charger is in such pristine condition that it’s a national treasure.

I didn’t know any of this until yesterday. I met Margaret through her side hustle selling Mary Kay makeup. She’s the quintessential girly girl, always perfectly put together, always with jewelry. But the hints were there. For example, she drives a big Ram pickup, and it has always kind of made me smile to see tiny little Margaret climbing up behind the wheel.

The “Hi, I’m New Here” aspect of this story is more about me than about Margaret. She’s a regular at car shows like the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals. I’m the newcomer to this fantastic feminist history.

Margaret isn’t the only gearhead girl I’ve met this way. Louise Ann Noeth also comes to mind. She’s better known nationally as Landspeed Louise because of her passion for land speed racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats. She was a source for a home cooking story about her carrot cake recipe.

It’s a needed reminder that spending an extra five minutes chatting with folks can lead to some really rich discoveries.