A More Advanced Vehicle

Fans of muscle cars from the Sixties would drool over the wreck of the GTO in the back of Willy's Junk Yard. It would complete my collection of the classics.

"Take a $100?" I asked. A steal for me if Willy took it, and he did!

Some penetrating oil enabled me to free the doors. Checked the glove compartment first.

"Willy, this registration says the car was being driven a week ago. What gives?" I asked.

"I never bother coming back here," he replied. "Everything rusting; nothing new since 2000."

I wasn't going to argue. Loaded my trailer and brought my find back to the shop. Set to work.

I diagrammed each section in my note book as the GTO was disassembled. The diagrams would guide my rebuilding. Standard procedure.

Shifter here; tranny there, valve timing, that type of thing.

With parts spread out all over the shop, the rebuilding started, working backwards through the diagrams.

Right away a problem.

The first diagram was the newest, but it didn't look familiar; didn't look "right."

Maybe I'd drawn something wrong, so I went from memory. Didn't work. Tools broke; pieces fell apart; nothing fit.

OK, OK, I don't have to be hit over the head. I followed the diagrams.

Needed new tools, needed some replacement parts. With them, the rebuild went faster than I'd imagined.

One problem.

Don't know what I completed, but GTO's never came in this color. As I tightened the last nut, a glow emanated from within. I climbed into the open door.

The original owner. No street racer from the Sixties. Big eyes, big head, multiple arms, glowing. No beauty contest winner, but no deodorizer needed.

One question remained. What's next?.

Would it be "ET", or "The Day The Earth Stood Still", or "War of the Worlds"?