You can imagine just how dirty the Glickenhaus Boot had to get as it raced to the finish line at the Baja 1000 last month. That class win was undoubtedly a thrill, but for one guy, cleaning the SCG Boot afterward was better fun than ripping up the trail.
Well, at least that’s what AMMO NYC’s Larry Kosilla conveys in this video where he walks us through the process of cleaning the dirty Boot:
The crew starts by soaking the Boot with a power washer to strip off the mud and grime. This is no easy task, as the machine is of considerable size, and with its habitat being the dirt special attention is needed on the undercarriage and exposed chassis. The crew follow up by applying a coat of shampoo, which arguably looks like the most fun part even if it doesn’t last long.
As part of the crew rinses the shampoo away, Ammo Larry hits the emblems, nooks and crannies with a soft-bristle brush. Watching him, I’m almost convinced that shining this big Boot is therapeutic. The brush swirls away the mud and reveals the Glickenhaus shield. The interior gets a thorough cleaning, too. They finish by polishing, and do such a thorough job that the paint underneath looks like its own source of light, revealed by the circular cleaning motion.
It’s a long video, running about half an hour, but deserves a full view because on top of providing us with power-washing goodness the latter half gives us a glimpse into the Glickenhaus shop. This shop houses incredible machines such as the Ferrari P4/5 and the Hurst Baja Boot that Steve McQueen and Bud Ekins piloted, which is the genesis of Glickenhaus Boot.
Despite being around hyper- and supercars on a regular basis, Kosilla is visibly moved by the original Baja Boot. He shares that McQueen is an inspiration for him. Then he does something noteworthy: He stops recording, puts the camera down and picks it up after letting the moment sink in.
We record everything today for the sake of digital posterity and that’s more than alright, but sometimes we face something that grips us, that wrests something from inside us and forces our camera down, even if we risk losing a carbon copy.
I’ll take the short-lived and error-prone memory of something I love over the perfect copy in my iPhone any day. The kind of memory you make after a long day washing, detailing and poring over every paint swirl and knick on your daily driver.
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