You’ve All Made My Dreams Come True

Jay Leno bought my book. And we threw a hell of a car show.

A weekly newsletter by Ryan K. ZumMallen | @zoomy575m

I’m devoting the newsletter this week to our book signing and car show held on Saturday, and the people who made it possible. Here’s why.

I never got tired of writing Slow Car Fast. I never got burned out, or got writer’s block, or woke up on a writing day and didn’t want to get straight to it. I missed birthday parties and family trips and lost entire weekends. For two years, finishing Slow Car Fast was almost all I thought about.

I thought I could do a good job. I thought I could make people happy, or give them something to relate to, or just shine a light on people I thought deserved it. And yeah, I thought it could win awards and earn some praise and maybe make a little money. But most of all, I thought it could bring people together.

I never thought I’d autograph one for Jay Leno.

Oddly enough, that’s exactly what happened. At the end of the day, Jay rumbled up in his ’34 Rolls-Royce and popped into the store. Imagine the thrill I felt when he browsed a bit, asked to buy a book and requested a signature. Over the moon.

And then we just talked. We talked like two car guys. And he listened! He shared his views on modern car culture, and then asked for my opinion and listened. What a concept, listening. That doesn’t even happen at the local Cars and Coffee sometimes. It felt totally natural. I’ll remember that for a long time.

But as I thought about the day over a poke bowl later, that encounter wasn’t at the top of my mind. What I kept coming back to were the conditions that made it all possible. The store that hosted my signing. The enthusiasts who showed up with cars. The people who made phone calls and gave recommendations on my behalf.

Everyone who ever purchased a book. Everyone who ever encouraged me. Everyone who liked a tweet or read this newsletter! All of those people and their efforts and support led up to that one moment.

When you think about it that way, of course Leno came and bought a book. I basically created the perfect conditions to trap him into doing it (lol). The real miracle is everything that happened before that. I mean that word — it’s a miracle.

It’s a miracle that I’ve found people who will rally amazing people and their amazing cars on short notice. And then it’s a miracle that we can all get together and appreciate each other’s cars without judgement, or snobbery, or sexism or any of the other traditional barriers that have marginalized people out of this culture in the past.

And then it’s a miracle that everyone’s friendly, and down to earth, and genuinely hilarious to the point that for a long time I didn’t sit at my signing table at all — I just hung outside and cracked car jokes with our impromptu crew. That was rad!

The store loved it. It doesn’t traditionally get such a young crowd. Or such a variety of cars. We had three Japanese cars — each of a completely different style! One original and pristine; one wide-body and stanced; and one lifted for off-road use. Tina and the store were wonderfully appreciative. Please visit Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank if you’re in town. You won’t be disappointed.

So thank you to everyone who came and grabbed a book. And thank you to those who brought cars. Here’s a rundown of those in attendance:

Thank you Natasha (@volvo.na) for bringing your impeccable luxury cruiser turned rock crawler and for the Bertone history lesson.

Thank you Oscar (@cookin40) for the eye-popping S13 that truly brought the day into the modern age.

Thank you Dan (@garagemahal_studio) for your delicious bronze Toronado and a really energizing conversation about power and speed.

Thank you Shant (@cms_motorsports) for bringing the M3 and for telling your INCREDIBLE apartment find story.

Thank you Rick (@oldschoolricky) for a car I’ve never seen before and may never see again.

Thank you also to Ezekiel, Leo, Amanda and Nikita for the recommendations.

You’ve all made my dreams come true. Dreams I didn’t even know I had.

That said! Books are still for sale. Pick up a copy for your parents, for your friends, for your kids and co-workers and mailman!

Can’t wait for the next one.

Drive hard and be safe.

Want your event included? Shoot me a note with subject line “Race Day” at ryan@carrarabooks.com.

Don’t forget to follow Carrara Media on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and visit our store to order your copy of Slow Car Fast in paperback or eBook.