SEMA, Hurricane Sandy, & the Delivery Event That Never Was
It seemed impossible at first, but with careful planning and plenty of skilled labor we had made it happen.We had prepared 311RS #01 for delivery in less than 3 weeks. From start to finish, everything had gone (somewhat) according to plan, including booking an unreal delivery location – Wynn’s Sunset Terrace.
Overlooking the main pool at Wynn Las Vegas, the Sunset Terrace couldn’t have been a more picturesque location to deliver 311RS #01. It had room for #00, #01, and of course ‘ol Blue, the Gates311 Evo X that started it all. We were to deliver the car last night on the opening night of SEMA, with the entire lot of Automotive press in town the timing was just right. On the other side of the country, something far more powerful than even Mumphrey (1 horsepower fyi) had taken control of our situation.
There is no way we could predict the owner of #01 being stuck on the east coast due to a Hurricane, no chance. Especially since the owner was in Las Vegas just the weekend before. With family and a home to care for back east, there was no way to stay in Las Vegas. You see, Hurricane Sandy is a legitimate catastrophe and the delivery of an automobile is nowhere near as important as human life, but my god was I devastated to have to make the call to the Wynn and cancel our event. Especially the night before after the deposit had been secured..
I survived, and again this is nothing compared to what thousands of families, animals, and businesses are enduring because of Hurricane Sandy, but I do feel like we really lost out on a huge opportunity. Luckily, we are able to move forward with the program and look to dial the car in even further. The owner lives and works in NYC, so look for a delivery event to take place out there in early 2013.