About a month ago someone ‘tapped’ the back of Speedy’s beloved 1991 MR2 as he was leaving the grocery store. Then, adding insult to injury, someone in a parking lot backed into the other side of the back end of the car. At first the insurance company deemed it ‘totaled,’ but upon reflection they saw their folly, and gave him a settlement to have it repaired. This led him to Eddy’s Auto Body, which turned out to be like a trip South of the Border.

Thank goodness for GPS, or we might never have found Eddy, who is tucked away at the end of this unimpressive dirt road, rendered one-lane by all the parked cars:

The best way to find the road is to look for the Frutilanda sign. There was a row of men sitting on the ledge for end-of-the-day refreshment when we arrived,  but most of them proved camera-shy. (One said, “My wife doesn’t know I’m here.”)(!)  Only this brave soul stayed to be photographed. I love the wheels on top of the sign. By the way, Eddy’s business is not called Colazo Automotive.

There are a handful of other auto repair and body shops in the same location. I imagine you could dump a complete wreck at the start of the road and end up with a fully restored, gleaming vehicle at the end. Here are some of the other cars that were waiting for Eddy’s attention. They don’t look like much now, but I can guarantee that when he’s done with them they will look brand new.

Part of the charm of Eddy’s is that it is not like a dealer’s body-shop. There is no counter with a row of associates in identical shirts waiting to check off innumerable boxes on forms. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate the service we get from our dealers – but they don’t have the chicken charm that Eddy’s has:

This is one fine-looking rooster!

As well there was an elegant lady on the premises:

Isn’t she lovely? That neck! She’s a regular Audrey Hepburn!

It took a while for Eddy to get to Speedy’s car, and once he did, it took a while for him to finish it, in part because Speedy opted for a complete paint job in addition to the body repairs. But the result was worth the wait. The color is exactly what Speedy wanted and it is smooth and shiny and just downright gorgeous.

Here are Speedy and Eddy and me in ghostly shadow form.  Those things that look like they might be scratches on the right are reflections in the mirror-like finish of the paint job:

How did we find Eddy in the first place? Well you might ask, because he was not easy to find. Speedy asked one of the auto supply stores to recommend a body guy, and the man there recommended Eddy without hesitation. Now we see why.  We are in complete agreement with Eddy’s associate, whose opinion of the whole business is perfectly expressed in this picture: