My grandfather-in-law was a man who never met a project that was too big. Giusappe, or Joe, didn’t talk much so when he did, people listened. I don’t recall the details of the conversation anymore but it was something about my inability to complete some project de jour that my wife tasked me with. I will remember for the rest of my life when Joe, at a tender of 100, came up to me and said “if you don’t have the right tool, improvise”

Improvising was perhaps what some East Germans were doing when they needed to transport their rally car to the race. I don’t know the details behind this image, but the 2-stroke Wartburg could not have been much of a competitor to anything more than a Skoda or a Polonez, and it sure as hell wasn’t much of a transport vehicle. Nonetheless, when the pride of a government owned company, and therefore the whole nation, depends on your ability to deliver something that resembles are race car to a race, only the best will do. If the best is not available, you improvise.

[Image: Wikipedia and Jim’s site]