Puddy Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 Argentines give Ford 10,000-mile thanks They love their restored '81 Falcon, so family traveled to Dearborn to tell the company. Tom Greenwood / The Detroit News DEARBORN -- The Percivaldi family is "Ford tough!" They're so tough that Diego Percivaldi; his wife, Cecilia; and their sons, Tomas, 3, and Augustin, 11, drove their restored 1981 Ford Falcon station wagon 10,000 miles from their home in Argentina to Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, to tell the Ford brass how much they love their products. "In Argentina, everybody loves Ford; both the cars and the company," said Diego, 32. Advertisement "For us, Ford is not just another company. For so many people in Argentina, their first car and favorite car is a Ford." The Percivaldis received the Falcon three years ago when they sold their Ford Fiesta for a down payment on their home. "The person who bought the Fiesta gave us the Falcon, and it was a wreck," said Diego, who works as a chef at La Colmena (The Beehive) Restaurant in Pilar, a city just northwest of Buenos Aires. "Only two of the six cylinders worked. It took me almost two years to restore it, but now it's 100 percent original. I love the car so much I decided, why not drive it to Detroit?" It took 47 days and almost 800 gallons of gas to drive from Argentina to Dearborn, with Percivaldi motoring through 11 countries before arriving at about noon Thursday. Argentine TV stations and newspapers covered the beginning of his trip -- funded entirely on credit cards -- and have been in contact since they arrived. "I drove 12 hours a day by myself for the first 20 days of the trip," Diego said. "I didn't want my family to be with me when I drove through Peru and Central America, where the crime is very bad. When I was in Lima, Peru, the police told me that if someone threw a child in front of my car, I should just keep driving because they want you to stop so they can rob you. "I drove completely around El Salvador because the police will also rob you." Cecelia and the children flew to Guatemala, where they joined Diego for the trip. "The kids were good when they were in the car," said Cecelia, who will work as a pharmaceutical representative once Tomas is a little older. "We read to them, played games, showed movies and sang. It was when they were out of the car that we had problems." Her husband added: "We stayed in hotels all the way and I always made sure there was shelter for the car. I can sleep in the street if I have to, but that car gets a garage." It would be an understatement to say that the Percivaldis caught Ford by surprise when they pulled up to the Glass House around noon Thursday. The family trooped in to tell their story to a bewildered guard at the front desk. "He didn't know what to do," Diego said. "I asked if he could understand my English and he said yes. Then he said he just didn't know who to call." A short time later, corporate communications manager Tom Hoyt met the Percivaldis and was astounded by their tale. "This is just a fantastic story," Hoyt said. "We had no idea they were headed our way. We contacted the local media and we're going to do a story for our in-house publication. "We also plan to show our appreciation for their dedication, but we're not quite sure how since we were caught by surprise." Diego said he's been impressed by American hospitality. "It's wonderful here," Diego said. "Everyone has been so friendly and helpful. We stayed with an Argentine family in Kansas and we also visited Chicago; what a wonderful city. We also saw a parade on your Memorial Day. And today we saw Ford headquarters and went to Greenfield Village." The couple said they also are amazed by the food. "When you drive down the street anywhere in America, you see all these restaurants, hotels, motels, churches and theaters. It isn't like that in Argentina. The portions of food are so big; if we keep eating all this food, we are going to die," Diego said. But being a true son of Argentina, Diego stands by his country's beef. "It's the best in the world," he said. "Come to my restaurant and I will show you." The Percivaldis will spend a few more days in Michigan, and then return to Argentina ... by air. "We are going to fly home and ship the car," Diego said. "I have to get back to work to pay off my credit card." Cecelia said the trip was worth it. "But it's the first time and the last time we're going to do it," she added. The Percivaldis have established a Web site ( www.desafiolasamericas.com.ar) with a video diary that covers their trip north to Dearborn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 It took 47 days and almost 800 gallons of gas to drive from Argentina to Dearborn, with Percivaldi motoring through 11 countries before arriving at about noon Thursday. Argentine TV stations and newspapers covered the beginning of his trip -- funded entirely on credit cards -- and have been in contact since they arrived. Did they store the gas from Venezuela for the trip? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 i am quite sure Car will break down on way back home to Argentina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 So how many kids did they run over along the way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 "I didn't want my family to be with me when I drove through Peru and Central America, where the crime is very bad. When I was in Lima, Peru, the police told me that if someone threw a child in front of my car, I should just keep driving because they want you to stop so they can rob you. "I drove completely around El Salvador because the police will also rob you." Sure makes me want to visit those hell holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 -- funded entirely on credit cards -- Brilliant. I believe one of the best pieces of advice for credit card holders is always to buy as many consumable as possible on credit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 They probably weren't offered a job. They'd probably have to drive to Japan for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 peru and elsalvador sound like detroit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muck Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 (edited) At a minimum, Ford should pay off the guys credit cards. Since gas is cheaper in the US than quite a bit of the rest of the world; Norway (iirc) is over $9/gal...we'll use $5/gal... 800 gallons @ $5 / each = $4000 = cheap PR Edited May 30, 2008 by muck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zooty Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 They must not have rust in Argentina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiefjay Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 I was wondering who caused that accident on Southfield yesterday morning. I'm serious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 peru and elsalvador sound like detroit similar ..instead of Red Wings though they have Chicken Wings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.