“They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you . . . ” was the message Superman’s father recorded in some crystals for his only son, the Man of Steel himself. But those words could easily have been written for Austin Owens, too—the good Samaritan who helped save a complete stranger’s modified Mazda RX-7 from a watery grave during Tropical Storm Cristobal in Mississippi.
News of the impromptu rescue originated on the Facebook group Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox One) Official Community, but word of Owens’ good deed quickly spread across social media.
According to the orange FD-generation Mazda RX-7’s owner, who identified himself in another thread, the car was parked in the garage of a Biloxi, Mississippi, Casino to get it out of the rain because it had a leak in the trunk. Not expecting the storm to be as severe as it turned out to be, the owner’s brother parked the RX-7 and his own Ferrari 360 in the garage thinking the cars would be safer there. In short, they weren’t.
As the water began to rise in the garage, the pair returned with a trailer to retrieve the Ferrari and brought with them whatever they could find to place under the wheels of the Mazda and elevate it. They jacked up the RX-7 just as the water level was about to reach the doors, but because of the slope it was parked on their efforts alone weren’t going to be enough to save the classic Japanese sports car from significant flood damage. This is where Owens comes in.
Prior to the owner’s arrival, someone else had spotted the RX-7 in the garage as it began to flood and posted photos to the local Cars and Coffee Facebook group. Upon seeing the images, Owens reportedly grabbed a friend and a jack, got in his truck, bought some cinder blocks at a hardware store, and forded through Biloxi’s flooded streets to save what he calls his “#dreamcar.” It’s important to keep in mind that at this point he has no idea who owns the car or if anyone else is currently attempting to rescue it.
When he arrived, he saw the owner and offered to help. He broke out the jack and dropped the wheels on the cinder blocks, which thankfully gave the car enough clearance to survive the storm. Owens and his friend also helped get the Ferrari loaded onto the trailer.
The owner, who goes by Khuong Nguyen on Facebook, said in a post, “Those guys were pretty cool in bringing in cinderblocks to help hold the car up high enough until everything recedes. I only have liability insurance so I would’ve lost a lot.”
In response to all the positive attention his actions received, Owens said, “Appreciate the love but I’d expect the same for one of my cars.”
Thank you for shining a little light to show us the way in these trying times, and we hope that should any of our prized rides end up in Mother Nature’s way with no way out, there is someone of similar kindness (and equipped with blocks and a jack!) to help us out.
The post This Guy Saved a Complete Stranger’s Mazda RX-7 From Floodwaters—Be More Like Him appeared first on MotorTrend.
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