NEWS
Kick off Father's Day weekend and join us for a Family Fun Day and 2.25 mile Walk 'N Wheel to raise money for paralysis research and awareness!
The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, and the Milwaukee 225 are “
June 7, 2011
CALLING ALL INDY RACE FANS! Run, Walk 'N Wheelathon in Edmonton
"Lap the Track" Edmonton Run, Walk 'N Wheelathon for Spinal Cord Injury Research
Calling all Indy race fans! Here’s your chance-of-a-lifetime to see the Edmonton Indy track from an incredible perspective, while you “
June 3, 2011
START YOUR ENGINES! 3rd Annual Honda Indy Toronto 5K Run, Walk 'N Wheelathon
Your chance to experience the Honda Indy Toronto race course
Join us at the Official Honda Indy Track (Exhibition Place) for the 3rd Annual Honda Indy Toronto 5K Run, Walk '
NEWS
¦ February 1, 2011
SAM SCHMIDT ACCESSIBLE FORD PANEL TRUCK
Project Update
For the past few years, during the very short off-season from his annual racing schedule, Sam Schmidt has been working on a project to rebuild a cool classic Ford panel truck to suit his needs as a person in a wheelchair.
To view photos of the finished vehicle, click here.
Sam says, “We had an incredible debut in the HRIA (Hot Rod Industry Alliance) booth at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Marketing Association) show in Las Vegas last November. I have applied for the “THERAPY” vanity plate and we will start using it in the spring for car shows.”
This year, look for a photo layout of the accessible truck in Hot Rod magazine.
When asked why he had embarked on such a daunting project, Sam replied, “After being ‘confined’ to a boring conversion van for several years, I decided to design something more in line with my taste. Being 58 inches tall in my chair, the options were limited. I looked at everything from old Suburbans to milk trucks to school buses and finally decided on the 1954 Ford F100 Panel truck because of its cool style and high roof. The drama was still being able to get inside as the stock height is only 45 inches. To solve the problem, the only option was to convert a 50 year old vehicle into a front wheel drive platform.” The project involved merging a Cadillac chassis with a Ford body, then adding modern options like air conditioning and accessibility requirements like a ramp with controls.
To read a previous article, click here. To view the “before” photos and progress photos, click here.