Name: Mike Pearsall
Volunteer Position(s): Docent and tour guide
I started volunteering in: April 2017
Q: When and how did you become a motorsports enthusiast?
My Mother says I was born with a toy car in my hand. Had my own fleet of Tonka Toys and the old plastic promo models that car dealers use to hand out by the time I was a toddler. My Dad Took to my first Portland Roadster Show in 1962 when I was 9 years old. At the Peterson Publishing booth, my Dad bought me a subscription to Car Craft Magazine.
Q: What kind of influence has that had on your life?
Back when I was a kid there wasn’t multiple cruise ins or cars and coffee, it was an event to see a Corvette drive by. So by attending the “Roadster Show” and waiting for the mailman to bring the latest “Car Craft” to show up I was able to immerse myself in another world of glitzy customs and fire breathing dragsters!
Q: What makes volunteering at World of Speed meaningful to you?
I truly enjoy when guests take the time to tell me the car memories that where such memorable parts of their lives. It always amazes me how an inanimate object, like the automobile, becomes the fabric of so many personal stories.
Q: What is the most memorable experience of your time volunteering?
I was explaining to a group of 1st graders the various safety systems in a race car (roll bar, fire suppression, etc.), when one little precocious young lady old raised her hand. Her response when I acknowledged her was, “Mr. Mike, you sure seem to dwell on worst case scenario”.
Q: What do you wish other people knew about World of Speed?
The commitment World of Speed has in contributing in so many different ways to the community whether through the auto tech program, youth camps, and the countless after hour special events.
Q: If you could choose any vehicle to be displayed in the museum, what would it be?
Any one of Jim Hall’s Chaparrals.
Q: What is your dream car?
1962-1964 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso
