This Member Spotlight will regularly shine on a deserving member of the CVOA.

For our inaugural effort, we couldn't have done any better than the dynamic and beloved duo of Lou and Harriett Marr, perennial Roundup attendees, perennial People's Choice award winners, perennial Cosworth stalwarts.

Harriet & Lou compete at Indy (Roundup) -- 1985

Please read Meredith Persson's tribute to this wonderful couple and their beloved #75-1000:

The membership of the CVOA is a friendly group of people, always ready to welcome newcomers and to polish up old friendships. Spend a weekend with this group, and you'll feel that you've known these folks for years. Two people who personify this friendliness are Harriet and Lou Marr. Having these two at a Round-up is a guarantee of a welcoming and easy-going atmosphere.

Lou and Harriet first got involved with CVOA shortly after they bought their `75 black Cosworth, #1000, in 1975. Lou says he heard about Bill Hutton in Tennessee and the work he had done on Cosworths. It was through Bill that he learned of the CVOA, and joined. Over the years their car, beautifully repainted in black Imron and sporting an engine breathed upon by HME, has been a consistent Concours winner. It undoubtedly has more "People's Choice" awards than any other car! Having driven their Cosworth to the early Roundups, they now trailer it in every year. It's as familiar a sight as Harriet's Roundup hat!

Long time residents of Ann Arbor, Michigan, the two met in 1938, when both were working as teachers. When World War II began, Lou enlisted in the Armed Forces, while Harriet continued teaching throughout the war years. When Lou returned, he went to work for the Detroit Chamber of Commerce, where he was employed until his retirement, while Harriet left teaching to become a full-time homemaker and mother of five. The couple will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in June of 2002.

Lou and Harriett’s open and welcoming manner has made them instant favorites with all Round-up attendees. John Cowall, their Regional Director, says "I love them like my parents! They're a club treasure!" No one who has met them would ever be able to disagree!

Harriet and Lou Marr

And #1000
The text below is excerpted and edited from an article Lou and Harriet prepared for the CVOA Magazine in 1994:

We can still recall the first time we saw the Cosworth Vega. It was in March, 1976 in a "one car" showroom in Saline, Michigan when we took our newly purchased Monza in for service. We had enjoyed the sporty features of the Monza, but after a night of "I have to have that car", we turned in the Monza and drove #1000 home.

Three of our five kids were still living with us. That meant five of us had to rely on the Cosworth for our only transportation. In addition to hauling the kids to baseball, hockey, football, figure skating, school, etc., Harriet drove me to and from the Ann Arbor railroad station five days a week while I commuted to Detroit. Believe me, Harriet is thoroughly familiar with the car. Most of the current mileage was run up during an eight-year period until we added a second car.

In 1981 we heard about the CVOA Roundup in Detroit and discovered the Cosworth was regarded as more than just transportation. I had always thought so, and the existence of the CVOA confirmed it.

#1000 is right near the 100,000-mile mark now. And since Bill Hutton "massaged" the engine last year the car has never run better. It really wants to go. I know the engine would take 8000 rpm for several miles, but I'm not so sure about the steering gear, suspension, etc. although all appears to be in good condition -- but 100,000 miles?

"Cosworth Vega -- a true pioneer and vanguard of today's 16-valve sport sedans."