"The Raiders of the Lost Filter"
or
"Will the REAL Tiger Fuel Filter please stand up!"
An Article by
March, 2003
Page 6
- The Sarcophagus is Opened!
OK, here is how it went. I found another "antiquities dealer", who would only meet me in the alley behind the "Mummies Hand Tavern". He was shabbily dressed, with a furtive look, and a black satchel. "You want artifacts, no?", he whispered in a dry croak. "Show me the goods!", I retort, in my best Indiana Jones sneer. He reaches in his satchel and pulls out a small package wrapped in old gauze. As I unwrap the gauze, a musty odor emits and a brilliant red sarcophagus is found.
It looked authentic! (And somehow familiar)
Slowly I turn it over.
Notice the date indicated by my arrow!
"Money NOW, open later - or I have another customer waiting!", he sneers through his snaggled brown stained teeth. I agree to his ridiculously high asking price, and he wouldn't take American Express.
Rushing back to the dingy hotel, I open the package in my candle lit room to find:
Notice how the "Rotunda", instructions,
and other heiroglyphs are clearly identifiable!
This was no knock-off, generic after market substitute, this was NOS, with the emphasis on OLD.
But, what to do about David Franchi's parchment showing a metal canister dated 1962? Well, it could very well be that all the outdated (and perhaps dangerous) stock was palmed off on Rootes, instead of a recall! Or that was a mighty slow boat. It could also be that which filter depended on when the new shipment arrived. Need more documented evidence than is in hand to answer that one.
I have no doubt the answer will present itself with patient, persistent inquiry - by others. I now have BOTH, and that's more than I need.
Steve
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