"Nope... It's My Wife's." | The Garage | Redline Ritual Co.

The Garage

Real stories. Real builds. Real people.

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"Nope... It's My Wife's."

It happens almost every time.

We pull into a car show.

The engine shuts off.

I step out.

A few minutes later, someone walks over to my husband.

"So... is this your car?"

He grins.

"Nope... it's my wife's."

I wish I could count how many times I've watched the look on their face change.

The surprise.

The double take.

The quick glance in my direction.

It's almost as if they're trying to figure out whether he's joking.

He's not.

See, somewhere along the way, people decided that if a woman is standing next to a modified car...

She must've ridden in it.

Not built it.

Not researched every part.

Not stayed up until midnight chasing a problem that refused to be solved.

Not spent hours behind the wheel learning every sound, every vibration, and every quirk that makes it hers.

Just... the passenger.

Here's the funny part.

Nobody ever asks me if my husband's driving my car.

They just assume.

And assumptions have a funny way of falling apart when you start asking me about the build.

I can tell you why I chose the parts that are on it.

I can tell you what I've changed.

What still needs work.

What I'd do differently.

Because this isn't just a car I own.

It's a car I've poured a piece of myself into.

So the next time you see a woman standing beside a car...

Don't assume she came with it.

She might be the one who built it.

She might be the one who drove it there.

She might even be the one teaching everyone else something before the conversation is over.

And if you happen to ask my husband if it's his...

Don't worry.

He already knows the answer.

He'll just smile and say,

"Nope... it's my wife's."

---

The driver's seat has room for anyone with the passion to earn it.

Some of us just happen to be women.

— Janie
Founder, Redline Ritual Co.