Cars at Norman weather festival show off their battle scars
BY JAMES S. TYREE
Published: November 10, 2009

NORMAN — Thanks to charitable parents, an early-rising roommate, and his own nonchalant decision to become a storm chaser, Michael Ferrer, a University of Oklahoma student from Midwest City, rode away with the "meatwagon award” at the National Weather Festival’s car show.

The car show was among the big attractions at the festival, which was Saturday at the National Weather Center. More than 20 vehicles were entered, from gleaming new trucks to beaten down cars and pickups.

Ferrer’s meatwagon is an older, white minivan that his parents passed on to him. Ferrer said he decided about a year ago to chase storms, and the van has plenty of hail damage and external reflective tape to prove it.

He also equipped the van with an amber beacon on top, and a wooden storage bin and laptop mount he made himself.

Despite owning an adequately weathered van, Ferrer probably would have not have received the award — which came with a certificate and free weather festival T-shirt — if not for his storm-chasing buddy Grant Miller.

"I usually sleep in on Saturdays, but my roommate Grant woke me up; otherwise I wouldn’t have made it,” Ferrar said.

Organizers awarded first- and second-place for personally owned vehicles in five other categories: most hail damage, most unique, cutting edge, best looking and most working sensors. The other first-place winners were Bart Comstock (hail), John Leeman (unique), James Menzies (cutting edge), Val Castor (best looking), and Chris Caldwell (sensors).

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