Ingrassia and A Red One

A brief post-script to many glowing tributes to Paul Ingrassia (RIP), a former Reuters managing editor.

I met Paul only briefly and did not work with him. But an email of his tops my list of bizarre responses to an exchange between colleagues. When his book Engines of Change was published, I emailed him to say how much I admired his look on how cars reflect America’s history and culture. It gave me new insights into the relationship between Americans and their cars, I said.

I have a life-long passion for cars and owned some exotic ones, so I ended my email by saying: “From one car guy to another, what car do you drive?”

His response: “A red one.” ■