My deepest condolences to the LeBlanc family. I never personally met Joel but I am the fortunate owner of his 1999 Mercedes S Class. I bought the car through a friend of Joel's in the Palm Desert area in late October of 2022, just before Joel passed away. The seller let me know that Joel was very sick at the time I was looking at the car, but given the circumstances and timing, I was unaware that he had passed until now.

Like Joel, I am a huge car enthusiast, and wish I could have seen his collection. It must have been impressive. At the time of purchase, the car was, no exaggeration, showroom condition. Only 30,000 miles on the odometer; a rolling time capsule of a machine. The seller, working on Joel's behalf, told me Joel had searched for four or five years to find this particular car.  Family members or friends that are familiar with the car would know just how well cared for this example was/is. 

Life works in mysterious ways.  I sometimes search on the internet for the cars I used to own or previous owners of cars I currently have, and it saddens me to find out that both of the previous owners of the Mercedes have since passed. A car's history is made up of not just the places it went or things it did when it got there, but also, more importantly, the people who owned, cared for, and enjoyed it. And clearly, given the condition it was kept in and level of preservation, this car was a cherished piece in Joel's collection. 

In my family cars we really like are given names. We named it, "The Blue Whale" for its color and sheer size. The car has become a favorite in my family and we hope to enjoy and share the joy of The Whale for years to come.

Rest In Power Joel.