I was on my way to meet Marshall Miller on a crisp Sunday morning last November when I saw his unrestored 1916 Detroit Electric whiz through the Country Club Plaza with the top down. Three people, scrunched inside and huddled against the chill, laughed as they sped by. They were obviously enjoying the late-fall day because their smiles were brighter than the sunshine.

I arrived at Miller’s garage about the same time as the trio returned from their whirlwind trip, slightly windblown and a tad cold, but beaming with enthusiasm. August Grasis, 85, and his son, Augie Grasis, 57, had dropped by Miller’s garage to see his cars, and he had been giving rides in several, including his 1941 Lincoln Zephyr Town Car limousine, a 1948 Oldsmobile woodie station wagon and “Clementine,” the tattered but totally original Detroit Electric that is a joy to behold.

Augie and his dad have several cars of their own, but they were curious to see Miller’s. The impromptu visit turned out to be the adult version of little kids swapping bikes and sharing toys.

The four of us slipped into a local eatery for a late lunch and the conversation was more filling than the pizza. One thing that continues to amaze me about car people is the ease with which a common bond is built around a shared hobby.

After lunch, Augie and his dad headed home in their vintage Porsche convertible. Miller invited me into his Lincoln limousine for a chauffeured tour of the back streets near his garage.

Miller’s Town Car is the second of 10 that were designed by Edsel Ford for the Ford family and company executives, and it is possible that Henry Ford used it. These limousines, with bodies built by the Brunn Company in Buffalo, N.Y., were among the last custom-bodied Lincolns.

The engine is a 292-cubic-inch V-12 flathead. The cabin has an open compartment for the driver along with a woodgrain dash, gold-plated fixtures, an intercom and a three-position rear seat and jump seats. It is elegance personified.

As Miller drove me quietly past stately homes I had a sense of how rich folks must have felt in the 1940s. But more than that, I realized how rich I was to have shared a couple of hours with three delightful men and some lovely old cars.