The event came to fruition after Maddy’s dad, Rich Wagner, posted an ad on Craigslist asking if there was anybody nice enough to give his 14-year old daughter a ride in a supercar. This post then reached Bruno Silikowski – the owner of AutoMotorPlex, a complex that consists of deluxe garages that cater to exotic sports car buffs – after a late night bout of Internet trolling that ended with him reading Wagner’s ad on Craigslist.
Immediately, Silikowski went to work and asked a number of tenants to see if they could offer their rides. What he got were responses several times over, including two out-of-town owners that arranged to have their cars driven by other people.
In the end, instead of riding one supercar, Maddy got to enjoy 13 of them, including a Ferrari that despite being described as “really cool,” still fell short to her favorite, a Lamborghini. In total, there were about $13 million worth of supercar goodness at her disposal.
“I just want to say thank you to all of you,” said Rich Wagner, admitting that he was struggling to hold back tears. “None of you had to be here today. You could have been home with your families.”
He added that it “will take time for Maddy to process all of this. She’s going to be saying a lot of thank-yous.”
Maddy’s autism hasn’t stopped her from living her life just like any other 14-year old. Her love for exotic cars, combined with her passion for speed, truly made her holiday wish one for the ages. It also solidified her career choice: to become a test driver for Lamborghini.