Whether he’s performing with the band or cheering from the stands at Friday night games, Garrett Brehm is a familiar face at Potosi High School. Beyond school activities, he also has a long-standing passion for cars, an interest that has shaped much of his life.
Brehm has liked working on cars for most of his life. His interest started when he was really young because he and his dad both enjoyed it. Since he was about six years old, they have been working on cars together during the winter. Although he had stopped for a time due to life getting busy, he eventually returned to it around the winter of 2023. Brehm has worked on two or three cars, including building a 1970 Camaro from the ground up and doing engine work on a Firebird.
Brehm learned about the 1997 Eagle Talon through one of his dad’s friends, who is familiar with first-generation models of this type of vehicle. The model is similar to a Mitsubishi Eclipse, just with a different body style. Mr Brehm thought it looked good and decided to look for one online. He found a clean one on Facebook Marketplace about 30 to 40 minutes away, test drove it, and decided to buy it.
Brehm's car is a very sleek and smooth red, with some highlights of black, and silver on the rims. It has a 2-liter four-cylinder motor and a manual transmission. One of Brehm’s favorite things about the car is that it’s a manual. At first, driving a manual made him a little nervous, but now he really enjoys it. He thinks it makes driving more fun and keeps him more engaged. When asked about his least favorite thing, Brehm said he couldn’t really think of anything he doesn’t like about it.
So far, the car has been very reliable. Brehm has put 715 miles on it as he has gotten used to how it feels and drives. The only problem he has had was a leak in the clutch’s master cylinder that is currently being fixed to be driven in the spring/summer, but other than that, nothing has gone wrong.
So far, Brehm hasn’t done much work on his 1997 Eagle Talon, but he has plans for it. He is trying to clean up the rust underneath and make the car look better overall. In the future, he wants to add a full exhaust system, a bigger turbo, and an intercooler kit that will help cool down the air intake. He also wants to upgrade parts of the fuel system and replace the clutch, because the stock one can’t handle a lot of power. He also plans to change some exterior parts for looks, like getting new rims and tires.