08/22/2026
The last thing you’d expect from Banks is a poem. But with Gale Banks’ birthday this Sunday, we thought it was the perfect time to share one written about our fearless leader.
"Power and Speed"
by Tarzana Joe
The first invention
With the most appeal
Was when some smart fellow
Prototyped the wheel
But the squeaky wheel
Gave no one peace
'Til a smarter fellow
Invented grease
Then man's horizons
Became something vaster
And the first prayer spoken
Was just one word — "Faster!"
And the clear progression
For Man the Maker
Was from cart to chariot
To Studebaker
And along the road
Of these bold advances
Were men with vision
Taking chances
They made chassis stronger
And axles sounder
Suspensions tighter
And cart wheels rounder
And though many toiled
We all owe thanks
To one innovator:
The great Gale Banks
Designer, inventor
Futurist, mensch
Just like Gale Senior
He's a natural wrench
From Gale's first breath
He just had to know
How things get started
And what makes them go
Before he switched
From knicker to trouser
That boy rebuilt
An Offenhauser
From Miz Orcutt's driveway
To the Salt and the street
The spirit whispered
The command "Compete!"
Build it and test it
Race it and then
Do it better
And race it again
He took 'em on
And he beat plenty
And the son of a gun
Wasn't even twenty
Now what makes this country
The world's trendsetter
Is the constant imperative
To make things better
As he worked and thought
And built and grew
That's the commandment
Gale Banks knew
He took the initiative
Grabbed the lead
And built a religion
Based on Power and Speed
While some seek power
Ambitiously
The Banks Power Option
Would set men free
Freedom to move
From place to place
A real innovation
For the human race
"Ride the highway to the future"
Now there's a motto
For America from Banks,
Diesel, and Otto
But while wheels benefitted
The country greatly
The auto's been having
A tough time lately
With global warming
And fuels depleted
Some say prosperity
Could be defeated
Some politicians
Would go so far
As to trash the engine
And ban the car
To those legislators
I propose a truce:
No more restrictions
Turn Gale Banks loose
Sure I heard he's
Turning sixty-six
But there's not a problem
That man can't fix
And considering the route
He's charted
His ride to the future
Just got started
He'll till the earth
And rein the stars
And use them both
To power cars
So the country he loves
Can ever be
Prosperous, mobile
Powerful and free
Now to come full circle
We make this appeal
We're counting on you, Gale
To re-invent the wheel
# #
This poem was written in 2008. It's still oddly relevant.
Happy birthday from your team at Banks.
