On his way through Los Angeles, Ford CEO Jim Farley met up with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at Galpin Ford.
The retired professional wrestler-turned-Hollywood actor was picking up his Raptor R, which starts at $107,400, plus $1,745 in destination fees, a week ago. Galpin Ford in North Hills is his neighborhood dealer. And it’s where Johnson is known to buy his trucks.
(No, this is not another cool story about Johnson giving his truck to a Navy veteran.)
More:Dwayne Johnson gives Navy veteran his personal F-150 Raptor, Ford CEO responds
The dealership had just finished personalizing the pickup.
Meanwhile, Farley was driving the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning on Day Two of a three-day trek along the Western U.S., and had a scheduled visit with Galpin.
So it turned into a reunion of sorts. Farley and Johnson DM each other occasionally, and one thing led to another.
Johnson also has a friendship with Beau Boeckmann, now president and chief operating officer for Galpin Motors Inc. after heading Galpin Auto Sports, a division that specializes in customizing cars. Galpin is also one of the nation’s largest dealerships in terms of sales volume.
The Galpin name may sound familiar because it was featured in “Pimp my Ride,” an MTV series about the after-market business of tricking out vehicles. Johnson is just one of many customers who customize their trucks.
Farley thought it would be cool to connect at the dealership. Farley had planned to do a roundtable there with electric vehicle enthusiasts. Farley also spent time with Boeckmann, looking at his private collection.
Farley posted on X (the site formerly known as Twitter) on Monday, “You never know who you’ll run into on the road.. @TheRock picked up his new truck from @galpinford and had a special message for the @Ford +@UAW team back in Dearborn. Thanks, DJ! #BuiltFordProud“
He shared a video of Johnson, who said, “I’m sending this one out to my family or, as we say in the islands, my ‘ohana.’ That is, the Ford family, starting with all the blue-collar heroes in Dearborn, Michigan. Many of you, I’ve had the honor of shaking your hand, grease and all. Give it to me. Give me your big sweaty hugs.”
He continued, “I just want to say thank you. Thank you, guys, for all the hard work you put in. Thank you for your sacrifice and your commitment to creating vehicles like this for me and for Americans and people around the world. I have my brand new Raptor R here. Thank you guys so much. As many of you know, if not all of you, I only drive Ford trucks. As I have said to Jim Farley, our CEO, it’s always an honor to shake your hands and give you guys hugs because you guys are the backbone of our great country. So, love you guys. Thank you. I will be driving this, as I do all my Fords, with great pride — playing my music nice and loud.”
Standing in front of a group of workers, many wearing huge smiles and jumpsuits, Johnson thanked them personally on Aug. 8 in a video posted by Farley on Monday.
“I want to say thank you guys so much for all your work … I only drive Ford trucks. I have one right there. You guys are working on this one here,” Johnson said, pointing to a truck. “You worked on my (F-250) Dually. I mean, so many of my trucks you’ve worked on. So, good to see your eyes.”
They applauded and he offered to take a group photo that included Farley, who was watching the exchange.
“Squeeze in! Squeeze in!” Johnson said.
After the group shot, Johnson is seen shaking hands with Farley — and he pulls Farley closer and says, “Come here.” Then Johnson wrapped his big arms around Farley. “Thank you very much.”
Farley replied, “You’re the best.”
Farley met Johnson seven or eight years ago, before Farley was CEO. He also used to live in the City of Angels, at the start of his career when he worked at Toyota. His cousin, “SNL” cast member Chris Farley, was making movies then.
In the past, Farley hired Johnson to do spots promoting Ford’s service professionals. This latest interaction was not a paid promotional activity. “It was from the heart,” said a Ford source who traveled with Farley and was there.
The source, who isn’t authorized to speak to the news media, confirmed to the Free Press that neither Ford nor Galpin paid Johnson for the visit.
This week, Johnson, who spent part of his childhood in Hawaii, reached out to find ways to assist victims displaced by the wildfires in Maui.
Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid.