For the past several months at least, this photo of two people washing their Mazda MX-5 has repeatedly appeared all over Miatadom. Some see only a somewhat whimsical scene—two people on a city street, casually washing their convertible. But if you look closely at the background, there’s way more going on here than two people performing a little spring cleaning.
This photo was taken on September 24, 2001—barely two weeks after the events of 9/11, and that’s not some random architectural installation in the background; it’s the remains of the south tower of the World Trade Center. And as you’re probably now realizing, the two human subjects aren’t removing a layer of urban grime from their little roadster after a winter in hibernation; they’re washing away the remains of two airliners and half-dozen buildings that were leveled during the attack, not to mention the nearly 3,000 human beings who died that day in New York City alone.
And no, this is not AI.
The journalist who took our lead photo, Jane Tyksa, is still a staff photographer for the Bay Area News Group, which owns the publication where the photo originally ran. When I contacted her, she immediately confirmed its authenticity, and dismissed the pervasive comments about it being fake as “absolutely ridiculous.” Oh, and Tyska owns a Miata of her own—a Classic Red NA whose odometer gave out at 164,000 miles. We’re everywhere, people.
You may have seen this photo (or a similar one) attributed to a different photographer, Erik Pendzich. This appears to be a simple case of mistaken identity, rather than anything malicious. Pendzich was also there that day, and captured that same moment from almost the exact same angle. He’s still in the business too, and he offered a little perspective from a New York City resident.
“I was in New York City for 9/11 and was a witness to all the events of the day,” Pendzich told me via email. “This image was created as part of my post-9/11 coverage of New York recovering from the attack.”
“Downtown Manhattan was still in disarray and I was looking to photograph something more than just rubble from the collapse,” he said. “The streets of the Financial District and the area surrounding the WTC site were still caked with dust and debris.”
He described a quiet, desolate scene—the normally packed streets virtually empty, save for construction and utility workers.
“Not the normal atmosphere of the city I’ve called home my entire life,” he said.
“I believe it was along Washington Street when I ran across the scene,” he recalled. “I spotted these two people washing their car. It was the first time in two weeks that I witnessed people doing something ‘normal’.”
Pendzich’s recollection of the location was spot-on. The garage in the photo stood at the intersection of Washington and Carlisle—yes, the intersection of wash and car. Can’t make that up.
The view down Washington Street looks quite different now. The parking garage has been demolished (the Street View image below was taken in 2017) and the memorial occupies the site where the rubble once lay, but some elements of the scene are still recognizable, especially the building on the left, which houses the World (no “Trade”) Center Hotel.
“I knew the juxtaposition of their actions with the remnants of a horrific event looming in the distance was something worth documenting,” he said.
The Miata was in the parking garage next door on the day of the attacks; like many New Yorkers, the Miata’s caretakers were just getting their first chance to return to their cars since that fateful day.
“There were also many other vehicles in the garage that were covered in gray debris from the collapse,” he said. “Later I found out that numerous vehicles were never reclaimed.”
Do you know either of the people in this photo? If so, please reach out via tips@thedrive.com or byron@thedrive.com. I’d appreciate the opportunity to speak with them!
