NEWS
Blind New Mexico man identifies cars by touch
Los Lunas native has gained viral fame identifying classic vehicles
Michael Postlethwait puts on his white gloves and begins to feel the contours of the vehicle in front of him.
Blind since birth, Postlethwait can鈥檛 see the car 鈥� but he鈥檚 going to try to guess its make and model by feel alone.
鈥淚 was almost gonna say this was a Cadillac,鈥� he says.
鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a Cadillac because the trunk is not quite as big,鈥� he continues.
Maybe a 1950s Oldsmobile, he offers.
Yep, Postlethwait nailed it 鈥� as he does when it comes to identifying most vehicles (he鈥檚 better with classic cars than newer models).
A Los Lunas native, Postlethwait, 36, grew up around cars. He comes from a family of mechanics and as a kid, he would touch his family鈥檚 vehicles, committing those automobiles鈥� contours to memory.
鈥淚 would start remembering the shapes of the fenders, the shapes of doors and trunks,鈥� Postlethwait said. 鈥淚 just kind of put it in my memory and I just memorized it.鈥�
That memory has become a sort of party trick 鈥� and now he and his wife have a sizable following on social media.
At the Supernationals Father鈥檚 Day Weekend Car Show on Saturday in the parking lots of the sa国际传媒官网网页入口, Postlethwait identified a 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle, a 1970s Ford Mustang, and the Oldsmobile by touch alone.
He also got his hands on a Lamborghini for the first time.
A viral turn
Postlethwait was born with Leber congenital amaurosis, an eye condition that causes blindness. That hasn鈥檛 stopped him from living life to the fullest.
鈥淚 just want to remind people that there is more than one way to enjoy life beyond sight or beyond anything,鈥� he said.
Mike and his wife, Jennie Postlethwait, who also has a vision impairment, started to make content on social media last year.
鈥淲e started doing content on blindness and then I was like, well if people think this is really cool, wait until they see him touch cars!鈥� she said.
Less than a month later, the couple had their first viral video. It now has more than 9 million views on TikTok, where they post as
鈥淚t鈥檚 an honor, I never really expected it,鈥� Mike said. 鈥淚 just have a passion for cars, never really expected to get such a big following.鈥�
The couple will mark one year of creating content together on July 1. They have 173,000 followers and 8 million likes on TikTok. They receive hundreds of messages a day along with multiple car show invitations each month, where they get to touch new cars, meet their owners and connect with fans in person.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of my favorite things about car shows, getting to know the owners and their stories,鈥� Mike said.
Car owners across the state have let Mike touch their vehicles in hopes he can guess what model it is. Some of them have formed relationships with the couple, supporting the love they鈥檝e brought to the car community.
鈥淚t鈥檚 brought really friendly, good-hearted people to us,鈥� Jennie said. 鈥淓verybody says they enjoy seeing his story and how kind he is, and that鈥檚 genuinely how he is, and I think that鈥檚 something worth sharing with everybody.鈥�
Karmina Conde is a reporter for the Journal. You can reach her at kconderuiz@abqjournal.com
