Panama City, Panama, Other: Abou Saad Muffler Man

There is a Muffler Man in Panama City, in the country of Panama in Central America. When I was a kid in the Panama Canal Zone, back in the 1980s, he was outside a mechanic's shop downtown and clearly a result of the "Little America" that surrounds the Panama Canal.

I was back in Panama in June 2012 and was surprised to see that the Muffler Man had been moved to the Shriners' Lodge that took over the former Officer's Club on Albrook Airbase. The base is closed and is now just a residential neighborhood. He's been outfitted with a fez. A Shriner that we met in the parking lot said he'd been bought after the 1989 invasion, had the bullet holes in his body patched, and was made into a mascot for the lodge.

On my latest trip to Panama, my driver was a former Noriega bodyguard who delighted in showing me the sights of Panama City, Republic of Panama. When he asked if I wanted to go see Ronald Reagan, I agreed, not knowing what to expect. The former President turned out to be the "mascot" of the Abou Saad Shriners on the former US base at Albrook.

Here is the restored Panamanian Shriner Muffler Man!

Originally they were advertising dummies for Phillips 66 gas stations. The one in Panama was bought by the local Shriners and repainted and fitted as a Shriner. During the liberation of Panama from the military dictatorship started by Omar Torrijos and ending with Manuel Noriega, Mr. Shriner got caught in a crossfire when a group of irregular military started an attack on civilians. They died on the grounds of the Shrine Temple, but Mr. Shriner survived. He is presently in storage, as the Abou Saad Shrine Temple is moving from the locale shown (which has been purchased by the Panamanian Government as part of a much needed overpass) to what was the Officer's Club on Albrook AFB. He will rise again to announce to the world that the Shriner's are still here and still taking care of crippled children.

After touring the Panama Canal, my girlfriend and I took our lives into our own hands and climbed into a taxi. While racing through the streets of the former Canal Zone, I glimpsed a Muffler Man standing in front of a building called the "Abou Sadd Temple." At first, I refused to believe my eyes. What would a Muffler Man be doing so far from home? But he seemed to possess all the standard characteristics. One hand pointing up. One hand pointing down. And that creepy, steely gaze. I made note of where we were -- near a First Baptist Church -- hoping we might return at some point during our vacation.

We never did. Sometimes, I fear I dreamed the whole thing. I hope somebody visiting your site can confirm that I actually saw a Muffler Man in Central America.