Merry Christmas and Happy HotRodDays

I get asked by people who cruise Carsolina, “I have (insert car of choice) and I would like to know what I can do to get involved?”  So here you go.

Getting involved with classic cars, or anything, can be and is defined diffrerently by different people. Let’s use on of my favorite sports, ice hockey, as an example. Hey, where did everyone go? Seriously I won’t venture too far into the game itself, so keep reading.

I have been fascinated with ice hockey since I was a kid. I remember watching it on TV at wee hours in the morning, tape delayed on ESPN close to 30 years ago with the sound off because I was supposed to be asleep. At the time, I didn’t understand the rules or why penalties were called, or even why there wasn’t a fourth period. Don’t say quarter at a hockey game, it’s like saying 51 yard-line at a football game. Since those days when I was a kid, I learned to somewhat skate at a recreational level and learned to fall at a professional level and attended around a hundred professional hockey games. Although I have never laced up the skates for a game of hockey on the ice, I consider myself a hockey fan.

I have two nephews that both started with skating lessons at an early age. They have each played hockey for years and are both really good at their levels. Both have favorite pro players they admire and enjoy playing hockey on the latest gaming system, the MegaTronCube 4000XL video gaming console, or what ever they call Atari these days. When I was a kid, anything with joysticks that was viewable in color was called Atari, whether it was or not. Kind of like the folks that ask what kind of Coke they want and reply with, “I’ll have a Pepsi.” My two nephews have also been to numerous hockey games and have a nice collection of autographed memorabilia from some of those outings. They also occasionally watch a game or two on the television, but that really isn’t their thing.

Now their Dad, Scott he lives at center ice. That would be the 50 yard line in football. He watches hockey on television and listens to hockey on the radio. He visits hockey sites on the web and reads about hockey in the paper. At work he talks hockey with other hockey fans and then takes his kids to their hockey practices and games. And when he gets a chance, he takes in a few professional games. He has even picked up speaking a bit of Canadian, hey.

So my point is, if you were to ask either myself, my nephews, or my brother-in-law Scott if we are involved with hockey, you would get a Yes from each of us. Do each of us have a different level of commitment, a different amount of time and money invested into the sport we all love? Yes. Does this make anyone of us less of an enthusiast because we have different levels of involvement? Not at all.

The same is true for classic automobiles. Not everyone has the tools, skill, or time, to restore a vehicle from frame up. Not everyone can afford to bid on a numbers matching, one of a dozen, totally preserved low-milage proto-type time capsule at a Barrett-Jackson Auction. By the way if you have never watched Speed TVs coverage of Barrett-Jackson in January from Scottsdale, Arizona, you are missing some great classic car entertainment.

Like most things in life, getting involved will only be worth it if you are having fun. And the amount of time, money, and energy expended on your own level of involvement needs to make sense for you. So here are 4 ways to get involved.  Gee, finally!

Number 2.Go to a Cruise-in – Cruise-ins are usually a great way to get involved without making any kind of commitment. Cruise-ins are almost always free to participate in and attend and are open to just about anyone. They are regularly held at a public social establishment like a restaurant or diner that offers food and or entertainment. Cruise-ins are held as often as every week, once a month, or sometimes quarterly. Cruise-ins are often organized by local car clubs, and is a great way to not only meet auto enthusiasts in your area, but is also a good way to get a feel of the club and it’s membership. A nice way to check out the club and maybe down the road you might want to join.  Cruise-ins can last anywhere from a few hours to several hours and allow participants to come and go as they need.

Number 3.Attend a Car Show – Car Shows are a good way to meet people although it is different than a cruise-in. Beware, competition is in the air. Car shows are generally put on by car clubs, church groups, or civic associations, often as a fund raiser benefiting a charity or cause. A car show almost always has an entry fee and requires registration. Car shows unlike cruise-ins, often have vehicle limitations. These can be limited by year, make, model, or type of vehicle. If you have a 1965 Datsun pickup truck, you would be wasting your time and money to register for an all Corvette show and like-wise, if you have a 1949 Chevrolet Woodie Wagon, you may want to steer clear of the Mopar Show. Make sure that the show you are interested in is catering to your vehicle. Also if you do plan to attend a show, look for an early registration deadline that offers a reduced entry fee. Attending a car show as a spectator may be beneficial before you participate in your first car show.

Number 4. Car Clubs – Joining a Car Club is another option of how to get involved. Car Clubs are based locally and may be a chapter of a regional or national organization or association. Clubs differ greatly from one another in the way they are organized and operate, to the type of vehicles they support. Some clubs are only for Mustangs or Corvettes, while some are for anyone with a car or truck greater than 20 years old. Some clubs are open to anyone who appreciates automobiles. Car clubs usually have membership dues, regular meetings, and work together to plan club events. Clubs are often lead by a president and other officers who are elected by the membership body. Car clubs can be a good source of knowledge and resources, but car clubs are not for everybody.

Finally, Number 1. Drive Your Car – Did you think I forgot number 1? Just saving the best for last. OK, so you’re saying to yourself, “Come on, are you serious? Who didn’t know to drive their car?”

It’s not who didn’t know, it’s who forgot. You might be surprised how many people will offer you their phone number and say “call me when you want to sell that old truck.” Or the opportunities that it leads to.

My friend Jose, had his Chevrolet 3100 pickup truck sitting at a glass shop getting some new windows put in. As luck would have it, a motorist sitting at the traffic light looked over and saw Jose’s truck and pulled in the glass shop. He left his number for Jose with the shop owner. Jose called him and purchased an Apache pickup for a few hundred dollars.

There are people out there, that when they see a classic vehicle, will stop and take 30 seconds out of their busy day to walk over to you in the post office parking lot where ever you are, and ask about your vehicle. They will go out of their way in the grocery store parking lot to wave at you and yell out their car window with a smile on their face, “My Dad had one when I was a kid”

It brings happiness to people to see old classic cars and trucks in the middle of all the other crash tested, plastic bumper covered commuters at the stop light. Why? Who knows. Maybe seeing your vintage vehicle reminds them of an earlier time before the stress of everyday responsibilities became heavy. Maybe seeing your hot rod  with chrome wheels and flames on the hood reminds them of a loved-one who has since passed away and used to have a vehicle like that, or maybe always wanted one.

Maybe kids like seeing old cars because they have character in the big chrome bumpers and shiny grills. It has personality and sparks imagination like their favorite toy. If firetrucks were light silver-gray, Sahara tan, or solar white, would they be as popular with little kids? I doubt it. Do you know what the most popular new car color has been the last few years? It wasn’t firetruck red. Kids in their blatant, sometime embarrassing honesty, know what they like when they see it and will let you know. 

Maybe when other people see you driving your classic car, they see your happiness and your enjoyment while behind the wheel of your street rod. Don’t think that others don’t notice that you leave extra car lengths between you and the car in front of you or that you don’t mind that you caught that light red and didn’t mash the gas to speed under the yellow. Maybe they see your smile and maybe smiles are contagious.

It doesn’t really matter why people smile when they see classic automobiles, hot rods, muscle cars, street rods, or antique cars on the road, what matters is the simple fact that it does. So yes, getting involved is as simple as you driving your car.

If it is not presently drivable, that doesn’t mean that you can’t share your passion or level of  involvement. If you are hosting guests this Christmas season, take a few minutes to show your project to your relatives, especially your grand kids, nephews, or nieces. Show them a picture of what it looked like when you got it or what you hope it looks like when you finish it. Let the youngsters sit in your car, crank back and forth on the steering wheel, and blow the horn. Show them the things that make your car or truck unique.  If you can, take them for a ride in it, even if it’s a mile down the road and back or just around the block.

Introduce them to and include them in your interests, and you might be surprised how long they cherish that. I’m betting longer than that red firetruck wrapped up underneath your Christmas tree. Yes, even longer than MegaTronCube 4000XL video gaming console.

Merry Christmas! ~ Keep Cruising, Matthew

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