The future

You have to nurture the interest in the next generation to keep it going. When you take your ride to a show, or have it out and about and a young teenager or twenty something with a modern ride that may be a foreign car shows interest, dont blow em off, talk to em. You may find that they are just as interested in the hobby as you are, just on a different vehicle that they can afford on a just outta high school budget. They may want an older muscle car but lets face it the days of finding a running fixer upper 68-70 charger in the newspaper for $500 are long gone, and in their place a $8k roller, or $50k finished car.

I was fixing up a 68 charger i bought for $400 in the mid 1980s and hitting the wrecking yard for parts back then. To the old timers working on 1940s and 1950s stuff i'm sure they looked at it as a worn out old car, but at car shows i was never talked down to by old timers. They understood that i was the future of the hobby.

Some of you know i have a 69 notchback i intend to do a resto on with my son. If he puts in the sweat equity with my help and teaching and some of his own cash then the car is his. I plan on teaching him metal fab, welding, body and paint, engine and transmission work, wiring, brakes, basically everything. He is 6 now. I do not know what the future will bring, however he loves cars, loves that V8 sound, and Harley V twin sound, and thoroughly enjoys car shows. As a matter of fact when he sees the pentastar he calls it the "Mopar" star. He loves it when i pick him up from school in my "old" 94 chevy pickup, or in my 07 mustang GT.

Get excited about the hobby with younguns who show interest. That 20 something that drives a hopped up WRX does it because it gives him the same thrills on the cheap that your A body did for you back in the day when these were just 10-15-20 year old "used cars".

I say the hobby is changing in regards to the vehicles being souped up, but the thought process behind it hasnt changed one bit. Its not dying. Go fast, beat the guy or gal in the lane next to you. Its been that way ever since man has harnessed the power of the horse. Humans have been racing in some form or another since then. Its a primal thrill that goes way back.

Sorry for the long dissertation. In closing though i think whats going to be collectable 20 years from now is the stuff 20 somethings either lusted after thats brand new now and they couldent afford right now as they are getting settled in with further education or life in general, or something they own now thats 10-15 years old that they are driving and souping up, and may have to sell for whatever reason, and 20 years from now may want that car back to rekindle their youth. I mean i had a 1988 daytona shelby T top car back in the early 90s. Loved that car. I have another T top intercooled 88 Z stuck in the corner of my shop, and all the parts to rebuild it. I may get to it before i die, maybe not, but its still something cool none the less.