Let me start out by saying that I am not a classic car expert. I, like many women I suspect, look at classic cars and can appreciate that they are old and worth more now then they did when they were new, but when it comes right down to it we don't salivate like our male counterparts when one comes down the road. That being said, I can tell you that my family is into classic cars and we own a few. As a matter of fact, the 1937 Ford in the picture belongs to my step-father. Because of owning classic cars, I am a member of a car club called the Prescott Antique Auto Club (PAAC) in Prescott, AZ. Last weekend I attended, worked rather, the 35th Annual Watson Lake Auto Show hosted by the PAAC. My job was to assist with the registration and ballot counting of the cars, and while I do not know much about the cars themselves, I did pick up on some characteristics on the people both attending the show and car owners in the show.
I have come to the conclusion that there are two types of classic car owners. The first type are those who have the money to purchase a car already restored just to add to their collection. You can tell which people they are because they will park their car, open the hood, and display their trophies or dash plaques. Now there is nothing wrong with this type of person, they have a beautiful collection and maintain their cars well. The second type are those who either bought their car as a piece of junk and restored it or those whose car was passed down from father to son over the years. You can tell who this group is because instead of trophies, they display photos of the car's history and documentation as to the car and restoration project. The biggest difference between these two groups is only discovered when you speak to them. Both groups will talk about how beautiful the car is, but you can tell the level of pride and enthusiasm is far greater in the people whose blood, sweat, and tears have contributed to the immaculate machine you are looking at. Also, the people who are attending the show will gravitate towards those cars just to see the progression of when it was first a rust bucket, and slowly morphed into a car that looks like it was just driven out of the showroom. To see the before, during, and after pictures really makes you appreciate the car as a work of art and not just a machine you trade in after driving it for a few years.
I am reminded of another car I saw not too long ago at a car gathering. A few months back, Jon and I went to a gathering that occurs every Saturday night near our home. As we were walking through the cars, we came up to one that beautiful to look at. Although I cannot recall the actual make and model of the car, it was a metallic gray 1960's muscle car. The owner of the car was kind enough to all us to open the doors and check out the interior. When he started the car up, "she" purred like a kitten. The interesting thing is that the car was not the focal point. Placed on a podium in front of the car was a scrapbook. This book did not contain the restoration process or bills of sale, but it had photos, news clippings and movie stills of the man's sister. She was a popular 1960's screen actress who originally purchased the car as her daily driver and according to her brother, she loved this car. When she died, she willed the car to her younger brother; and since then, he has restored the car to its former glory. As we thumbed through the scrapbook which displayed her life's work, he mentioned to us that he was always so proud of her and the car is his way of showing his appreciation and pride for his sister and her legacy.
Pride in one's accomplishments can apply to any situation or task, but this level of pride can only be achieved when you have a meaning purpose and you put in your own efforts to see it though. Just think, once you are done, you will have "one sweet ride".
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