Captivated by classics
An adventure reeking of testosterone and Amoral was a curveball hit into leftfield in my plans for a Sunday morning.
In the 22 years of my existence, I had never pegged myself as being one of those people willing to pay money to look at a bunch of customized cars in an auditorium.
But after perusing through the beauties and talking with a passionate car man, I have developed a respect and somewhat of an understanding for the classics.
It’s not that car enthusiasts could necessarily be picked out from a crowd while running errands at Target, but without an embroidered jacket or some type of car loving T-shirt, I felt like a social outcast at the Toppers Car Show.
I guess that’s what they call dressing for the occasion, something I usually pride myself on but missed my cue with the car show.
The participants at the car show were very friendly and eager to tell the story of their one-of-a-kind works of art, but to me, they could have been speaking a different language. I guess that’s where the smile-and-nod technique comes into play.
I tried racking my brain for questions to ask people, but as hard as I tried, I couldn’t come up with anything remotely intelligent to ask. I tried following the conversations, but I would have to say I failed immensely because the most prevalent word that came from my mouth was “cool.”
Although I may not be able to relate to the terms used for car descriptions, I was able to soak up the atmosphere, passion and pride put into the show, as well as into the cars.
The cars were immaculate and obviously treated like kings.
The investment put into a car of such caliber is astronomical for a hobby, but for the people involved, their car-restoration hobby has transformed into a lifestyle.
Beyond the cars, I was more enthralled with onlookers. I had no idea a car show could draw such a huge crowd, ranging in age from little tykes to older folks.
I heard young boys talking with one another and dreaming of the car they would someday drive, along with all the ways in which they would pimp out the masterpiece — that is, once they are of age to get a driver’s license.
I may not be able to picture myself in the market of restoring a classic, but honestly, I wouldn’t mind attending another car show in the future.