It’s summer time in Michigan! Beaches, barbeques and road trips. There are also a lot of car shows. A LOT of car shows.
I have attended my fair share of car shows. This is what happens when you marry a car guy. In the early days of dating, I attended a lot of automotive related events. I asked a lot of questions like, “Why are there mirrors displaying the undercarriage of that car?” as well as, “Why is that guy carrying a car hood?” Turns out there was a race car driver autographing whatever you brought in to the show.
Fast forward thirty years later and I now work with my husband in the automotive repair business and my life revolves around cars. I can appreciate a beautiful car and the hum of an engine but I don’t have the deep down love of the automobile that many people, including the ones I work with every day, do.
Several weeks ago in Northern Michigan, my stepmom and I attended a craft show and were walking to a favorite local restaurant. There was a classic car show on the main road with some amazing automobiles. Some of the old classics are a work of art and the owners are always eager to share a great story behind their acquisition of the vehicle. My grandmother had shared the story of riding in a rumble seat on her first date with my grandfather. Seeing one of the old GM’s with a rumble seat makes me think of them. I accidently attended this car show but ended up really enjoying all of the old designs and engineering.
This time of year, many more of the classics are out being taken on road trips and short jaunts. Jeff grew up working on these vehicles as well as Ken, another of our technicians. We see some of them here and they always invoke a sense of nostalgia. The engineering is so much simpler and the body design was many times dictated by the limitations of the metal stamping ability back then.
Even if you don’t love cars, take a road trip to a car show this summer. You might see something that reminds you of earlier times and you may even hear a story or two. I also suggest getting an ice cream cone. If you know of a terrific car show, comment on this blog post and share it with the rest of us!