Start them young or say bye-bye to the hobby.

I totally agree wit letting the kids climb in the cars. I have a 1915 truck and it is a joy to see the kids behind the wheel with a grin and the parents taking pictures. My son has been showing at car shows since he was 12 and has become a spokesman for our antique trucks. He is very involved and it gives both him and myself pleasure.

When I am out with any of my cars, when I see a kid take an interest (you know, they have that look in their eye), I let them get in the car, play with the switches and show them everything. They get my card and an open invitation to my place. At any car show or cruise night, I leave the doors open so kids can get in. I carry an iPhone, so I take a picture of the kid in the car and then email it immediately to the parent so the kid will never forget the experience. ALL of the parents tell them to DON'T TOUCH THE CAR, but I explain to the parents its OK. There is nothing like seeing a 10 year old kids eyes light up...mine did when I was 12.

Tom is correct, but it is more than kids - it is also young people and anyone with potential.

My parent's gave me my first car (a 1931 Cadillac) when I was 7 years old and I project managed the restoration between ages 10 and 11 (hunted parts the first few years). The car when done won just about every AACA and CCCA award possible.

This weekend, I gave frinds the keys to a 1946 Packard Custom Super Clipper (perhaps the finest original in existance) and I now hope they are hooked.

At a national concours event, I was highly critisized this weekend for putting a dear friend's wife in the front seat of a Delage of other dear friends (people that I enjoy their company so much every time we come in contact for 30 plus years now), which I did as our event really needs their help. The scene that the volunteer car watcher made was just an incredible turn off (they kept screaming a spectacle has to be made so everyone knows that cars cannot be touched in public). After the concours it was nice to see dad put the top down and piled a dozen kids and adults in my car for a little British car action.

So what do I say when people tell me my three year old nephew should not be jumping around on my 100 point leather - I smile and say it just does not matter - I hope he enjoys it as much as I do and takes the car out for another 50 years after I am gone.

JMM

editor: Hear, hear !! John, like you say, automobiles are meant for use in daily life. That counts for new cars, that counts for full classics. Hope you had the chance to shoot a photo of the dozen kids jumping around in your 100 points motorcar.

In the long-discussed problem of getting the young interested in the hobby of old cars, it seems to me that too much discussion is wasted on how to get them interested without any thought being given to the origin and substance of the hobby.
I feel also that too much effort is wasted on displays intended to entice the young. How long can we expect their attention span to last if we show them bright and polished cars needing no further work and then having to suggest they buy one for a fortune so they can join in the fun?
Obviously, veteran cars have interested enthusiasts since before WWll but the hobby never blossomed until the film 'Genevieve' came out in 1954. At the time veterans could be found with relative ease and economy. Also at that time many other people saw a potential in the vintage car they drove as everyday transport. As sad as it seems now, many vintage cars were scrapped because nobody wanted them. This included dealers who would not accept them as trade-ins. Alternatively, the people who did appreciate the cars found them relatively inexpensive to maintain and even restore to an acceptable level. As these folk went through life they became more and more able to restore these cars to a finer and finer degree of perfection.
Ok, so broadly, that is how it started and many of the people who became interested via that conduit are still with us. But, and it is an insurmaountable BUT, today all vintage and veteran cars are very desirable, cannot be obtained at anywhere near a practical figure for someone starting out in their working life, nor can these cars be used as everyday transport.
If enthusiasts expect youngsters to buy one of these cars and keep the clubs alive then they can forget public displays et al to get the kids interested enough to join up. They have to sit down and think what the clubs, not the cars, can offer. If they do that with some success then they have to step backwards and let the kids take over.
Kids with their attitudes got all this going, often in defiance or disapproval of their elders. It either has to take that form all over again or enthusiasts must become resigned to vintage and veteran vehicles losing value as museums become full and/or collectors realize that their ever-increasing collections are becoming less and less valuable.

You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink! The same with the younger generation and old cars. Just expose them to the hobby and allow them access to the joys of the movement.

By doing this my youngest son became interested; and found that he had been gifted with the required skills to carry out full restorations. He subsequently opened his own upholstery shop.He did start early though by buying his first car at eight years old! Alas, the price of old cars now only allows the fortunate few to indulge.

Don't work them too hard Tom, we don't want to turn it into a Sweatshop !

What a truly charming video of two children who will grow up cherishing history !