The Kids Are All Right

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The nice thing about the old car hobby is that it's family-friendly. With a sufficiently large car, you can take the whole clan on an outing. Many of today's enthusiasts, in fact, grew up on car rallies, tours and annual visits to Hershey. Today, however, we put far more stringent requirements on the transport of infants, toddlers and young children than was the case when we were young. What's a parent to do?

Perhaps take a page from the book of the Laughlin family of New Alexandria, Pennsylvania. Their 1913 Studebaker Model E Six, seen here in the Historic Preservation of Original Features class at this year's Hershey meet, has been outfitted with a pair of regulation car seats to enhance the safety of their children.

Granted, this arrangement is not as safe as it would be in a modern car, but it does provide a measure of protection not achievable otherwise. It takes some doing to install adequate anchorages, but the added safety is worth the trouble. In fact, when my children were  young, 25-30 years ago, I did the same in my 1925 Hudson Brougham. Perhaps as a result, my daughter Harriet is now more enthusiastic about old cars than either of her brothers.

(Text and photos Kit Foster)
     

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