Growing up, my grandpa instilled a sense of curiosity and a desire to learn in me. This was directed towards cars. As long as I can remember, my grandpa has had his “project” in his garage. His most recent project, his Mustang, and the cars that came before it were the fixation of any visit to his house. Now, at 17 years old, this fascination and appreciation for cars and what they can mean to people has stuck with me. Hearing stories of my grandpa and his friends as kids getting into trouble, and more importantly just having fun together, have stuck with me for a long time. These stories are something we can always laugh about. In my opinion, cars are something that can bring people closer over shared experiences and shared interests.
Some of my fondest memories with my grandpa are riding along with him to car shows where I would get to hear stories that, as a child, blew my mind. Driving fast, building cars, and messing around seemed like the perfect mix of controlled chaos. After my grandpa and his friends grew tired of telling me story after story, we would walk around and look at seemingly endless rows of cars. From new makes, to classics, to stock, to hot rods, there was something unique about each one, and each had a story to tell. The car itself was one thing. All the paths it had traveled, all the work that had been done to it, were another. The person behind it was equally as interesting. I met a lot of people who I probably never would have gotten to meet otherwise.
To car enthusiasts, cars are more than just something you drive. They are an expression of who they are. The care and precision that some of the cars are taken care of is amazing to see. As he is older, many of his friends have lost spouses, and these cars are some of the only things they have, and they bring lots of joy to them. A lot of my grandpa’s friends served in the military just like he did. Some of these men came back from wars like Vietnam and their world had been turned upside down. Many found that the US was a different country than when they had left. Finding the community of the men he served with and using cars as an avenue to do so led to continuing those friendships he and many others made in the Army.
Cars are the perfect hobby for people of all ages. For my grandpa, it’s a way to stay in touch with many of his friends, as well as his favorite pastime. Being retired, he needs to find a way to occupy his time. For me, it is something that my dad and I can work on and share together as father and son. We recently bought a 1993 Nissan GT-R R32. It will be a long road to get the car to where we want it to be, but I am just happy we can share that common interest and more importantly share that time and memories together.
