On a constant basis, car guys ask me how to get the younger generations involved in restoring, collecting and hopping up old cars, as if today’s youth aren’t interested. They are, and the answer amounts to breaking down the barriers that prevent kids from actually laying their hands on old cars: educational barriers, generational barriers, and financial barriers. Over on the H.A.M.B., geemann51 recently shared a most excellent story about how he and his friend Rick put their heads together to make sure one kid named Jack will forever be a car guy by horse-trading some parts for a 1949 Ford out sitting in a field, then giving the Ford to Jack. It’s a story of supreme selflessness that’ll resonate with everybody this holiday season.
Now, the next time you find yourself wondering how to get kids involved in old cars, think about Jack’s shoebox Ford and think about pairing a kid with a car waiting for that long-in-coming resurrection.