Call them Classic, call them Golden Oldies, or call them Old School we all get a warm and fuzzy feeling from cars that recall our youth. For the teenaged stunna crowd of today this may mean getting a chubby from a Subaru WRX STi. But for the rest of us it means the cars of our distant impressionable youth in the 50's, 60's or 70's.
This morning as I was making my daily three mile stroll around the local park I spotted a silver haired gentleman driving his immaculately restored 1954 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 convertible. My first impression was of the luster of the car's paint, the glint of the chrome and the obvious detail in the car's restoration.
My second impression was that this car, although lovingly restored to better than original condition was a handful to drive. The brakes are weak, the steering was vague and the clutch was heavy. Even the cheapest and most pedestrian modern automobile could be easier and more comfortable to drive.
But the most important feature of this car was the smile on face of the guy who was driving. Ear to ear. Without too much guessing it was obvious to see that this guy had lusted for this car in his youth. He may be a successful businessman, a loving father and husband, a pillar of the community. But just as Charles Foster Kane, the title character from the classic movie "Citizen Kane" had achieved wealth and power, a sled named "Rosebud," from his youth was the only materiel object to give him pleasure. From the look on this guy's face, he was driving his "Rosebud."
Objects of desire from our youth, in the case of most men arrested in adolescent development, is a car. Back then it was "neat-o," "cool," "groovy" or even "boss." They are icons and talismans of out long past salad days. Given the chance to have that car, whatever the car was for you, it gives us a second chance to be a kid again. As the advertising slogan goes, "It is never too late to have a happy childhood."
Today I am a 49-year-old car nut who is tapping into the memories of my youth by owning an old car that I wished I could have bought when it was new and I was young. My 1987 Honda CRX Si is faintly old enough to qualify as a "classic" car of a bygone era. I know this because it is one of the old Japanese cars that have been invited to participate in the "Japanese Classic Car Show" to be held on October 1st at Long Beach California's Queen Mary park. Admission to see the old cars is free to the public and to enter you car only costs $20 which will also reward you with a T-shirt for an early registration. Details can be found at www.japaneseclassiccarsshow.com
My car is far from a "show car." It is not detailed to perfection nor is it tricked out to the max; I am a firm believer in the axiom "Form Follows Function." But I am proud of my old car and the modifications I have made to it. If you go to the show, look for me. I will be one of the old guys with an ear to ear grin.