So here are some stories that I believe epitomize what's fun about cars and what I aspire for in my hobby. These are the stories that might encourage the younger generation to pursue cars as a hobby. I don't think car shows will be enough. They're nice, but most kids will get more adrenalin out of an hour on an x-box than in a whole day at a car show. Kids need to know there's more to these cars than parking on lawns on nice summer days. The following are in no particular order, just how they popped into mind.
The above picture is Malcolm Campbell in a car called the Bluebird. Malcolm wanted to make the fastest car (and boat) on earth and he did so over and over. Someone would beat him and he'd go back to the drawing board and do it again. For three periods his Bluebird cars held the title, World's Fastest Car. That's gumption. Someone beat you? Head back to the drawing boards and do better! Get support! Make it happen! GO FASTER!
Can you imagine the adrenalin coursing through his veins when he got out of the car after his record runs? I bet he was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane.
The above is a picture from the 1964 Le Mans. It shows a Shelby Daytona.
In the late fifties, old man Ferrari snubbed Carol Shelby as a racing driver after acting interested in hiring him. Carol Shelby took it personally and decided that Ferrari's domination of racing needed to end. He went back to the states and began passionately building racing cars using American motors in an effort to challenge Ferrari.
At the 1964 Le Mans Carol's home-built cars defeated Ferrari and put an American atop the pole. That's a fighting attitude! Don't be defeated because someone insults you. Prove that you're the best!
To put it in modern terms, it's as though a CEO at a large corporation personally tells you your not high enough quality to work at his company. So you start a separate company, make a better product, and beat that guy at his own business. It's an awesome story of revenge made even better by the stories of old man Ferrari's great pride.
I know very little about the man (Bierkin) in the above picture. For me, the picture itself is the essence of what is fun about cars.
Picture it, a massive Bentley with little suspension. A bumpy track that was designed when cars were slow. You could take the low smooth line like the other guy; but that wouldn't be fun. Let's take the high line wide open and go airborne! That's adventure! That's excitement! That's pushing the limit of both you and your machine! I'd bet a lot of money it wasn't comfortable on that seat when he landed! Who cares. Your body can withstand a little discomfort. You are a man, act like it. Grin and bear it! You may be a long way from a Spartan but don't regulate yourself to this modern world where it's preached that you are soft and that's what's best. Don't be a bubble boy (wrapped in a protective coating to the world).
You're a small bore sports car manufacturer in Abingdon England but you know your cars are more special than being just a "little sports car". You want to show the world their capability! So what do you do? How about building a streamlined body, hiring one of the fastest drivers in the world and sending them to Bonneville to compete for land speed records?! That shows a confidence and spirit I wish modern car manufacturers would aspire to. We aren't small. We're fun, fast, world class, and adventurous!
Or another great story. It's the 50s and your building hot rods in Southern California. You keep hearing about a race across Mexico with professional teams from Italy (Ferrari) and Germany (Porsche). You think you're getting pretty good at putting together a car so you hobble together a car made from parts from the last 20 years, go enter and then beat some of those factory teams in a brutal race across a country that barely has roads! They didn't take first but the Caballo de Hiero car was a pretty darn impressive feat just the same. Built and campaigned by a bunch of amateur hot rodders from So Cal, they showed you didn't have to be backed by a corporate giant to compete.
I haven't seen european style Rallycross in America yet, but in Europe they bomb cheap cars around dirt tracks on the weekends and call it rallycross. On British Topgear (Series 18, episode 7) they go rallycrossing to see if they can go racing for less than it costs to golf and they love it. It looks like a complete blast and we need something like this in America. I think dirt track stock car racing may count, but it's only round and round (circle track). I like the idea of a circuit.
Of course rally racing also looks like awesome and I hear it's not too expensive to setup an amateur bomber. Have you ever slid down a dirt road going through the corners sideways steering by the throttle? It's an experience you'll love! Even in a giant, poorly performing pickup truck it's awesome. There's also a sense of pride when you can send a 2 ton Ford that's 15 feet long through a corner sideways. Rallycar or bombing a truck through the woods, this is fun stuff!
The guys that do "trials" and rallys in vintage cars also look like they're always having a ball. I'd love trying to climb a muddy hill in an ancient car with skinny tires! One guy has to provide ballast over the tires while another steers. Just awesome! Not only are you keeping a vintage car running, but you're making it work for you. That's what we should be doing! More trials!
Another version of fun I see more of in other countries is ice racing. Every month my classic car magazine tempts me with a full page ad to go drive Porsche's for a week on frozen lake tracks in some Netherlandish country. What a dream vacation! What a complete blast sliding around a track! It's high on my wish list. Unfortunately my wife has little desire to watch me from the side of a frozen lake for a week. Maybe she'd like to drive. Not sure, we haven't tested her competitive driving desire yet.
To America's credit, I did see in Hot Rod that Alaskan's are ice racing. Great to see guys! Keep it up. Our country needs that spirit. We have enough video game players.
Or how about hill climbs?! How much fun has that got to be?! Not only are you conquering corners, but you're also conquering a hill! And what if it's raining? It has to be a total blast and I'm really looking forward to trying it.
I've had a great time autocrossing at local events. The short courses allow even the smallest of cars to compete. There is no long straight to reveal the complete lack of anything resembling speed (like with my MGB). My complaint here is that prices keep creeping up. I imagine that has to do with safety and insurance. I wish we could break that chain. Anyone know of an airport somewhere that's abandoned? My friends and I have some cones that we'd like to come set up.
This chump car picture from Flickr and shown under Creative Commons license and is attributed to Johnnywoz
And a number of my friends have tried chump car racing. The theory behind this is (was) that you bring a $500 dollar car out to the race track and give racing a go. At some events, if you bring something too special, you have to be careful because the crowds are allowed to vote for one to be destroyed before the event starts and they're told to vote for the one that looks the most expensive.
This sounds like an excellent way to get some track time, have some fun, and compete. I am really hoping I get to do this someday!
Sadly my friends that participate in this say that prices are creeping up and it's starting to lose it's roots. The $500 theory is laughable and no cars are being destroyed.
I'm sure I've missed many ways to have fun in a car. I can immediately think of drag racing, dirt track stock car racing, and drifting. But I've achieved my mission. I've reminded myself, and hopefully you, that cars can be much more than a lump of iron sitting on a manicured lawn at your local car show. Cars can be adventure, ingenuity, challenge, triumph, revenge, adrenalin and fun all rolled into one. Don't be content with only working on your car, going to swap meets, and attending car shows. You'll be boring and cars will lose their passion. Use your car, and use it hard, and be reminded of it's capabilities! And push yourself while you're at it. In this modern world of comfort, it's good for us to be reminded what it's like to be uncomfortable. Only then can we overcome.
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