Mike has made some good points about involving new and younger members in
the Britcar ranks. I am 50 years old and have been "snubbed" or ignored
when asking about a car at shows so it is not totally an age thing. I try
to open up conversation with something along the line of " I like your car"
and usually you are treated like a long lost friend. When the person
doesn't want to talk or seems aloof walk away. Everyone owns cars for
different reasons. All in all the MG and TR crowd are very friendly and the
Morris and Mini gang love to talk about their cars. The Land Rover guys may
even give you a beer. As you move upscale the approachability of the owners
seems more limited. Perhaps due to age or social status?
We are our own worst enemy when it comes to "selling" British cars as a
hobby. All of the stories about being stranded, Lucas woes and the "Black
arts of SU tuning" make the average person cringe. A youngster can't afford
two cars so most need a halfway reliable one. Do we portray that with our
tall tales? I have never heard the street rod or muscle car crowd bragging
about how many times they broke down on a rod run.
How do you explain the slogan "Safety Fast" with a straight face to a guy
that has driven a Buick Grand National? Mg owners are thought of with
tweeds and pipes, Corvette guys with "t" shirts and cowboy boots. Cars seem
to have an "Image" thing about them. What is the image that we present to
an interested person who walks up to us at a car show? Are we open,
friendly and knowledgable? Or do we come across as a bunch of eccentric
geeks with funny little cars? What sort of image do we project to the
person we approach at a show admiring his car?
I have been involved in amateur radio for years and it is suffering the same
problems. Lack of young hams and an entrenchment of old farts. The no code
license is decades overdue. In amateur radio the "Elmer" program provided
mentors, support and a passing of customs. We sorely need more of that in
the Britcar hobby. There are so many legends, stories and skills that need
to be passed on. In 10 more years even the lowly lawn mower will have fuel
injection. Try to find someone 20 years from now to rebuild your SU's or
generator.
A book for children about LBC's is a great idea, but why not pen one for
adults? If you can find a way to describe the feeling of being in an open
car on the Blue Ridge Parkway at sunset with the taillights of a gorgeous
TR3 ahead of you and the exhaust booming off the ledges then do it. My
memories of cold mornings in Vermont with the top down and the heater
wheezing as you blast through a world of colors can't be conveyed in a short
conversation at a car show. How do you explain to a kid about the look on
the bozo's face when he discovered his nitrous bottle didn't help a bit as
the little green MG smoked his 5.0 HO Muskrat in front of all his buddies?
If you can convey the feeling that you get inside when a bunch of small
children give you and your car the thumbs up as you drive by, then you have
the gift.
Show them your car, take them for a ride. The ones that are ready for
British car ownership will be hooked for life. The good stuff comes later.
Don't rush it.
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