Are car enthusiasts also in the entertainment business?

She looked maybe 14. Of course, she might have been 12. Or 17. Or older or younger. The person beside her looked to be her dad.

My wife and I were at a punk show. We got there early enough to land right at the barrier and hear both openers, including a new trio called UltraBomb: Finny McConnell (The Mahones) on guitar, Jamie Oliver (UK Subs) on drums and Greg Norton (Hüsker Dü) on bass.

After their set, Finny reached over and handed his Gibson to the young woman standing beside us. She looked a bit overwhelmed.

Talk about making a mark on a fan.

What we do with cars isn’t much different. In a way, we’re also in the entertainment business. How’s that? When we’re out and about–whether or not we’re even at an event–are we not also making impressions on the rest of the world?

Does the sight of your car cruising by ignite a flame within a young kid? Or push someone with the disposable income to finally make the leap into ownership? Or, at the very least, make someone realize that cars can serve as more than basic appliances?

A good friend of mine owns a few seriously cool cars–the kinds you don’t normally see in public. He’s a bit protective about them, too, as they’re worth a few bucks.

But at public gatherings, he’s also quick to put an interested kid behind the wheel. Like he says, it’s our duty to pay it forward and keep the hobby rolling.

Comments

And some appropriate music.

 

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