A glimpse of a classic
For the most part, I do like surprises. Good surprises especially. I recently had one that still has me smiling. I had taken my snow blower in to be repaired and a friend of mine suggested a retired mechanic to do the work. When it was time to pick it up, I went with my friend and met the mechanic for the first time. In his garage, or workshop really, I saw a vehicle that was covered up with a tarp. The shape of the car under the tarp led me to believe it was an older vehicle. When I asked him what was under the tarp, he actually showed me instead of just told me. I was shocked!
Under that tarp was a 1971 Ford Mustang in mint condition. He had bought it brand new in 1971 and still had the bill of sale to prove it. He paid roughly $5,000 back then for this beautiful vehicle, but when he recently got it appraised he found that it was now valued at $65,000! All I can say is WOW! Not only is it such a beautiful vehicle to look at and probably drive, its value increased because of how he had taken care of it.
The only time he takes it out of hibernation is to enter it in car shows and displays. I’m envious for sure, but also I commend him for looking after such a vehicle for such a long time. He’s never driven it in winter weather and does the maintenance himself. He’s obviously someone who takes care of his possessions. Since I normally write about driving and driving behaviour, where does this fit in?
If you owned such a vehicle, would you actually drive it or just admire it? If you did drive it would you drive it differently because it’s worth so much and was kept in pristine condition? Would you be a distracted driver because of how this vehicle would make you feel with its looks and power under the hood? I’d love to drive that vehicle however it would only be driven for pleasure use and never to the office. I’d be worried about scratches if parked in a busy parking lot. So when does owning a vehicle turn into a distraction, an investment or a classic?
Driving a vehicle should never be the distraction, regardless of the type of vehicle you’re driving. It should be a pleasure and without difficulty. I can just imagine what it would feel like to drive a vehicle like this 1971 classic. According to many experts, a car becomes a classic once it reaches 20 – 25 years old and maintains to manufacturers integrity. This mechanic I met had certainly kept his vehicle within those guidelines. When a vehicle surpasses 45 years old it essentially turns into an antique. I have a difficult time thinking a 1971 Ford Mustang as an antique, but it’s almost there.
When he opened the hood to show me the engine, it was like I went back in time. I was in awe of the engine as it brought back many memories from my youth. There was actually room to move around under the hood. The car was built in the day where you could learn how to do engine maintenance through a textbook.
Even though this article didn’t have a lot to do with driving, I thought you would enjoy getting a glimpse of what I had seen this day. After all, we can all dream of owning such a vehicle, right? Regardless of all these things, I loved seeing that vehicle and I’m not even the owner. The only sad part – I couldn’t drive it.
If I were driving this car, I think I’d be overly pre-occupied with making sure that it remained in mint-condition. It’s too perfect. I wouldn’t want to own it or keep space for it in my garage. That said, it’s impressive this guy has been able to keep it nice all these years.
Back in my driving instruction days, I used to tell the students in class that pretty girls walking down the street were a distraction. The females would look uncomfortable when I’d say that and tell me that it was certainly NOT a distraction for them, to which I’d reply, “Agreed … but what about the guy behind you?”
As the owner of a 60 year-old car that is in pristine condition, I can tell you that it is not a distraction … for you as the driver. In fact, driving such a vehicle is almost a defensive driving refresher course in itself. Maintaining space, keeping concentration, checking mirrors, scanning intersections, spotting problems well in advance and gaining eye contact with other drivers are all enhanced somehow (counterintuitive I know … because I like to think I am always 100% on the ball when driving!)
Harkening back to what I said at the beginning, though, a classic car is still a distraction. Even if the automobile is not in show condition, it is still an unusual sight and people will tend to look at it … oftimes a bit too long. As we all know, it only takes ONE driver not paying attention to set off a chain reaction that could cause several drivers to crash. Thus we have to be aware of what other drivers might do … and might NOT do.
In a nutshell, it pays to know how people think. After all, the only thing predictable about other drivers is their unpredictability.
As I have a rare car these days ( 1 of less than 57 in the world ) I can relate. I get looks, people giving me thumbs up, and unfortunately people who want to race. Because I have a fast car, doesn’t make me want to race it on public roads. Yes, I don’t drive it much, but when I do, it’s fun and requires COMPLETE ATTENTION! It’s not distracting for me, rather get garners so much attention, others are distracted by it 😳🙄