Patrick T. Smith – Manager, High Impact Motorsports
I was out driving my 1976 Datsun 280Z the other day. As I came up to a light and stopped, I noticed what was likely a 10 year old boy with his electric scooter waiting to cross the street at the intersection. As I glanced back in his direction after checking my temp gauge and seeing the traffic moving through the intersection, I noticed something that made me smile. In this kid’s left hand was an iPhone pointed straight at me in the Z.
My 280Z is painted in my very favorite #110 Persimmon Red/Orange. It’s hard not to notice, but that kid was clearly not just attuned to the color. Unlike the other silver, white, and black appliances at the intersection, mine looked cool. Heck, it sounds cool. It wasn’t just a people mover; it was a life-sized Hot Wheels and I was the pilot. He kept his camera rolling as I made my way through the intersection and into oblivion.
Moments like that remind me that there is hope for our hobby. The visceral feeling of joy that comes from internal combustion, sexy body lines, and the wide array of paint colors is not lost on Gen Alpha. The so-called iPad generation still knows what looks cool, no matter how many Teslas and Ioniq5’s you shove at them.
But things being appealing is very different from being involved in the car craft. What does turn off kids are the very things that make perfect cars the ones we elevate at car shows. There comes a point in the restoration and rebuilding process where we require a level of detail that is unattainable to the ordinary beginner. And it’s a huge turn-off. The cost balloons and when the middle class is already being pinched, the hobby is the first item on the chopping block. We know this because of the projects that end up unfinished and show up on Marketplace or Offer-up.
While cost is an impediment, it’s the expectations that lead to the urge to spend. Notwithstanding, there still are a lot of ways to be a hobbyist and be frugal. And it’s probably a good idea for those of us in the hobby today to show that a 20-foot paint job is fine when you did it yourself for the first time. And honestly those of us old-heads would do well to praise where the young innovate and learn, even if the results aren’t perfect. Cars made 40 years ago weren’t close to perfect when they were new anyway. After all, the kid in the story at the beginning was ogling a $100 single stage paint job I did without a booth or formal paint experience.
Over the 2025 Route 66 JDM Classic weekend I had the pleasure of traveling with my own 3 kids and the two 15-16 year-old boys my friends brought. That was a particularly instructive experience. The one son loves automotive photography and does quite well with it, but he’s not awfully excited to attend school and gets into trouble from time-to-time. You know what seems to keep him out of trouble? You guessed it; going to car events and being around gear-heads taking pictures. He looked like he was in his comfortable element…. So, how do we capitalize on this to help him academically? That’s the question we need to really ask about a bunch of our youth. Driving them to this hobby and industry might be the ticket to getting them away from dead ends.
My other friend took the weekend to do a 2400 mile road trip with his son. For father and son it was a bonding and healing experience that brought them together. The vehicle of choice? A 1978 “black pearl” 280Z. There isn’t a Nissan Rogue or Toyota Highlander around that could have provided the experience those two needed.
My own 18 year-old daughter benefitted from this wonderful hobby and industry. Driving the 1972 Datsun 1200 she built has opened opportunities to be more responsible, and more conversational around people. I’ve watched her grow and you can thank old cars for this.
But what of the cars of today that the future generations will be hot-rodding? Doesn’t it look a little bleak? No, there’s going to be plenty for them to play with. After all, we still have plenty of 2006 Toyota Corolla XRS sitting back behind the house, waiting for a new life. And heck, people are still miraculously working on Ford Model A’s. Don’t sell the future short of its ability to innovate and surprise us.
In closing, I don’t think this hobby is going anywhere. Maybe it will look different. Maybe candy-apple-red tri-five Chevys won’t be the prevailing car of future car shows. But as long as there is a motoring public, there’s going to be someone who can’t leave well enough alone, even if it is an appliance-grey nothing-mobile to us today. And I can promise that.