Starting HANDLE
Matt Tomkins ‘The future’s in your hands… it’s time to act now’
One of my earliest memories is of kneeling before a vintage Blower Bentley, where I asked the owner what the big silver thing on the front was. The elderly gentleman explained to me in simple terms that it pushed air into the engine to make it go faster. Just a few moments out of his day, but something that, in part, spiked a curiosity that would lead me to writing this today.
So often, particularly when talking about more modern classics, we speak of the cars that made an impression on someone in their youth being the car which they go on to lust after owning when they have the opportunity. That’s why, as custodians of classic cars, we need to take the time to engage with the next generation and let our cars make that deep impression. So often, classic cars are cosseted in garages and come out only to be shown to a select group of already like-minded enthusiasts. If you’re a grandfather, take your grandkids into the garage with you. Let them tinker, let them get their hands dirty. Make things with them, let them take things apart and teach them that things really can be fixed rather than simply being thrown away like so many of the toys they play with. Take your car shopping and take the time to talk to the child who’s dragging their mother over to look at your ‘old car’. Give a friendly toot and a wave to the car that overtakes you with the excited face of a five-year-old child gazing in wonder at the ‘funny little car’ glued to the window. Let them get bitten by the classic bug at a young age and ensure that our hobby has another generation of enthusiasts waiting in the wings. We need to preserve the past, absolutely, but we need to do so while looking to the future.