Garage queens
If there is one perpetual obsessive compulsive owner in the automotive world, it is the "garage queen owner." This different kind of car enthusiast stores their prized possessions away inside well-sealed garages, restored to conditions better than was even possible when they were first built, left tohibernate until the next perfect day, perhaps twice a year.
These cars are driven out only to car meets, trailered to a track or to a show in the quest for a trophy. They can range from Japanese Nostalgic Cars to rare collectibles like the 60's Porsches to the sky-high Ferraris. You'll probably see rare sightings of these priced machines in glamorous car shows and car club meets. Although enthusiasts who love to use their cars to the fullest would frown at the idea, there is actually no love lost for these garage queens (GQs) amongst us car guys.
Garage queens might run against the values and priorities of those who wish to drive their cars to what it's designed for, but these GQs have a clear fan base. For some, the allure of owning a classic piece of motoring history is more like owning a painting or a sculpture. The ownership becomes more of a responsibility of preserving the vehicle than it is about the actual driving nostalgia. You can't very well fault an enthusiast for this great intention.
Undoubtedly, garage queens never fail to attract a crowd at events. This is because they are essentially a historic
museum piece that is presented in a way that makes us feel nostalgic. Many of us simply want to see what the cars were like before. With that said, having a reference point is invaluable piece of note, especially to restorers, and such a perfect piece should not be teased of laughed at for not being on the road.Restorers need these pieces for references that they can base their restorations and repairs on. Without these pristine specimens, the motoring enthusiasts would be slaves to rotting manuals, books and the net.We need them for preservation and we should welcome them amongst us.
These pampered cars are also rolling encyclopedias. These machines serve a very vital purpose and that is to educate and inspire the new generation of the how inventions and breakthroughs have improved motoring.
Garage queens are the standard by which all others are judged and it may be contradicting to whatdriving enthusiasts greatly loves doing, but these pieces are not driven for a purpose. Without them, there would be no pure samples of historic pieces.
So the next time you see a GQ on display, enjoy it for what it is. It is a time capsule, a moment in time captured and preserved for all car enthusiasts to see. They may not be the choice for some of us, but without them we will have lost something important. We will have lost the history of the poster cars that once hung on our bedroom walls.