Looking for Young Pontiac Hobbyists

[Larry]

Ok Gang! Please read the note we received below from Hemmings Classic Car magazine looking for young hobbyists (in our case, of course, Pontiac hobbyists).
This would be a great chance for PontiacRegistry.com to get some publicity also out of this deal. If any of our members know of a younger Pontiac hobbyist who might be interested in persuing this, I would be happy to help with fixing-up a short story or working on photos for them to submit. If you know of a young Pontiac hobbyist who would do this, but is not a member of Pontiacregistry.com, I will give them a free membership just for participating in the Hemmings offer.
Read below and contact me at: larry.kummer@pontiacregistry.com if you want any help.
Thanks!


Greetings fellow car enthusiasts!

My name is Jeff Koch, and I‚m a writer for Hemmings Classic Car magazine. I'm hoping that you can help us with a project we're doing.

If you've read the magazine, you‚ll know we do a monthly page called "Next Generation" it's about the under-25 crowd and their commitment to driving/fixing/enjoying old cars and the hobby.

We are currently searching for a group of Under 25s who own and/or repair their own car (preferably 1960s-era or earlier, though 70s are OK) to a stock, or semi-stock, format. (No hot rods please!) The cars do not have to be in like-new condition, they can be "drivable dream" quality. Putting your grandchild in front of your car and claiming it's his or hers isn't going to work.

This letter is an open invitation to any licensed driver/owner under the age of 25 in this club who fits this criteria to contact me directly about who they are, what they drive and why. To get started, we really only need a little bit of information: name, age, hometown, what the car is, and a few words on how they got into old cars and why they like to own and drive them. (one-line emails like "I have a nice old Ford pls put me in the mag thx" will not be considered.) Photos of car and owner are a bonus also. As for the rest, we will take it from there. And I'm sure any club member we find will be happy to give your club a plug in our monthly 100,000+ circulation magazine.

Anyone who fits the above criteria is welcome to contact me directly at jkoch@hemmings.com. Feel free to post this on a website message board, print in a newsletter/club magazine, or put it anywhere you think it will generate the most interest! If you are not the right person to receive this message, please send it to the proper authorities.I look forward to meeting the next generation of classic car enthusiasts!

Sincerely,
Jeff Koch
West Coast Associate Editor
Hemmings Classic Car magazine

[50scars]

It is absolutely imparitive that we find a way to attract young people into our clubs. This is the only way they will survive. This is the only way that we will have money to pay for our nursing home stays by selling our valuable cars, among other things.

There is a little problem--how many of us wish to be members of orgainzations our parents are running? What makes you think your kids or grandkids are interested in being part of an organization we run?

What we need to figure out is how to attract them with the idea that we want them to take it over. We want them to take it over very soon, so they can do the work, and we can sit back and bitch...and they can do what they have been doing all their adult and much of their teenage years--ignoring us, while saying "yeah Ma, Yeah Pa.

There are a couple hurdles that must be ovecome--back in the 40s, 50s, and early 60s, car clubs were a way of life, as were school clubs, frats and sorrorities, DeMolay, etc. Car clubs still tend to be populated by those of us who were there 40 years ago. Frats and Sorrorities on campus are struggling. the clubs in high school are pretty much gone. The Masonic Temple, American Legion, VFW, Eagles, Elks, etc are all struggling from failure to attract the current crop of candidates. I have ignored invitations to all of them. The kids today don't form or join clubs like we did.

I have stated the problem. That is the easy part. Finding a solution is not so easy. However, if we are to survive, we must find a way to over come.

A problem right now is that people who were in High School starting in the mid-70s were indoctrinated with the idea that liking neat cars was a social evil. Coupled with the fact that there was a 10 year span where the car model offerings for enthusiasts were pretty slim, makes it even harder. These are the prime age group for the current type car club to recruit. They are now old enough that they can afford the luxury of a car that is not daily transportation--a collector car--one they had aways wanted but couldn't swing before this. Once you get away from Firebird/Camero, Mustang, and the Buick Grand Nationals, what car models from about 1976 through 1986 were built that stirred the souls of a 16 year old?
Another thing is that the current crop of "younger people" pretty much grew up with the idea that there was a car for every driver in the family. We grew up with the fact that if the we got car wasn't the "second car" in the family, it was because Pa finally got far enough ahead that he thought the $100 he could get for his 6 year old trade was less than the utility of having a car for the wife to drive without having to take him to work, and pick him up that night. Face it, few of us grew up in multiple car families. We walked, took the bus, bummed rides, or stayed home.
The current younger generation always had a car, so a car isn't all tha special to them.