Car Passion… What Drives You?
Slow Pace… Hurry Up!!
It’s obvious, VERY obvious, that the pace of this is slower than a reader or follower (you reading this) would desire. I can truly say, I feel you! I want it to move along faster than it is. But, my time and especially money has dictated the pace. Up to this point I’ve just blogged about the car and the stages I’m in or what I plan to do. However, I think there’s more to this project than that. You’re reading this because you’re an enthusiast. Whether you’re an avid Saleen follower or just a Porsche nut enjoying the story. I’ve been sharing the story of me finding this car and what I’m doing to complete it with ALL of my car buddies. Doesn’t matter if they’re a BMW crazed nut or my buddy David who’s owned and raced several 911’s. They all seem to connect to this story. That led me to asking a question “What is it that connects this to so many enthusiasts?” What the answer to that in my mind is passion. People gravitate to it.
Passion creates energy and people sense that. Just think of your car club or small car group that you’re regularly a part of. The most passionate guys are the ones creating events, calling people to get together and digging for new information anywhere they can get it. The passionate ones just eat up everything there is to do about their niche from Saleen’s, Calloway’s, to Gruppe Porsche’s. One person that comes to mind in the Saleen Club of America is Lee Reese. He’s connecting people by his yearly BBQ held at his home. He’s a mover and a shaker in the Saleen world right now because he’s passionate and its obvious. This year his BBQ had people from several different states. Some drove in that were two states away! He’s sharing his passion and creating life long friendships in the process. If you’re in a club, lean in, DO something and be a part of it. Share your passion. But always remember, the people are more important than the cars. It’s the friendships, not the cars, that keep people joining and coming back.
Then that thought led to “what drive’s that passion?” and all I could do is think of what drives that for me at this point. Its different for each of us because we’re all uniquely made. I have to admit at one point in my life I wanted to own a plethora of cars. A collection. At one point I had four 79-93 Mustangs. None of them were low mileage collector pieces. All of them had their good points and bad points. While I owned them they constantly reminded me of the bad points. They were mostly a collection of driver projects all in need of something. It was a constant battle with them for many reasons. The first was that I really didn’t have the space to store them all. That led to a constant shuffle of cars trying to get the one in the garage that needed attention. That led to dead batteries, leaks, oil changes, tire rotations, fresh gas, insurance… and on and on. It was just more than I cared to handle. It was always something with one or two of them. There’s a reason people like Jay Leno have people caring for their herd. But not all of us can afford that. Simply put, it was tiring.
Now, back to my question, what drives my passion? Back then it was dreaming of owning one of this and one of that and having a “collection”. After owning a few for a short time I just don’t care for that anymore. It makes me tired to think of all that I did when I had those cars. Seeing that brutal reality I’ve crossed that bridge and now what I gravitate to are cars with a history or good story. That’s not helped by the fact that those kinds of cars always cost more. A lot more.
As Wayne Carini says “It’s all about the chase!”
When I bought what would have been SA10 #4 I didn’t think about what made me gravitate to it. But now, almost three years later, I’ve thought of it over and over and what pulled me in was the ultimate of ultimate chases. Tracking down the car was just the tip of the iceberg. After landing the car I needed to track down all the parts I want to complete it. So the chase continues to this day for the correct Vortech supercharger or boost gauge. That’s what fuels me about this project. The hunt.
In my Twitter and Facebook accounts I follow magazines and even companies like Ferrari. I’m always looking for unique stories and history to read up on cars. I watch Wayne Carini on Chasing Classic Cars eating up every episode learning about those unique cars he tracks down. Yesterday Ferrari posted this and it caught my eye.
It caught my eye because the car has racing history and it’s a Ferrari. There’s more to that car than it just being a Ferrari. There’s a reason why this fetched such a high price. It’s the desirability of the Ferrari PLUS the racing heritage. That’s a winning combination for something that will be a money maker. This Ferrari drives home my comment of these cars cost a lot more. These are the kinds of cars I gravitate to these days. Not that I’ll be able to fly to an RM Auction and raise my paddle for a 9 million dollar car anytime soon. But I enjoy reading the history or story on a car like this. I’ll move forward trying to learn more about this Ferrari and its history. Enjoyable reading for me.
In the Saleen world the cars I’m learning more about are the R cars, R&D cars, and many more that have unique stories and history behind the development of the Saleen brand. I’ve made it tougher for me to find something that suits me now. And yes, I’m lining my sights on something. Hey, don’t judge me. LOL. I know I’m not done with this one. You do it too don’t you?!
We all have something that lights our flame of passion with cars. What’s the thing that drives your passion in the car hobby?
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