{"id":1475,"date":"2010-12-11T14:05:03","date_gmt":"2010-12-11T21:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/westerndriver.dazil.com\/?p=1475"},"modified":"2011-09-01T09:17:26","modified_gmt":"2011-09-01T16:17:26","slug":"think-environmental-regulations-are-the-greatest-threat-to-the-future-of-the-collector-car-hobby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westerndriver.com\/?p=1475","title":{"rendered":"Think environmental regulations are the greatest threat to the future of the collector car hobby?"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Reprinted on\u00a0the<\/a> Historic Vehicle Association web site<\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/a>from Hagerty\u2019s Magazine, Winter 2010)<\/h4>\n

By Bob Butz<\/em><\/p>\n


\n<\/em>A 2010 REPORT<\/strong> from the Earth Policy Institute spelled bad news for America\u2019s car manufacturers: Americans scrapped 4 million more cars and trucks than they purchased in 2009 \u2014 the first significant drop in the U.S. auto fleet in more than four decades. But according to The New York Times, this had less to do with a slumping economy and \u201cCash for Clunkers\u201d than with disinterest among driving-age teens. \u201cPerhaps the most fundamental social trend affecting the future of the automobile is the declining interest in cars among young people,\u201d says Lester Brown, author of the EPI report.<\/p>\n

BLAME IT ON THE INTERNET<\/strong>
\n\u201cMany of today\u2019s young people living in a more urban society learn to live without cars,\u201d Brown says. \u201cThey socialize on the Internet and on smartphones, not in cars.\u201d Carmakers are in for a rough time. But the automobile collector hobby faces an equally daunting problem: The average age of a historic vehicle hobbyist is 55, and 75 percent of hobbyists are 46 or older. The aging demographic was just one of the \u201ctop threats\u201d to the collector car hobby discussed in an August symposium at The Quail Lodge Golf Club during the famed Monterey Classic Car Week (see sidebar at right).<\/p>\n

RISING COSTS, BIGGER HASSLE<\/strong>
\nFor a growing number of people, the cost of owning a car is prohibitively expensive. Add the cost of insuring young drivers, and it\u2019s not hard to imagine why, in a slumping economy, parents are reluctant to pay for an extra vehicle and add a high-risk policyholder. And recent statistics suggest young people don\u2019t seem to care. According to the most recent U.S. Department of Transportation data, the number of teenagers with licenses, which peaked at 12 million in 1978, is now under 10 million. A whopping 69 percent of 16-year-olds and 51 percent of 17-year-olds did not have their driver\u2019s licenses in 2008.<\/p>\n

THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE<\/strong>
\nThe car used to be a symbol of freedom. People loved the way cars looked and understood how they worked. But modern cars are so complex that the average person needs help just to change the oil. Plus, the message nowadays is that the automobile is slowly killing the planet and that driving for pleasure is a waste of time.<\/p>\n

SOLUTIONS<\/strong>
\nGrowing the interest of the historic vehicle hobby among young people is a key part of preserving its future. Hagerty\u2019s Operation Ignite! \u201cConnecting Kids with Cars\u201d was designed to do exactly that through interactive events \u2014 from youth judging events and young designer contests to the new \u201cKid Friendly Car Show Kit.\u201d Hagerty strives to provide young people with the opportunity to learn about great cars and boats firsthand.<\/p>\n

For more on Hagerty\u2019s Operation Ignite!<\/strong><\/em> go to hagerty.com\/design\/youthprograms.aspx<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Additionally, in the United States and Canada, there could be as many as 20,000 car clubs, and that could amount to millions of members who North American car manufacturers don\u2019t even know exist, says Carmel Roberts, director of Government Relations for the Historic Vehicle Association. \u201cWe need to get car manufacturers to start supporting car guys again,\u201d Roberts says. \u201cThere\u2019s a logical role automakers should play in supporting automotive heritage, and it starts by connecting their brands to younger generations through their promotion of car clubs.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Roberts, this opportunity has not been lost on European automakers, namely Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Mini Cooper. All have departments to preserve and promote their heritage. \u201cIn the end, this is a multifaceted issue that will require a comprehensive approach,\u201d Roberts says. \u201cThe need to adequately and proactively address this issue is so compelling that it is one of the major reasons the Historic Vehicle Association was formed. It\u2019s time to transform collecting from a hobby into a worldwide movement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Top Threats to the Collector Car Hobby <\/strong>
\nThe HVA hosted a media symposium outlining the \u201cTop Threats to the Collector Car Hobby\u201d this past August. Panelists included Corky Coker, Coker Tire CEO; Wayne Carini, host of Discovery HD\u2019s Chasing Classic Cars; and Michael Kunz, director of Mercedes-Benz Classic Center.<\/p>\n

In addition to the hobby\u2019s aging demographic, the panel discussed:<\/p>\n