[rosenkranswa]

I'm probably one of the "in betweeners" at 61, the kids are grown, house almost paid off, starting to power down toward retirement. I've been into old airplanes and old cars since I can remember. Old cars are alot cheaper than old airplanes, so our current focus is old cars. I love the slower speeds of the Model T's, but nothing beats a Model A for more general use, or an early V8 if you have to get on a highway. Moreover, both my son (30) and daughter (25) are equally fond of the old cars, in fact tend to look down at the muscle cars at shows and I have to remind them to each his own. My daughter in particular loves not just the cars, but the eras as well - vintage fashion, accessories, etc. She loves going on tours and dressing for the era whether its 20's, 30's or 40's. The whole family, including my Russian-born daugher in law, got into WWII re-enacting 10 years ago and all three of the "youngsters" are quite avid.

We belong to both Model A clubs, both Model T clubs, the EV8 club, AACA, and the military vehicle club. They all have their strengths and faults, but we've never experienced anything but good cheerful service from any, and all their forums are extremely useful. Yes there is the occasional diatribe in all the fourms, that's just human nature, but that's not the norm. I've yet to meet the dreaded individual at a show who looks down their nose at your vehicle and proceeds to tell you every little thing that's wrong. I would have to say that the AACA probably has the most up-to-date system with a website, facebook page, online magazine, etc. but that's not to denigrate the other clubs efforts which for being almost entirely volunteer do a remarkable job.

Somebody made the observation that the Model T clubs seem to do a better job of attracting the younger folks. I'd say that's probably true, but just. We were impressed at the Model T Centennial in 2008 in Richmond at the number of young folks, particularly young ladies, driving their own Model T speedsters. These had stock or near stock engines and certainly weren't painted as Henry intended, but they were everywhere and brought smiles to everybody. Enough so that my daughter decided she wanted her own (which is now nearly complete). I'm not sure they do anything differently than the other clubs, it seems to be an attraction to the Model T's themselves.

An off the cuff observation for what its worth - in general, the Model T guys seem to be a bit more light hearted, the Model A guys a bit more technically oriented, the EV8 guys a bit more so, and the military guys more passionate. That's just an impression and not meant to be a generalization. Its all good, and I think the future of the whole old car hobby is OK. It may look a little different than it does now, I can't get used to the idea that something from the 70's/80's as a classic, but the hobby will evolve.