Needless to say, I am very proud of the three show cars I now own, which I have driven and shown for many years.

My 1968 Chevrolet Bel Air was restored in 1990, and subsequently won its (VCCA) National First, Junior, then its Senior, followed by ten Preservations Awards. I no longer compete for trophies with that car, but just last autumn, I did detail its engine again. I have enjoyed owning, driving and exhibiting it for 21 years, and it still has only 64K miles on it.

My ’72 Dodge Polara Custom 4-door hardtop was purchased new by my late father-in-law, who put 63,000 miles on it and kept it regularly maintained. In 1983, it was a bargain at $1000, and it is still all original. At 115,000 odometer miles, its "bulletproof" 318 engine still uses no oil. It too, has won many trophies, some National (National Chrysler Products Club and National Hemi Owners Association). A very dependable driver, like the Chevy.

My 1977 Lincoln Versailles , a true luxury car with AC and all the other "bells and whistles", is a joy to drive, especially to hot-weather car shows, owing to its air-conditioning. It has won eighteen trophies, mostly firsts. An original unrestored car, it still has only 77K miles on it.

All three of the foregoing cars are rare. The Chevy is a 250 cu-in six. I’ve never seen another one, nor have I seen another Dodge or Lincoln like mine. Unfortunately, the national car magazines promote and recommend the "muscle cars" of that era, the V-8 Chevy Impalas, the Dodge Chargers and Challengers, and the Lincoln Town Cars as more desirable "collectibles". But what about rarity? Wouldn’t you like to own and exhibit a car unlike all the rest at the show? I know that I have derived a great deal of satisfaction from showing unusually-seen models, which attract spectators like magnets.

Such cars, you see, were purchased new as family vehicles, not as collectors’ items, and they were driven, for the most part, until they went to the junkyard. Mine, however, were all owned, and appreciated, by the old men who took care of them. They wanted dependable transportation, not drag racers, and when I bought them, they had been well cared for.

Today, when we old-car drivers go to car shows, we’d like to be assured that our cars will get us there and back dependably. We don’t go to meets to break speed records (I hope), but to exhibit our restorations (or customizations), and, especially, to preserve those pieces of automotive history for future generations. I hope that we senior hobbyists might just "talk some sense" into the younger people who like to "burn rubber" and otherwise abuse their vehicles as though there’s no tomorrow. Speed isn’t everything, and there will be a tomorrow, at least for those who care about their cars and themselves.