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Motor City Packards does several things to draw in new members and retain current members. One is very similar to the Work Day that was mentioned above. We have a tech session at a member's storage building/garage and we ask Packard owners to bring in their car. The tech team puts it on a hoist (if required) and the owner gets free advice and work done on their car. This event usually draws 75 to 90 people at each tech session.

Second, we have a "Packard Ride" program at the PPG during our Open House events. MCP members volunteer to give people a road tour of the PPG in their Packard. It is very popluar and we always have people waiting in line.

Still we want to do more.

There is interest out there you need to expose the younger generations to our packards. I just enrolled in a auto body paint class at our Jr. College and drove one of our Packards to class for inspection of some paint issues. We spent over two hours crawling inside, under the hood and under the car. Common questions were who made it, how fast will it go, what kind of engine is that, how big is the engine, how does it ride, what kind of mileage does it get, and I could go on and on but the most surprising question was where can I get one of those? It makes me think that maybe I should start thinning my stable some. Tonight is my second class and I am taking a trunk lid to refinish. I can hardly wait to get to class. Packardtaximan

Many good points and many angles to consider... I am a retired shop teacher who worked all my career with high school students. Often I would bring my Packard to school and the kids would love it. Tons of questions, rides and lots of discussions including the state of our world back in 1938 and why more Packards were not on the road then and of course now. Lots of birdwalking questions that provoked loads of interest in antique cars. Fast forward a few years and now as a retired teacher with more time on my hands, I go to many cruise nights during the summer season. That's the best time to get the younger crowds excited. Kids come up and of course are clueless as to what it is. I use a nice bio sheet on the windshield that tells the Packard story, both of my car and the Company. But that effort is only half the story. Get out of the lawn chair at cruise nights, walk around and talk to the young kids that bring their beauty to display. Ask them about the turbo, or the nitrous system, or even the cool paint job. Show interest in their car and they will always walk around and stop to see your sled too. Yes it is worth the effort. Show that baby off in the community and the cruise nights. Make it a two way street.

DJ

Part of this is about getting our cars in schools to develop interest in younger people. That said, the question is how?

In talking to local educators, the emphasis is overwhelming that anything that can raise test scores is of interest. No others need apply.....

So, the $64 question is how showing our cars can raise test scores.

Some of you were teachers, some were students. How do we do this?

I'm looking at this from a student stand point. Restoring or modding an old car or any car for that matter involved dedication hard work and at times is very stressful. Pulling through to the end of the project gives you a very strong sense of satisfaction. there a couple ways to incorporate this, you could use an insentive program like half day out of school to volenteer at a car show or get in good with a local shop teacher to have his best students work on and learn about your car. on a more at home basis your neighbors kids who show an interest or your own kids or grand kids could help out with, ride in or drive your car to a show if they keep the grades up. I got into cars when my grandfather had a 63 XL 500 galaxie convertible in his garage and he would let me polish the crome and sit in it and generally get the feel for the car the lines, crome and the 390 had me hooked for life. It doesnt come down to just preserving the cars but preserving a way of life thats fading in America. This country was founded on the blood of people determined to have a better life and to build the strongest country in the workd both socially and economicly. Were suvivors like our cars built to last. Having classic cars survive is all well and good but itneeds to be more than "WOW thats a pretty car" the mind set that needs to change for them to become heirlooms not desposible.

My son and I both have driven plenty of brides and their grooms away from the church....always too lots of ooh's and aah's. My Mayfair is often confused with the Hudson from "Cars", so an educational opportunity presents itself. This is very necessary because many in this generaion have just never heard of a Packard...

As far as using education to generation interest, a few years ago I sold (almost donated!) a running but in-need of-restoration pre-war Clipper to the Packard Museum in Dayton. They then took it to Sinclair Community College to use as an Auto Restoration Class project. The museum supplied the needed parts, the college supplied the instruction, and the students supplied the labor. The school was paid a modest "shop fee" from the museum, and when completed, the restored Clipper was to be put on display in the museum. The students gained valuable experience and respect for the marque.
That's what I call a win-win-win!

Great ideas. but.....


So, the $64 question is how showing our cars can raise test scores.

Some of you were teachers, some were students. How do we do this?

What's your ideas????????

It may not be an matter of raising test scores, auto shop if offered is just one class and one grade. However many collages require community service hours and if you go to the school and say "Hey i'm with such and such group/ club and i have community service opportunity for any students who may be interested" it would probably go a long way you can have them run concessions or hang signs ect. or have your club help out with a fund raiser for the local auto shop, sports team or school club where you take a percentage of the proceeds and donate them to a school program. The students who are present will very likely tell other students of there experience both good and bad and if their treated with respect and fairness and have a good time it would lure more young people to our hobby.

I drive my vintage vehicles to local, and up until 3 or 4 years ago to not so local events. Most of the events are just 'hang-out" events of the under 35 crowd. Drifter, import street racers, coffee's etc.

Altho they do not seem to be overly interested in the 40's and 50's vehicles they do look at it with curiosity. It seems to plant a seed for future opportunies that mite arise for them should they ever run across any good 'barn finds'. Also makes good networking and advertising for me in the case thay happen across a good barn find they don;t want and mite tell me about it.

The problem wit hthe educational route is that over the last 20+ years the modern educational system has become little more than just a municipal socilaizing agency designed and instilled to dictate to the masses an indoctrination for complete and total dependency of life out of a plastic shopping bag or instructions from a GPS. The voc-schools are no exception. THey teach strictly what the service industry or parts mfg'ers want to market. And that is all.

However i am still amazed at how many of the younger set, mostly under 35, have a strong sense of critical thinking and analysis when such ideas are pointed out to them. THis is especialy true of the younger women a few of which seem to be interested in at least their OWN car.

My personal opinion and experience is to attend more-or- less unplanned or 'hang-out' modern events involving modern equipment but drive my old iron. I've probably learned more from them than they do from my presence. Especialy when it come to finding local resources.