Pop your clutch cause Your Car Care REPs are back and ready to go redline. I always like to keep things personal between readers and myself so that people can see that if your passionate about what you do sooner or later the pain of paying dues will turn into the pleasure of recognition. A few months ago I was having some serious dental pain. I called my dentist and they said come right in. After an examination I was told I needed to have a wisdom tooth removed. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t happen until 2PM, which was 2 hours later. So what the hell was I to do for the next 2 hours? I started to roam the streets when I came upon a police blockade and a sea of young military student cadets. Then I remembered, “oh yeah, today is Veterans Day”.
I decided to take a gander at the parade hoping it would take my mind off my toothache. As I got closer, I couldn’t help but notice all of the old school classic rides that were there; a souped up flame red Hot Rod, a ‘69 cherry coke colored drop top Mustang, a ‘73 denim blue colored Camaro with white racing stripes plus plenty more. My eyes were wide open and I swear someone handed me a tissue cause I was salivating all over my shirt. I walked over to a guy that was driving a pristine silver surfer colored ‘64 Chevy Impala and asked “What’s with all the old school rides at the Vet Parade.” He says the auto clubs are here showing support for our troops. I asked him his name and which auto club he was with. He said, “I’m with the Auto Technique’s and my name is Trini.” So today Trini of the Auto Technique’s this blog is dedicated to you and all the other Auto Club members that came out to the Veterans Day Parade and made me forget my pain ….for 2 hours at least.
Now some of you may or may not know what an auto club is and what they stand for. Auto clubs have been around for decades but have recently gained notoriety and recognition. Most auto clubs revolve around 3 main creeds; love of an automobile, the brotherhood/sisterhood between its members, and the exclusivity of its organization. Many people reading this may say it sounds like a cult. My answer to that - auto clubs are a part of car culture that do have cult like ingredients mixed into its stew. Certain auto clubs revolve around a particular car model. For example, there is a huge Corvette Auto Club that has thousands of members, which not only span this nation but the globe. And as you guessed, a prerequisite to joining the Corvette Auto Club is that you have to own a Vette. A good buddy of mine, Wax Daddy, is part of the Corvette Auto Club. If he is any representation of its other members, they are fanatically in love with their Corvettes. Wax Daddy is even a part of a cyber Corvette Auto Club called “Digital Vette”. Now that’s what I call true Corvette love.
I know a lot of guys and ladies (yes I said ladies) that are members of various auto clubs. (Shout outs to the SUV Lady Ryders of Queens, NY). One thing for sure, there is a special bond that exists between auto club members. I’ve seen auto club members greet each other with special handshakes, which they only do with each other. I’ve seen members of auto clubs wearing customized embroidery jackets with butter soft leather sleeves, which cost more than their wedding tuxedo. I’ve been to auto club events where people come out in droves to show support for the sponsoring auto club and love for their own auto club. It’s sometimes mind boggling how people can build a profound kinship around one thing, an automobile. But when you think about how complex an auto is and how many hands it has to pass through while its being manufactured it makes sense. When I’m at an auto club event I often listen to the conversations that are taking place. “How did you shave off those door handles?” “What kind of clear coat are you using?” “Did you see that episode of Top Gear?” (Which happens to be my favorite auto show by the way). All of these folks are building relationships around one common denominator, the auto.
You may be asking yourself, why would anyone want to join an auto club? I have love for cars and I even talk shop with my buddies about our rides all the time. Should that make me want to join an auto club? The answer to that resides on where you stand on exclusivity. The reason most people join auto clubs are because they are part of an exclusive organization that takes pride in its creed, language and culture. That creed and language are part of a bigger puzzle known as the Auto Club Culture. For example, when someone says, “Show your colors”, in Auto Club Culture this means to show which auto club you are affiliated with. Which is usually colorfully embroidered onto a jacket or shirt. If someone asks you to “REP-YOUR-HOOD” this means to show what your car has got under its hood and to “represent” for your auto club. “Representing” could be in the form of show and tell or even a street race. These are just a few of the many glossary terms that are used in Auto Club Culture. Sorry, I can’t reveal them all. You have to be a member for that. One thing is for sure, everyone feels special being able to walk through a door that says Members Only. That’s it for this edition of Your Car Care REPs, but stay tuned we will be back with a new episode. Deuces!!
Pop your clutch cause Your Car Care REPs are back and ready to go redline. I always like to keep things personal between readers and myself so that people can see that if your passionate about what you do sooner or later the pain of paying dues will turn into the pleasure of recognition. A few months ago I was having some serious dental pain. I called my dentist and they said come right in. After an examination I was told I needed to have a wisdom tooth removed. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t happen until 2PM, which was 2 hours later. So what the hell was I to do for the next 2 hours? I started to roam the streets when I came upon a police blockade and a sea of young military student cadets. Then I remembered, “oh yeah, today is Veterans Day”.
Now some of you may or may not know what an auto club is and what they stand for. Auto clubs have been around for decades but have recently gained notoriety and recognition. Most auto clubs revolve around 3 main creeds; love of an automobile, the brotherhood/sisterhood between its members, and the exclusivity of its organization. Many people reading this may say it sounds like a cult. My answer to that - auto clubs are a part of car culture that do have cult like ingredients mixed into its stew. Certain auto clubs revolve around a particular car model. For example, there is a huge Corvette Auto Club that has thousands of members, which not only span this nation but the globe. And as you guessed, a prerequisite to joining the Corvette Auto Club is that you have to own a Vette. A good buddy of mine, Wax Daddy, is part of the Corvette Auto Club. If he is any representation of its other members, they are fanatically in love with their Corvettes. Wax Daddy is even a part of a cyber Corvette Auto Club called “Digital Vette”. Now that’s what I call true Corvette love.
I know a lot of guys and ladies (yes I said ladies) that are members of various auto clubs. (Shout outs to the SUV Lady Ryders of Queens, NY). One thing for sure, there is a special bond that exists between auto club members. I’ve seen auto club members greet each other with special handshakes, which they only do with each other. I’ve seen members of auto clubs wearing customized embroidery jackets with butter soft leather sleeves, which cost more than their wedding tuxedo. I’ve been to auto club events where people come out in droves to show support for the sponsoring auto club and love for their own auto club. It’s sometimes mind boggling how people can build a profound kinship around one thing, an automobile. But when you think about how complex an auto is and how many hands it has to pass through while its being manufactured it makes sense. When I’m at an auto club event I often listen to the conversations that are taking place. “How did you shave off those door handles?” “What kind of clear coat are you using?” “Did you see that episode of Top Gear?” (Which happens to be my favorite auto show by the way). All of these folks are building relationships around one common denominator, the auto.
You may be asking yourself, why would anyone want to join an auto club? I have love for cars and I even talk shop with my buddies about our rides all the time. Should that make me want to join an auto club? The answer to that resides on where you stand on exclusivity. The reason most people join auto clubs are because they are part of an exclusive organization that takes pride in its creed, language and culture. That creed and language are part of a bigger puzzle known as the Auto Club Culture. For example, when someone says, “Show your colors”, in Auto Club Culture this means to show which auto club you are affiliated with. Which is usually colorfully embroidered onto a jacket or shirt. If someone asks you to “REP-YOUR-HOOD” this means to show what your car has got under its hood and to “represent” for your auto club. “Representing” could be in the form of show and tell or even a street race. These are just a few of the many glossary terms that are used in Auto Club Culture. Sorry, I can’t reveal them all. You have to be a member for that. One thing is for sure, everyone feels special being able to walk through a door that says Members Only. That’s it for this edition of Your Car Care REPs, but stay tuned we will be back with a new episode. Deuces!!
