Update For May: As time has passed, you hear more and more about everyone doing their part to help save the environment. I am all for everyone doing what they can, and being mindful of how we are leaving the planet for future generations. I do the typical things that many of us try to, including not littering and recycling whenever possible (our area has had curbside recycling for 20+ years, which is great). All of this got me to thinking about how classic car enthusiasts really have been "recycling" for many, many decades now. When you see someone take a classic car that was pretty much worn out looking to the "average" person in society, then painstakingly go thru the process of fixing it back up to make it look new again (or in many cases, better than new)....well, that's a form of "recycling". We do it because we have a passion for those classic cars and trucks.
Today's cars may roll off the assembly line getting better gas mileage, but how long are they going to stay on the road? Researching the issue I saw that Consumer Reports says the average life expectancy of a new vehicle these days is around 8 years or 150,000 miles. They say that some well-built vehicles can go 15 years and 300,000, if properly maintained. OK, but what happens after that? Is anyone going to want to restore a Honda CR-V that is 15 or 20 years old? Nope! It will wind up being basically thrown away and replaced by a new vehicle. Except for some special models, most new vehicles are made to be disposable. On the plus side for the environment, I have read that at least 95% of all vehicles are reclaimed, making cars the most recycled consumer product in the world. After the crusher flattens a vehicle in a matter of seconds, it will go through a shredder. The shredded material then goes onto a conveyor belt where powerful magnets extract all the steel bits from the debris. What’s left will then go to another place to go through a high-tech flotation process that separates out the aluminum, since it’s pretty valuable. The remaining debris will then get shipped to a cheap labor country (India, China, etc.), where it will be hand sorted. The carpeting bits will get used to make things like air cleaner assemblies in new cars, while the rubber bits will become things like new floor mats and pedals.
But my point is, unless they are in a horrible accident most of the classic cars that come to car shows and cruise-ins will never die. We will just keep restoring them! There is a saying that "People don't really own a classic car, they are just its caretaker for the next person".
As always, we look forward to seeing everyone at the various events and cruise-ins. Seeing old friends and meeting new ones are a great part of this hobby. Take care, stay safe.....and we'll see you on the streets!
-Michael B. Kelly
NOTE: While conditions with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) have improved, some events are still being impacted, and a few are still shut down and canceled. As a result we urge that you should ABSOLUTELY CONFIRM that an event or cruise-in is still taking place before heading out.
