The Autopian Is Hosting A Car Show For Old People, And We Want You To Be There

If all goes well, you know what we’re all going to be? Old. Sure, it may take a while to get there, but I can pretty much guarantee that no matter who you are or what you’re doing or just how saturated with the bloom and musk of youth you are, one day you’ll be old. And that’s fine! Really, depending on when you start to define it and how long you live, you’ll spend more of your life considered “old” than any other age-related descriptor. Hell, I’m old myself! And you know what old people like? Cars.

I say this with confidence because my ass is old, and I like cars. So, from that sample size, I can comfortably extrapolate that 100% of old people like cars. Even if my study is questionable, I think it’s safe to say that if were to, hypothetically, hold a car show at a location specifically designed to serve senior citizens 55 years old and up, like the lovely Seymour Center here in Orange County, North Carolina, it would be a lot of fun. I’m actually sort of betting on this being the case, because the Autopian is sponsoring a Classic & Unique Car Show at the Seymour Center parking lot, in Chapel Hill, NC, on September 26, between noon and 2pm.

It’s really happening! The Seymour Center printed it in their monthly publication, so there’s no backing out now!

Autopian co-founder David and I have been talking about this idea for a long time: why aren’t there more car shows at retirement villages and old folks’ homes and senior centers and other Pine/Oak/Cedar-named places where older people gather? Everyone likes car shows, and as we all know, cars are unique among objects we own and interact with in our lives in the sense of the depth of connection we make with them. It stands to reason that the longer you’ve been alive, the more automotive connections and memories you’ve made, which means the more potential for joy and meaning when encountering cars of all kinds, vintage, custom, odd, exotic, hoopties, whatever.

Cars bring people together, spark conversation, and generally bring joy. That’s what we want to do! Get a bunch of cars in the parking lot of the center, then invite all the seniors within and around to come and look, talk, touch/sit in the cars (if the owner is willing, of course) and generally have a great automotive time. I’ll buy a bunch of pizzas! This is going to be great.

Personally, I plan to bring both my Citroën 2CV and my Nissan Pao, both classic and unique cars. I have a friend with a Nissan Figaro I’m pretty sure I can get to show up, and I have tentative buy-in from the TriangleRAD group, who always manages to field some fantastic machines. I have a friend who may be able to bring a really interesting hearse, though maybe the optics of a hearse at this show isn’t the best. He has other fantastic stuff, too.

But I need more cars! Lots more! I want these old folks to be automotively wowed like they haven’t been in decades! I want to hear gasps of delight, laughter, and shouted profanities of excitement (ideally, not rage). The carscape is far too full of grayscale SUVs that would require a defibrillator to get your heart beating for. We can do better; I’ve seen it happen at other Autopian Car Meetups in the area, and I want to do it again, only this time we’ll have an audience of not just fellow Autopians, but amazing people who just happen to have been on this Earth six or seven or eight or even more decades.

I should also note how great the Orange County Department on Aging is; our culture isn’t one that’s particularly good to older people, generally, so I especially appreciate organizations like this that provide so many varied resources and programs to older people, giving a vast array of ways for people to connect and learn and create and remain active, creative, and healthy for a long, long time. Life is for the living, and we’re living as much when we’re 70 as we were when we were 20, even if it’s harder to see things and it takes like three days longer to get over a hangover.

So, if you’re in the general area of Orange County, NC, and have an interesting car of pretty much any kind you’d like to take to our First Autopian Senior Center Car Show, here’s the info one more time:

Saturday, September 26

12-2pm

2551 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516

And, if you need any more specific information or are planning to come and bring a car, why not email me at jason@autopian.com with the subject line “Old Folks Car Show?”

This will be great. I just need some cars! We’ve got a month to make a fantastic lineup!