As a Petrolhead it is sometimes easy to lose hope in the next generation and fear that they might not continue with our love for petrol, noise and mechanical failures. With ride sharing services, self-driving cars and EV’s being the vision of the future, we stand to wonder if Petrolheads will survive the ever-looming Carpocalypse. But then there are moments where I can see a glimmer of hope for future Petrolheads. Such as, in my 9 year old son’s excitement for being around cars.
Events for the next generation
My son and I attended the Sentimetal event held at the beautiful Lourensford Estate over the weekend. There are worse ways to spend a Saturday than being in the Winelands on a crisp Autumn morning looking at cars. I once again realised how important events like these are for us as Petrolheads. Not only for our enjoyment, but to also pass on the passion and love for all things automotive to the next generation. It helps them to get exposure to a wide variety of cars. From Hot Rods to Supercars to Classics and even everyday icons. It’s not just the exposure to the cars, but also fellow enthusiasts and Petrolheads that help them understand car culture as a whole.
big figures are not a requirement
With YouTubers and Influencers only exposing the next generation to the latest and greatest 1000hp Hypercars or the latest EV creation, it is easy for them to get an unbalanced view on what car culture represents. They need to understand that you can be a passionate Petrolhead regardless of what you drive. And that big figures (power or price) are not a requirement. It’s up to us “old guys” to help create a balanced view. Taking our kids to events like Sentimetal (or Park and Pizza and Carbs and Coffee breakfast runs) helps to create that understanding.
As I mentioned in a previous column, there are a multitude of car events all over the place. So there is no excuse not to go. It is our responsibility to get the next generation out there and let them enjoy these events as much as we do.
Involvement
The most important aspect to ensuring that the next generation still has a love and passion for cars is getting them involved. Let them help you in the garage fixing and working on that project car or broken Alfa. Let them get their hands dirty and teach them the basics of vehicle maintenance.
If you are fortunate enough to be involved yourself, get your kids involved in Motorsports. Motorsport still remains one of the best ways to ignite the passion for all things automotive. Get them into racing Karts. It is still one of the best entries into the world of racing. Or simply attend racing events at your local track!
My son, well I got him involved in automotive photography. During the initial lockdowns when we were all home-schooling our kids, I took him into the garden, put my old Cannon 1000D DSLR camera in his hands and taught him the basics of photography. Today at the age of 9, he has developed not only a serious passion for cars, but also photography. In fact all the photographs in this article were shot by him at the Sentimetal event.
Passion in the next generation
Being a Petrolhead is all about passion. The current state of the automotive landscape is not really inspiring passion amongst the next generation. It is our duty to pass on the passion by getting them involved, educating them, taking them to events and exposing them to proper car culture. Let them read old automotive magazines, play car- based video games, play top Trumps and collect Hotwheels. All this will help ensure that our next generation stays as passionate about cars as we are. It is the only way to help prevent a Carpocalypse.
All Photographs by Christiaan van Zyl
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