Commentary: Your Enthusiasm Is Our Little Secret

Can you keep a secret?

Honorably, the answer should always be “yes.” You are entrusted with something so important which could change the course of the universe. Or, your relationships with your loved ones and friends. Even the future of a company. 

Secrets should never be divulged at any cost. That is why my colleagues have been imposed an embargo on information until a certain day and time. After that, you’re to say whatever you like…

The one thing about secrets is that some things may expose you for how different you are from a confirming society. You could have an outward appearance of something who has the coolest car, a good-looking partner, and a near-perfect life. Your home is awesome, your job is awesome, and you’re looking good. 

Some secrets we don’t know about you may not be as bad as one would think. Yeah, you play the flute sometimes. You might like to wear Balenciaga’s ready-to-wear line. You could have an interest in quantum physics – and actually know a bit more than those who work at NASA. 

So, why are you embarrassed by these things? 

You love Chrysler’s K-Car-derived models from the 1980s. Big deal…

Why should we be ashamed about our automotive geekery? When we were born, we might not know which car was which. Yet, we loved the fact that a toy car can connect us with the real thing some years later. 

Being born a car kid does help to grow the passion for the automobile. Does that passion have to manifest in a love for BMWs, muscle cars, trucks, overlanding rigs, or EVs? Only if you allow it to. 

It is no secret that we have a passion for something we’re not known for in the enthusiast circles. You may own a hopped-up Honda Civic with the requisite “fart can,” but should anyone ridicule you for a secret passion for Delahayes? 

This is, if your buddies know what a Delahaye is. 

The thing about being in a car community is that we have a passion for the automobile no matter what it is. That is the main lesson I have taken away for the decade I have been around it. An individual’s love for Rolls-Royces is as passionate as another’s love for kei cars – and both are valid in the car community. 

Yet, we still snub our noses at another person’s passion for a vehicle one might not vibe off of. 

The biggest lesson an enthusiast must learn is that one must not judge another’s taste in automobiles, unless you understand their rationale for their enthusiasm. If you are true to this statement, then you are truly an enthusiast.

Let me give you a personal example. You may know me as someone who appreciates luxury cars that are not primarily from Europe. My taste runs from Lexus, Genesis, Imperial…which will tell you how I appreciate not just brands, but eras. 

I also honor my roots. Being a child born in 1964, it would be the year 1970 where my passion for the automobile started to develop. Therefore, I gravitate to the vehicles of my childhood to dive into the abyss of automotive geekery. 

And, I’m not alone. There are enthusiasts who love cars from the Malaise Era. Partly because we grew up watching our parents try to fill up their gas tanks on an odd numbered day with an even numbered license plate – which was a no-no in 1973. We come to appreciate the rationale of downsizing, emission controls, and how the automobile began to re-emerge from the depths of quality control issues to what we enjoy today. 

While we have some vehicles we’re passionate about, we also have those we either feign ignorance or outright dislike. One might not like Fords, especially when they grew up with Chevrolets – and that’s all they know. We have what we love or dislike – and both are valid. 

When I have something I’ve been working with out on the road, I know I’ll either get a person excited for seeing it, or someone who thinks it’s the ugliest thing they’ve ever seen in your life. If you get the latter response to your ride, don’t be butthurt. Suck it, buttercup! You’re not going to win friends and influence others all of the time. 

Because of the way society has become, we have to retrench ourselves towards keeping things secret. That’s a shame, really. 

All photos by Randy Stern