The main street the other day, with the vintage vehicles shimmering like diamonds, mixed among the modern but mundane cars, resembled a stunning necklace. There would be a string of three or four modern imports, a dusty battered ute and then a glittering vintage. Every couple of minutes another beautiful motorcar would appear. Pedestrians were oohing and aahing, waving out and grinning. In a time when we have so many hi-tech gadgets with built in obsolescence that forces us to replace or upgrade every year, it is somehow satisfying to see vintage, veteran and classic cars with their elegant shape and style still running as well as they did when first made.
We may have cellphones with so many functions that it is unlikely we will ever figure out how to work them all but these smart phones can be stopped in their tracks by the tiniest failure. Did you know there is a problem with pocket fluff? It is the minuscule bits of detritus that collect in pockets or handbags then infiltrate your phone, clogging up the insides and preventing it from working. I gather from the people who fix cellphones that they can often pick a person's profession by examining the pocket fluff found inside a dead phone. For example, mowing contractors have lawn clippings, bakers have flour and a smoker might have tobacco. Vintage car owners probably have little bits of polishing rag in theirs. This pocket fluff can suddenly stop even the smartest of phones working but would pocket fluff stop a 1910 Napier automobile or a 1950 Nash Rambler? I doubt it. (There is clearly a gap in the market for a pocket fluff App).
The other thought that comes to mind when admiring the cars here for the rally is that "rust never sleeps". Clearly those participating in the vintage car rally hunt down the tiniest vestige of this disease of metal and eliminate it with ruthless determination. All the cars have stunning paintwork. Some are so shiny that it almost hurts the eyes to look at them. The passion and attention to detail required to keep these ageing vehicles in such amazing condition is incredible.
Like jewels, the lovely old cars, buffed to a perfect finish, gleam and shine among the recent makes and models around them. Modern car design seems to be boring. We know that modern cars are safe and comfortable but they all look the same. Over the past few days I have been pondering what it is that makes us smile when we see a vintage car chugging past. Is it the colour? Is it the open top outlook of many of them? Is it the beaming proud owners? Is it something about the curves, lines and sheer audacity of design that makes them beautiful? I am sure it is all of these things but there is something else happening in our hearts when we watch these cars go by. We get a warm glow. We feel that, in a world where everything happens at great speed and is all about now, now, now, the old cars provide reassurance that beauty is ageless and is not something that can be rushed. It could be that these mechanical masterpieces have charisma.
Terry Sarten lives in Whanganui and is a musician, writer and social worker. Email:tgs@inspire.net.nz
