Does the average unlucky person who ends up with a flat tire know how to fix it? How many people feel a rush of panic when a random light goes on in their car? How many people know what those pesky little lights mean? For many people, cars are simply a necessity —  often an expensive and irritating one too. But for other people, cars are far more than a basic machine that takes them from Point A to Point B.

“My dad is a mechanic, so I got a lot of it from that … when I was growing up, he did a lot of side work,” Leah Haggit (12) said. “He was always working on cars in the garage, and then he always works on our cars.” 

Through constantly being around cars, Haggit naturally grew an interest for them. Car designers and engineers often modify their own engines and vehicles to look or perform differently — something Haggit has expressed interest in doing as well.

“I want to do automotive design … it’s pretty competitive to actually design cars and work with a company,” Haggit said. 

Car models come in endless varieties and alterations, giving buyers a large variety of personal preferences and favorite styles to pick from.

“German engineering is a lot more [luxurious] than American and other countries,” Haggit said. “Japanese cars focus more on reliability, and I’d say every car has its own personality.”

Mainstream car culture exploded in America around the 1950s. Due to the end of World War II, American manufacturers could now focus on cars to sell on the booming market rather than war materials. Cars became something people could show off, something they could pour effort and time into, something they could be proud of. Vehicle modification, specifically ‘hot rodding’ classic cars by modifying them to have larger, faster engines, became a common pastime during this time. 

“My favorite part about working on cars is the feeling that comes realizing you built this thing yourself … least favorite part would be when it breaks down 20 miles later,” Sam Horrocks (12) said.

Naturally, with the rise of car culture, people wanted to show off their precious vehicles. Car shows began to pop up as an effect of this, with car lovers organizing both local get togethers and massive international meets to show off their unique projects and prized possessions.

“I’ve been to a few shows, [but] I wish Memphis had a better car culture,” Cabell Merer (12) said. “ … Memphis doesn’t have that many cool cars, exotic cars, whereas Los Angeles has hypercars and supercars everywhere. Carspotting is something else I like to do when I’m just driving around. I have an eye for unique or cool cars. They just stick out to me.”

Besides being a casual hobby, working on cars can be a future career for many people. With the rise of supercars and futuristic models, the car market and car design industries are predicted to continue to grow each year.

“I’m going to be a mechanical engineer and then go into automobile engineering,” Mercer said.  “I do robotics and stuff, and I think the reason I’m into engineering is because of cars.” 

Cars have served for years as a career and life for many people and continue to be the future for many aspiring people.

“Cars are a way of expressing yourself through an art of sorts,” Horrocks  said. “No matter the build or make or model, if it’s important to you, you should chase that dragon.”