Dennis Terdy - Captivated Review
Recently, I completed my 27th and final interview for the Crosley Quarterly’s “Captivated by Crosleys” feature. When I proposed my original article idea to the newly appointed Crosley Quarterly editors, the initial goal was to highlight “regular” owners, not necessarily those everyone knew, but everyday owners, some with long-term life “afflictions” with Crosleys to those who were relatively recent arrivals to the Crosley world. Male/Female, young/old - all provided incredible insights, differences and even commonalities about the Crosley brand. It gave me an honored glimpse of the past through this diverse group while sometimes offering me a slight glimmer of our Crosley and car collector future.
The responsibility of documenting many personal and family histories was ever-humbling. Did I get it right? Did it tell your story? Did I miss anything? What was overwhelmingly clear from these multiple interviews, Crosley was much, much more than a “collector car” to everyone that I interviewed.
A constant emerging theme from most interviews was, “It was personal.” The cars were extensions of the owners, expressions of who they were, extensions of their families, extensions of relationships-lost, found, and ongoing, a true glimpse of what they valued. Many “landed” with Crosleys after years with other car, classic car, and diverse car experiences. My favorite question was, “How did this happen? this “love affair” with a diminutive, crazy short-term production car like Crosley. The answers were as diverse as the owners. However, all pointed in one direction. The car did it!
Families played a prominent role in almost every interview. Crosleys in weddings, in dating, young children, to even family members named Crosley. Whether it was “dad’s car”, a daughter hanging out with dad in the garage, to watching and “carrying on with Crosleys as my family had”. Wauseon had a small role, but many just spoke of the long-term relationships developed through their own Crosley networks. Some highlighted business and personal family arrangements. One common feature that dominated all interviews was the multi-generational family/non family connections this little car created and sustained over its 8+ decades of existence.
The Crosley brand capacity as “a conversation starter” especially in the wake of the pandemic stands out. Folks were just looking for a chance to re-connect, talk about anything and Crosley does and did just that. Further, the repetitive, smile-evoking Crosley reactions: Common, cheap, fun, it makes people smile, everyone has a reaction, head-turner, redefined “economy”, easy to work on, and even standout in a show. Crosleys in any condition create reactions!
Ironically, the final “Captivated” was written about Abigayle Morgan, a talented, vibrant young Crosley owner making her way in a male-dominated car world. Her story emphasized some common themes, but more importantly, the irony of her “Captivated” being the final in this 6+ year series, provided a surprising “glimpse” into our car world and its future. Abigayle commented,
There is enough room for all of us. E-cars, Pebble Beach classics, resto-mods, 80’s classics. Don’t gatekeep! Don’t gatekeep information! Don’t gatekeep parts! We need people to mentor us with knowledge. Let kids sit in our cars. Give cars away to young people! It makes me chuckle when I hear, “Kids these days don’t like cars.”
But, maybe you’re not helping me like cars? Help me foster a relationship with your car. With my college (Car restoration college employee), I get to go to many, many world class car events. I often get to talk with owners of the most beautiful, unattainable cars in the world. And I have learned that you have to make your cars attainable! You have to share information to help others take on that passion.
The way I see the hobby and the industry going is through the eyes of young college students at my school. They/we like cars differently. (e.g. I have a student who is into 80’s and 90’s cars.) Meet them where they are. Take him/her to a Model T convention. Without the exposure, they won’t know them – so, probably “won’t like them”. We all have a responsibility to foster and broaden their interests. “If you want the car world to stick around, you need to do something about it instead of saying kids just don’t like cars.”
Abigayle’s comments stand as a warning and plea mixed with possibilities. Just like a parent preparing their children “for the world out there”, at some point we elders need to step aside to “get out of the way” of our children to make it in the world on their own. As “environmental mediators” for our children, we need to take the same care to pivot to a younger generation to carry on in this quickly devolving car world. Abi’s plea is merely an opening…to help others get “captivated” in the same way many of us were with this crazy Crosley brand.
