Years ago some of us who sold parts and services for collector vehicles simply referred to what we did as a hobby business. Now it is clearly an industry employing thousands of people and securing and supporting the lifestyles of many families.

A number of years ago, a few of us (hobby business leaders) banded together to form an association of collector car related businesses (even competitors) to work on anti-hobby legislation and licensing issues. The idea was to protect our businesses and the hobby those business served. This new group we called ARMO was started (Automotive Restoration Market Organization) and we added other businessesin the new “industry”. We hooked up with SEMA which is the large automotive aftermarket association representing over 6000 member businesses and got involved and got the muscle of SEMA involved in our issues. Since those early days, a number of us have served terms on the SEMA Board of Directors and in leadership of SEMA. I was actually Chairman of the Board of SEMA from 03 to 05. We had OEM’s shutting down businesses over legitimate intellectual property issues and governments giving tax credits and outright passing laws to crush and scrap older cars. Because we came together and worked hard we made a positive impact on these issues back in the day.
Scrappage, issues about registering our Hot Rods and emission issues are always active and have never been completely solved or handled but as a part of SEMA, we had the power of numbers. While I was a SEMA Board member, we started the SEMA action network (SAN) which is a large group (millions strong) of individuals willing to contact legislators, beaurecrats and governors about issues we would notify them about which could adversely affect our industry. The SAN has been successful on most State and Federal levels. Hundreds of thousands of phone calls, emails and letters have been sent to our “leaders” expressing dismay, disapproval and disgust with these anti collector car bills and rulings. We have not only been “naysayers” because we have sponsored state and federal bills proactively helping our industry on things such as titling and scrappage.

Fast forward to the election of 2008 when the Obominals came to power in DC. Detroit is in a mess and when asking for a financial bailout from our government, the Detroit Three suggested a type of tax credit or refund from our government coffers to get rid of older cars so hopefully we Americans would buy more new cars! They also say these old cars are polluters and gas hogs. President Obama also endorses, supports and is pushing such a program. I guess he doesn’t care about putting down one industry to help another or how large our industry and voter base has grown to be. President Barrack Hussein Obama continues so push his “anti collector car” agenda his own way and hopefully partially and artificially propping up the Detroit Three (…or at least two!) and by paying our tax dollars to get rid of older cars.

We need to pay attention NOW MORE THAN EVER, and not hesitate to say NO to the Obominals or anyone who supports scrapping old cars! The SEMA action Network is a great avenue to stay connected on these looming issues. SEMA has a great staff of folks in Washington and Diamond Bar, California working on these things every waking moment.

Get informed!
Get involved!
Get busy!

NOW MORE THAN EVER!

From the road,

Corky