More Focus: A Traditional Upbringing

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Sam Dobbins | 1 Comment

This week, Anna and I decided it was necessary to bring the focus of our weekly commentary on our personal upbringings—and contrary to popular belief, neither Anna or I were raised within the Volkswagen community. And despite founding this company on the foothold we've jointly created within the VW world, a big part of our 2012 gameplan is to get back in touch with our old school roots.

It's a very interesting transition, especially to look back upon. Throughout the majority of my childhood I watched my pop build a 1936 Chevrolet, quite literally from the ground up. From its roots in the back of a field, untouched for decades, riddled with bullet holes, rust, and rotting wood innards, I saw the transformation take place. Whether it was holding a light or passing a wrench, or just generally being in the way while trying to catch a glimpse of whatever the current task at hand was, I've been a gearhead since birth.

Walking through a space like the one above was where I learned the differences between this year and that, this make and that, and so on. So for Anna and I to stumble upon such a place this past October was nothing less than inspiring.

Anna, yes, the Anna Taylor, had a similar upbringing. While I can't recall the nitty gritties of her childhood, I can definitely vouch for its legitimacy. Hell, I'd be lying if I said she hadn't out-knowledged me a time or two. While my first car was a 1964 Falcon wagon, hers was a 1949 Merc...and I'll be the first to admit, that's way more badass. In fact, she actually had the pleasure of driving hers, while I sold mine before I ever received my license.

What's most interesting though, is that neither Anna or I have ever photographed our fathers' cars. And we know what you're thinking right, how the f**k does that even happen?! Well, it's quite similar to my latest article regarding my Jetta Coupe—when you have it, you don't necessarily take advantage of it, and therefore don't realize the opportunities that you've missed out on until it's too late.

Luckily though, both of our fathers have had the foresight of not selling their cars...so one day soon, we'll be featuring both my pop's 36 Chev and Anna's dad's 1959 El Camino...which is hands down one of the coolest cars I've had the pleasure of seeing.

So with that, we thought we'd bring to you a nice array of hotrods that we've both had the pleasure of shooting throughout the years that are completely unrelated to the commentary. But the point is, this is really who we are. These are the real cars that we love and cherish. But at the end of the day, what's most important is that it is not a competition—to be able to love and appreciate all makes and models from all generations doesn't have to make you a traitor of your heritage, but a connoisseur of all things petrol.