MyStarCollectorCar has always believed in the personal side of the car hobby ever since we debuted as an online auto magazine 15 years ago because we believe the people factor is the most important part of the equation in every MSCC story.
We have spent the past 15 years searching for the ideal story that links a vintage vehicle with its owner because MyStarCollectorCar believes there is an unbreakable bond between the two.
There is little doubt our readers also enjoy the stories behind the vehicles and the owners’ relationships with them.
Jim Sutherland
MyStarCollectorCar likes to sift through the numerous pages and websites dedicated to the vintage vehicle hobby so we can connect with their owners and get the story behind their retro rides. Our cyber approach provides some solid sources for owners’ stories and helps augment our main source for owner stories: car shows.
We ran an article gathered from a cyber source this month (February 2024) about a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere 1 that was purchased brand new by the current owner’s grandfather and has remained in the family the entire time. The car’s history was right up our alley here at MyStarCollectorCar, but there was an extra element of interest for us because its current owner (Frank Adkins) is an accomplished mechanic, automotive instructor and writer who has penned many articles for automotive publications, along with several books about the car hobby.
Frank’s automotive expertise has made him an authority in the automotive performance field, and he has acquired a sizable toolbox of written and educational skills over the years to provide a solid array of articles and books for his readers.
Frank’s most recent book is the aptly named ‘Of Life And Automobiles’, a chronicle of both his personal experiences, along with chapters about other like-minded car guys and girls within his car hobby circles who share his passion for retro rides.
We discovered Frank’s remarkable background during our interview and research process. His writing background interested us enough to buy ‘Of Life And Automobiles’ because we wanted to see whether Frank’s book mirrored our approach to a car story.
The short answer is “yes” because the book does indeed cover the personal side of various owners’ reasons why and how he or she acquired the vintage vehicle. They are questions we ask every owner-every time.
However, Frank included numerous chapters dedicated to his own journey through life as a dedicated car guy who knew he wanted to immerse himself in the automotive field at a very young age. Frank’s journey is unique to him, but many elements of his early years as an enthusiastic young car guy seemed very familiar because it is an expensive learning process for most young car guys who are typically under-funded and under-skilled–but brimming with optimism.
Our best guess is most car guys who read Frank’s book will see a little of themselves in his descriptions of himself as a teenaged car kid, but few of us advanced to his level of mechanical expertise during our adult years.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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