Chances are if you are a regular on this website you like cars. Most people who like cars know that not everyone shares our passion for vehicles, or doesn’t quite understand it. They see cars as inanimate objects whose only purpose is to transport you from point A to point B. Car people on the other hand see cars as something else. Cars are our passion, our hobby, and a way of life. They are more than just objects, they are expressions of feelings, and usually reflect a little about what the owner is like.
Not all car people have the same interests though. Some like Imports, some like Muscle, some like European, some like trucks etc… The one thing we all have in common though, is gasoline in our blood. Many of us have been into cars since we were very young. When we saw a car drive by on the street that looked like our Hot Wheel we got goosebumps. We pointed, we jumped, we smiled and screamed. Something about four wheels, the sounds, and the shapes of these objects just made our blood flow.
So how do car people go about displaying our hobby with others who share our disease? The answer is car meets. When your are at a car meet, you feel at home, like you belong with all these other like minded people.
While car meets happen every once and a while where I am from, something on this scale is a rarity. So heading up to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the 2nd Annual Import Soup Meet was a no brainer.
The idea of the Import Soup Meet is to raise money for Feeding South Dakota. An organization that provides emergency food assistance to thousands of people in any given week and hundreds of men, women and children EVERY DAY in the state of South Dakota. Each person who attended the event was asked to bring one can of non-perishable food to enter the event. Not only did everyone contribute 300Lbs worth of food, but also raised $370 towards Feeding South Dakota.
Going into the event I didn’t quite know what to expect, but I was not disappointed. Cars guys and gals came from all over the area to show off their rides and their style of customization. While there were no multi-million dollar machines, that’s not what the event was about. It was about displaying and racing vehicles that mean so much to their owners. This event proved my theory that a person doesn’t have to have a wad of cash to create a cool ride and to have fun. Creativity doesn’t come from money, it comes from the heart and mind.
Off brand coilovers? Rusty rear quarters? Nearly bald tires? It’s what makes each car unique it its own right. Afterall, how boring would the world be with nothing but perfect cars. Cars aren’t meant to be perfect; they are meant to be driven.
I find it funny that on the internet a lot of people compares drag times, stats, and horsepower numbers. In reality a car should be about how fun it is to drive, and how it makes you feel when you look at it. I hope there will continue to be car designers out there that push the status quo, and don’t let government regulations keep them down. As long as there are interesting automobiles, there will always be….car people.
-Colin Brandt
