New Year’s resolutions, intentions and wishes for the classic car community

Barn-found Maserati | Larry Edsall photos

For car collectors everywhere, larger garages.

For the automotive archeologists, more barn finds. There doesn’t seem to be anything that excites the hobby quite as much as the discovery of a dust-covered classic behind doors that have been closed for a few decades.

For classic car owners, sunny days and trouble-free long drives on your favorite roads.

Speaking of weather, a wish that El Nino will refrain from raining on Arizona Classic Car Week, with a concours and six auctions scheduled.

For Dana Mecum, a car count of 3,001 at Kissimmee.

For the folks at Oldsmar, Florida, may your beautiful, bay-front boulevards overflow with Oldsmobiles during your centennial celebration.

For the Keno Brothers, a 92 percent sell-through at The Elegance at Hershey sale.

For Leake Auction Company at its upcoming OK City event, another exciting day of no-reserve sales.

For Barrett-Jackson, a successful debut on the East Coast.

For those selling their cars at auction, realistic expectations when you set your reserve price whether your car is a ’57 Chevy or a gorgeous Mercedes-Benz gullwing.

Precious Metal exhibit at the Petersen

For the Petersen Automotive Museum, a followup exhibit worthy of taking the place and space of all those amazing silver cars that comprise the Precious Metal show in the Meyer Family Gallery.

For Dave Madeira and the others doing the “The Drive Home” in classic American cars from the Le May museum to the Detroit auto show, enough snow for some pretty pictures of those red rides, but not enough to delay the drive.

For organizers of the inaugural Chicago Concours d’Elegance, a grouping of cars as spectacular as the view of the city skyline from your location there on Northerly Island in Lake Michigan.

For Smokey and the Bandit fans, the sale at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction of what we have to hope is the last, finally, of the “real” Pontiac Trans Ams from the movie, of which there seems to be more sold recently than ever rolled off the assembly line back in the day.

For Alex Chavez and Tyler Trietman, a second annual Classic Americana car show during Monterey Car Week that’s twice as large but just as much fun as the inaugural event in 2015.

For the next-generation of collector car enthusiasts, an appreciation for more than just the car you wanted but couldn’t have back in high school.

For old collector car enthusiasts, an appreciation (or at least an acceptance) that Japanese sports cars have earned their place on the auction block and the show field. And even some pride knowing that there are American V8s under the hoods of those Asian vehicles competing in Formula Drift, the millennials motorsport of choice.

Gilmore museum: Cars and red barns

For the Gilmore Car Museum, a successful 50th anniversary season.

For concours judges, the gumption to select a post-war car for best of show honors.

Folks selling their Porsches won’t agree, but here’s a wish for a return to normalcy in pricing.

For the PC police to leave the Gen. Lee Dodge Chargers alone.

For organizers of the Milwaukee Masterpiece, you really didn’t need to change the name of your event; we all knew you were a genuine concours, if not in name than in the quality of cars and setting.

For Bill Warner, the successful integration of vintage racing into his Amelia Island concours d’elegance. And while we’re at it, safe racing for those involved in all vintage motorsports events, that neither your body nor your car’s body suffers anything but minor bumps and bruises.

For the speculators driving up the prices of classic cars, an appreciation for the wonders of motoring’s past and for the hobby’s future.

An expression of welcome to anyone who owns a 1991 Saturn. GM launched its plastic-bodied, import-fighting division for the 1991 model year, which makes those original cars 25 years old and eligible in many states for classic car license plates.

Ditto to owners of the original 1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4, a 300-horsepower, all-wheel driven thrill ride.

Ditto for owners of 1991 model year Bentley Brooklands, BMW 318s, Buick Roadmasters, Chevrolet Caprices, Dodge Stealths and Daytona Shelbys, Geo Prizm, Hyundai Scoupes, Isuzu Stylus, Mazda MX3s, Mercury Capris, Suzuki Swifts, second-generation Toyota MR2s or Volvo 940s — your cars have become classics.

Heritage Edition Ford GT

For owners of Ford GTs not painted in Gulf blue and orange, a wish that the value of your cars will catch up to those Heritage models.

A wish that now that Congress has made it easier for them, the makers of reproduction vehicles will build those vehicles to the highest of material and safety standards while maintaining the classic designs.

Speaking of quality, a wish that cable television producers develop “reality” programming that actually reflects the reality of the classic car hobby instead of making it look like nothing more than a flipper’s rip-off scheme.

A resolution for all classic car owners to remove those “do not touch” signs from your cars. Nothing turns off newcomers quite so quickly. If you really feel that way, keep your car in your garage.