Auto Club recently had the opportunity to complete their project car, a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air, thanks to the help of the Youtube Channel Driveway Dreams. 

“A good friend of the club, Lucky Acosta, who used to be on Motor Trend channel and Hot Rod Garage, was a guest in the past. We actually just took our project car to him to work on.” Joe Gonzalez, teacher advisor of the auto club, said.

Driveway Dreams is an off-branch YouTube series of the car entertainment site Hot Rod, hosted by founders John McCann and Acosta. The purpose of the network is to give classic cars, such as RUHS’s, a second chance. 

“They completely cleaned the engine bay and they painted it. They [also] replaced a bunch of parts that needed to be replaced and fixed countless things,” Robert Packard, this year’s Auto Club president, said.

The total estimated cost of the repairs and detailing was between $10,000 and $15,000, but the Auto Club was only responsible for paying for the actual parts replaced. 

“Doing this type of work, there’s no way we would be able to do that ourselves. It requires car parts, specialty tools and expert mechanics, to figure out how these components need to be adapted to our car.” Gonzalez said.

Every Friday in room 200B during lunch the Auto Club members gather to talk about anything and everything related to cars, and they bring guests from inside and outside school to talk about their experience in car industries, projects they’ve done with cars, and more.“Everyone and anyone’s welcome, even if they’re not car enthusiasts. We’ve had members in the past that aren’t into cars but then come in and find something about cars they like, whether it’s, for example, an upcoming guest photographer,” Gonzalez said.

The automotive field offers more than 11 million job opportunities such as work in manufacturing or dealerships, and the Auto Club is able to highlight many of them. Auto Club can also be used as a learning experience or even help students open new doors and opportunities in industries they were not aware about.  

“There’s different areas to get involved with cars. It’s always open and welcoming to anyone, even if they’re not die hard car nerds.” Gonzalez said.

The Auto Club, beyond offering a place for  students to meet and talk about cars and other vehicles, allows students to connect with one another of similar or shared interest involving auto vehicles and the industry. 

“We have a community, and we’re just trying to build that up with people who enjoy the same type of hobbies as we do. I would say it’s more of just we can bring people together with stuff that they also appreciate,” Packard said.

According to Packard, the Auto Club is a special place for some students on campus who view the club as more than a social gathering but a learning and community building experience. 

“I’ve learned throughout the years that every car and everybody has a story,” Packard said. “Everybody can emphasize that at this club.”