While faster results are usually desired, senior Jack Zorn does not rush the process when working on his car. Every modification and step is taken with deliberate patience and love for the vehicle. Zorn has been intrigued by cars since he was little and currently customizes and modifies his car himself, following in his family’s footsteps.
“Getting my own car was always a reverent thing to me,” Zorn said. “Since a very young age, I wanted to do this in high school.”
Zorn’s car is continuously modified and customized for a smoother ride by either himself, his family, or a mechanic. Rather than speed, Zorn adjusts his car to focus on his passion for taking care of it.
“I try to make all of the repairs myself. If it’s something that’s a big job, I have a friend who helps me out,” Zorn said. “I’ve replaced almost all of the suspension, new wheels, new tires, new exhaust and new intake. I just want to make [the car] as fun as possible to drive.”
For Zorn, appreciation for cars runs in the family. Both of his parents are car enthusiasts, and his brother, Nick Zorn, customized his own car as well.
“My parents love having an attachment for the cars that they own and the cars that they buy. Rather than buying just any car, they buy the one that they love,” Nick Zorn said. “I think that is how anyone should look at a car. Respect and take care of them, because they are a big part of your life.”
Much like his brother, Nick greatly appreciates and cherishes the connection his family has with vehicles. While it shaped his perspective on cars, it also created a passionate connection that the entire family can share and talk about.
“It’s really cool having parents that are as interested in cars as I am, and love talking to them,” Jack said. “My friends aren’t as interested in cars as me, so it’s fun getting to share that passion with my family. It’s even more enjoyable [to share an interest] with people who live with you.”
Zorn emphasizes that patience is important when working on cars. Frustration and breakthroughs are all part of the process, so they should be appreciated just as much as the cars themselves.
“When I first got this car, there were moments where I questioned why it was given to me. There were times where I wondered why I didn’t take [the car] to a mechanic. But working on cars it’s more fun to do it myself and with [Nick], it’s a learning process, and there’s always a lesson in your failures,” Jack said.
According to Nick, cars serve as memorabilia. It encapsulates a certain time in one’s life, and can be seen as a piece of history to be studied.
“These kinds of cars are a metaphor for history,” Nick said. “You can learn about history through the possessions, thoughts, and the items that people made at the time. That’s how you grasp the cultures and the ideas that were going around at the time.”
Where his brother sees cars as reflections of the past, Jack’s connection to cars is far more personal, rooted in hands-on experience and long-held passion.
“I have other hobbies, but there is nothing I would rather talk about or be involved with than cars. It’s satisfying to do something myself instead of just watching my brother or someone on television do it,” Jack said. “It’s surreal that I have that car, since I had wanted it for so long. It’s been a long time coming, and I’m finally able to do what I wanted to do for so long.”
