October 1, 2024 • 42 mins
Walter Franco is a lifelong automotive enthusiast and curator at LeMay: America’s Car Museum. With a deep passion for cars, from modifying them to working in automotive design, Walter now brings his expertise to one of the world's largest car museums. In this episode, we explore how his love for automotive history shapes his approach to curating.
“Fuel for the Future” is presented by State Farm Insurance, Driven By America’s Automotive Trust, and hosted by Michael May. https://www.americasautomotivetrust.org/ Produced by Convergent Content, LLC Theme Music by Matt Glass
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
I always have this saying whereif you want to, you know, work
towards the future.
You have to startby looking at your past, right?
The primary reasonwhy we fall in love with
the car is primarilybecause we have an attachment to freedom.
Like in the state of our youngergeneration.
Looking forward to that sense of freedom.
Now they have options and it's not justthe vehicle that's going to take them
(00:24):
to freedom, it's justthe experiences are our little bit more.
There's more options availablefor this type of experience.
And I think as a curator,I think you need to tell these stories.
That is Walter Franco, a curator
at LeMay America'sCar Museum, based in Tacoma, Washington.
ACM is recognized as one of the bestand largest car museums in the world.
(00:49):
Walter's life experiencesgive him a unique perspective into
not just curating, but the state of carculture and its future.
This is fuel for the future.
Presented by State Farm Insuranceand driven by America's Automotive Trust.
I'm Michael May.
What exactly does a curator do?
And I don't just mean specifically
(01:09):
at America's car museum,but any museum around the world.
What it what does that job entail?
Well, with curation, you're,
this special individual is, selected
to, showcase and present, certain items.
So if it's like,
(01:29):
a typical art museumwhere you have sculptures and paintings,
there are,selecting these certain pieces to,
tell a story, you know, and for,you know, here at the museum,
the pieces are automotive memorabilia,
the vehicles that participate in,
you know, groundbreaking designs,
(01:52):
become legendary vehicles
in the world of motorsports.
It can even go to the simple factof the most common vehicle
to the average American, you know,
so these cars are curated, making sure
that these cars alignwith our vision here at the museum.
(02:13):
The person,the curator, tells these stories
with these, specific items and piecesand how they go about doing it is,
you know, really up to
them to kind of have a vision,
to put these things into position.
So it makes sense to the gueststhat come and walk through the museum.
(02:35):
And how long have you been at ACM?
I've been at ACM.
For five months now.
Oh, so fairly new.
Yeah. So I'm fairly new to the space.
However, you know, in the landscape of,automobile,
motorsports and, and car community,
I've been doing it for,since the late 90s.
(02:59):
And so, just like anything you learn car,
nature and car,
you know, estheticsand things like that from, you know,
either an elder or,you know, your parents or, you know, I,
I was fortunate to have my fatherand I still have him around, thank God,
to kind of tell me the do'sand don'ts of how to build a car.
(03:19):
And how to work on cars, you know? Right.
So when you say you've been doing it,
you know, been involvedwith the car community for that long,
what have what has your experience been?
I think you worked a little bitin design, things like that.
And by trade I am an automotive designer.
And so I,
I studied at Artcenter
College of Design in Pasadena, California.
(03:42):
I went through their rigorous program of,you know, blood, sweat
and tearsand being a hot shot of a designer. Yep.
And it was it was tough.
You know, that program,
you know, it's a two and a halfyear program that's accelerated.
And so,for those that don't know about Artcenter
College of Design, it'sheralded as the, number.
(04:04):
I would say it's it's in the top tier
of automotive design education.
And so you have,
the, vehicle brands around the world
that invest, you know, sponsored projects,
to young, you know minded designersto kind of showcase and have this ability
(04:25):
to even potentially get an internship,you know, through the educational program.
So they're heavily involved with, alumniin their transportation design program.
Being in the industry, you know, it'sjust not a simple course of,
the foundational, but it's more abouthow do you keep up with the ever
changing tasteof automobile design and esthetics? So,
(04:48):
but yeah, so
went to Art centerand then, upon graduating,
I worked with, VMC at in Camarillo,
California, as an exterior designer.
Worked with them for a couple of months.
I had an internship prior to,
me working there full time, and then,that was short lived.
(05:08):
And then I ended up, in Chongqing, China,
doing contractwork with, Buick and Mercedes.
Oh, wow.
Wow. So, Yeah,it was part of their exterior, program.
Hyson Motors was the, contractor,
and they were hiring to developfor both Buick and Mercedes markets.
And so they were looking for,the next wheels,
(05:31):
Hot Wheels setor lip kit, for their market.
And, and I learned a lot in that timeframe.
I found myselfwanting to move back to the northwest
to cultivate car cultureand to start a brand with my brother
Michael, so that we may
have something for longevity,you know, have ownership in something.
(05:51):
And so,we started a brand called Non Saying,
which we've dedicated the last seven years
to producing, one car event
and one car cruise, every month,and that's rain or shine.
And we've consistently been doingthat, year round for the last seven years.
And so, amongst things, you know,
(06:13):
we use this spaceas a means for people to connect.
And also just,you know, genuinely helping,
people be introducedproperly into this space.
Yeah.
And I want to
I want to circle back to thatin a little bit because I, you know,
do want to talk to youabout the current state of car culture
and how you see this progressingand moving into the future.
(06:34):
And that gives you a really handson point of view and expertise in that.
But I do want to talk a little bit more
about the curation aspectnow of what you're doing with ACM.
Because, you know, I always sayyou get to look back to look forward,
and you're in the perfect placeto constantly be reminded
of the history of the automobileand how it relates to to us.
(06:58):
So when you are curating,when you're looking at potential,
you know, cars or exhibitsthat you want to put together,
what have you learned frombeing around all these amazing vehicles
and what are some of your goals as well?
So, you know, as I always have this thingwhere if you want to,
you know, work towards the future,you have to start by looking at your past.
(07:19):
Right.
And so, you know, there'sso many amazing brands and,
vehicles that are not heralded,
and even talked about in the circlesin the present.
Right.
And so brands I'm talking aboutare like Packard and Auburn.
Yeah.
You know, old Somerville, Plymouth. Yeah.
(07:40):
You know, these are, you know, hardcore American vehicle brands
that have no kind of, substancein the day of modern technology.
You know, it's,
it's something that I thinka lot of people need to understand
and learn,like something like the forerunner to,
you know, when you talk about theOldsmobile, four, four, two is heralded
(08:01):
as one of the muscle cars of ownershipthat should be in a car collection.
Yeah,and not a lot of people know about that.
You know, everyonekind of thinks that, you know,
well, if it hasn't been on the TVor if it hasn't been on Instagram,
then I it's not cool, you know,and I, I totally disagree with that.
You know, I think, a part of, understanding what's cool is understanding what's,
(08:27):
you know, breakthrough and what's,
importantin terms of these vehicle brands.
I mean, a lot of people don't even knowthe history of, of of Packard
or even just Auburn. Right, right.
And and for the sake of, curiosity,I'm not going to,
you know, dive into those,you know, brands.
But I encourage anyone who's listening,really take the time to understand,
(08:50):
you know, who's of the who that really putthose brands together
and made these cars globally recognized.
There's a lot of opportunityin any type of space to create,
nostalgic, an impact, an a memory,
to anyone that, walksamongst these vehicles, you know.
(09:13):
Yeah.
And I, I believe that a lot of,
people are and especially nowthat we have social media,
I think a lot of peopledon't really slow down enough
to really absorb some of the historywithin the automobiles.
You know?
I mean, let's just begin with, like,the Model A's and the Model T's, right.
(09:34):
And I can honestly saythat a lot of the newer generation,
the younger generation don't necessarilyknow why these are significant vehicles.
But then you have to ask yourself why,you know, and it boils down to you know
guys that are our age
I would say in the, you know,late 30s, 40s maybe in their early 50s
(09:56):
to really go in there and educate,you know, so
as curation goes in into space and,you know, you look at everything
and how you're going to,you know, exhibit and present everything,
you always want to have somethingthat says, hey, you know what?
Like, this catches my eyenot because it's old,
but because I've learned somethingin the space of contra.
(10:17):
Right?
Having something newand having something old
really, really jogs a curiosity.
And so in this space of our museum,you know, curiosity can run rapid.
And my thing is, I would like for people
to walk into this museumto understand, like, hey,
you know,this is not a museum about the flashiest
(10:40):
and the most high ticketed itemvehicles in the collection, but more
so this is a museum that I can,
relate to, primarilybecause the vehicles presented here
are something of a nostalgia,something that I can resonate with
in my period of, of, vehicle building
or in a time where I was really into cars.
(11:01):
Or perhaps, maybe this is somethingwhere I remember, you know,
because we have a lot of seniorsthat come and visit this museum
and one of the main things isthey can really go through the older
vehicles and older,meaning I'm like 1920s to 1960s
and really have a storywith certain vehicles
(11:22):
that the that switches the conversationto a younger generation, you know.
Yeah, it's it's really remarkable.
And it's really,
it's a it's charming, I would say
to to have these conversationswith this, with this older senior group
about vehicles and the importanceof how it made them feel and the purposes
(11:42):
and intentions of what they were usedfor, during their time, you know?
Yeah, I always think stories are the wayto attract anybody's attention.
So and automobiles have an amazing storyand sort of that wide, broad view,
but also the personal connections
that people haveand everybody can relate to those stories.
(12:05):
But I always think that stories are a wayto to connect and also provoke,
you know, some ideas.
Absolutely.
We we have a, 1985 Chrysler panel wagon,
station wagon. That, yeah, gets.
Photographed, you know,it's the most photographed vehicle
(12:25):
in, you know, museum, aside from,you know, our Shinkai exhibit.
You know, we have the,
hot, you
know, the 1886 Corolla
that's in, initial, you know,and for those that,
followAnt-Man love Ant-Man initial, there's,
you know, a story about a young driver
(12:47):
who's trying to deliver tofu,but he's trying to perfect,
you know, his drifting skillsso that he can, impress his dad.
Who owns the the tofu restaurant?
Yeah.
And so, you know, it's stuff like thatthat, really brings people together
because there's a common touchpointbecause of the story, you know?
Yeah.
And these stories are really,what drives this museum?
(13:12):
Absolutely.
And talk to mea little bit about the different exhibits
you have right now,because I know there's a
there's a permanent collectionand there's some permanent aspects to ACM.
But what are some of the sort ofrevolving exhibits right now?
So revolving
exhibits, we have just our,showcase Gallery,
which is our main gallery,and that's a yearly rotation of vehicles.
(13:35):
So this year, well, priorto this, this year,
we had Porsche and Corvette celebration.
And so we told the story about Corvetteand how it's heralded as,
you know, the flagship vehicle for,
Chevy and the American brandsand things like that.
And of course, we had, Porsche and,you know, showcasing the different styles
(13:58):
of, you know, the, the 911and the, how that kind of carried out,
modern technologyand different applications.
And then this year we have Simca,which is dedicated to our love
and fascination to Japanese,
sports cars and, and JDM culture.
(14:19):
And so it's been the number one exhibitsince the museum opened.
I mean, it's groundbreakingand it really shows that,
you know, there's, there's a touch point
with in our audience,in our community that these cars are very,
appreciated and
fawned over, you know, and so,
(14:40):
with, with Showcase Galleryevery changing every year.
That's somethingwe look forward into the future to,
you know, showcase other types of ideas.
We have our coachbuilder ramp,which is dedicated to the
to the fascination of, of building coachbuild vehicles
and, creating vehicles that are heralded
(15:02):
for delegates and presidents and,
significance and technology.
And, it's it'sone of the exhibits that gets,
I like this exhibit primarily
because it allows people to slow downand just kind of absorb
just the fundamental basisof a coach built vehicle, you know?
(15:22):
Yeah, it's modern technologyand everything that's so integrated and,
you know, very, technologically intuitive.
This is something that's very tangible.
It's more of a tangible experiencebecause of how
you have to get in the vehicle,how high it is.
You know, the the stepsand the little things that kind of pop out
and unfold as you experiencethis coach built vehicle.
(15:45):
So, you know, we educate our, our guestson why these vehicles were significant.
And it's primarily because,you know, the use of different materials
and, and luxury amenities were once,you know, of, of a high regard.
Yeah.
Now we now we look at luxuryas is convenience.
You know, it's like you don't have,you know, power seats,
(16:08):
you know, that can move your car,move your seat forward and back.
I mean, I mean, you're missing the pointnow in terms of a brand,
but back then, it's like, okay, well,you didn't have to because you had,
you know, 2.5ft of legs,you know, for yourself.
Just just right off the bat,
I love when I see people inand on the coach build ramp and exhibit.
(16:31):
And so, you know, moving further,you know, we also have,
stories of the roadwhere it's more of a digital presentation
where we have our cars on these rampsand platforms, and we showcase
the story of these vehicles and,the one that we have currently
is a, Shelby Gt500and some beautiful and gorgeous car.
(16:53):
It's part of our collection,
and it's one of the storiesthat, is a it's a full circle story.
This gentleman,
he had
gone to the military, and he ended up,
coming back,and he actually bought the vehicle,
and he enjoyed it for his time being.
And, unfortunately, he passed away,
(17:15):
while in the military.
And when, when he got back,
they found out that he had purchasedthe vehicle, from some family.
And that family ended upfinding that it was their dad's.
And so there's a little bit, again,like that storytelling
(17:37):
that we talked about earlier that really,really, plants a seed about ownership
and, you know, not just being, a,
a really cool car.
But it had some type of storythat was passed down from one to another.
So, Stories of Road is somethingthat we look forward into building.
(17:58):
And then, of course, I mean, there'sso many areas that we're currently
in the processof, of developing and currently,
we're all excited for here.
That nice.
Well, let's take a turn.
And I do want to talk aboutthe state of car culture and what you see.
And obviouslyyou have such a good grasp on this.
So I'd love to get your your thoughtsand opinions.
(18:21):
But, you know, automobiles,they're changing.
They're changing kind of quickly.
And also I look at peopleI have an eight year old son.
He doesn't care about cars.
To him it's you know, it literally is justa saying to get from point A to point B,
and they're growing up around Ubersand they're, you know, the connection with
cars is just different.
It's been it's differentthan previous generations.
(18:42):
So what are your thoughts onon the state of car culture in the state
of appreciation of, of the automotiveart and, and everything else?
God, that's that's such a loaded question.
I know I kept going and adding to it,
I was like,I should stop and just get specific.
Well, I'll I'll say this.
You know, it'slike with cars and car culture, you know,
(19:02):
the primary reason why we fall in lovewith the car is primarily
because we have an attachmentto freedom, right?
You know, when you're young and you're
looking for an opportunityto, be independent,
you look forward to getting your driver'slicense, you know,
and I can honestly saythat's probably true for majority of,
(19:23):
young individuals, Americanshere in the United States
to be part of this,you know, freedom experience
at the early age of thinkingand making things happen at 14, you know,
and so the, the love to, or the desire
to wanting a car becomes very, aggressive.
You know, I get my license, I'mgoing to take this car and I'm going to,
(19:47):
you know, do away with it.
And I'm gonna, I'm going to own it.
And so the part of ownership that the
it says essentially transcends to,how do I make this more of mine?
Right. And so how do you personalize it?
How do you make itmore of an extension of your personality
and who you arein this space of freedom now?
(20:09):
So if you have, you know,
a mustangor if you have, you know, a Camaro,
you want to, you know, dress it upin a certain way, or if you have,
you know, a Crocs or an Integra, you know,
you do these modifications so it becomesyours and becomes very distinct.
You know,
that idea of this, like in
(20:30):
the state of our younger generation,looking forward to that sense of freedom.
Now they have options.
You know, it's not just the vehiclethat's going to take them to freedom.
It's justthe experiences are are a little bit more,
there's more options availablefor this type of experience.
And so, you know, like Uber,you know, Lyft is a great
(20:54):
an example for that because now they cansee as the car has more of a tool,
and I can use this tool to kind of createmy freedom and take me to
my other friends as opposed to themselvesgetting the car and wanting ownership
in this car in this space and saying, hey,I'm going to drive to my friend's house,
you know?
And so the option there is they look at itas and it's kind of interesting because,
(21:20):
you know,I have a 22 year old son and like, he
he doesn't see cars the way I do, buthe's starting to understand how car is.
Cool. Yeah. Yeah.Which I love which I love.
But before that he was very he was like,oh, that just cost too much.
It becomes more of a, a headache for them
versus a, an appreciation of a freedom.
(21:42):
And so when they can,
maximizetheir opportunity to be somewhere else
rather than their household,
and not have the financial obligationsof maintaining a car or,
you know, putting gas in it and all theseother things that I have to do it.
They're going to take the other option,
you know,and that's that's the challenge, right?
(22:03):
That'swhen we're talking about car culture.
I think a lot of peopleare really leaning into that idea that,
you know, kidsdon't really care about these cars, but,
I have to disagree with that primarilybecause it's all it just really depends
on their environment and their their peerswho are in this space.
(22:23):
If you have no one that's in it,of course you're not going to be in it.
But if you have people like I have had,have people like my uncles, my father,
my brother, like,
and then of course,all my friends in high school
that were just into,you know, modifying cars,
it's going to stickaround and you're going to have this,
understandingand joy for these type of hobbies.
(22:44):
And I think the dialog is justthe dialog is just,
it's not there amongst the youth,but having social media,
you have all these things where I'm like,well, I don't want to spend,
you know, $8,000 for a carand then have to maintain it.
I think I'll put $8,000to a gaming computer
(23:06):
and just do everything, you know,Twitch and online.
Yeah, because it's a lot more convenient.
I connect with my friends moreand I can buy, the new, iPhone 16
and, have more Ram and and deal with that.
That's more of athat's more of a freedom for me.
Yeah. No. Yeah. And so,
(23:28):
I think it
just boils down to also a propereducation, you know,
and I think that's why, you know,there's a lot of people who organize,
especially like, notyou know what I'm saying?
It's all about, you know,we're we're a community over cars.
We put the people first, not necessarilyjust the car build.
And it really, injects themwith a really good experience
and a really good dialog to really,embrace car culture.
(23:52):
You know, it's a really greatfoundation of space, you know?
Yeah.
And car culture, it's so broadand it's even hard to ask about,
even though I talk about it
all the time, not even just,you know, on the podcast, but elsewhere.
And it's so broad and, you know,I think a lot of it is community.
People see car culture as a communitythat they get to be involved with,
(24:12):
whether it's, you know, specific car clubthat they're part of,
whether it's going on tours,whether it's just
people hanging out in their garage,working on their old cars,
you know,there's all these different aspects.
But I do think people find community.
I love that
you talked about the sense of freedombecause I think that's
so important to the history of carsand why why people saw them
and why there's generations of peoplethat were so attached to their vehicles.
(24:36):
And I mean that from likean emotional standpoint.
But also because you have a backgroundin design, there's also,
a, a group of people I know.
It's also very broad, butthere's also people who just love design,
and automobiles are kinetic art, andthere's fancy and crazy designs of cars.
There's, you know, the balance of formand function at times.
(24:58):
Sometimes not.
Sometimes just, you know,
someone can can have a comic book ideafor an automobile and build it.
So, yeah.
What do you think about artbeing part of that, that broad subject
of car, community and car culture?
Yeah.
I mean,
so so, I'll refer back to social media.
(25:18):
I mean, because it's, it'sthe it's the platform of,
visual abundance, you know,
and so there's a lot of good and bad,you know. Yes.
When you look at the experience of,
you know, expression and car design and,
build, you know, every everybodyon, on a social media platform looks
(25:41):
at the opportunity to showcase their,their abilities, you know, and,
you know, there's there's good designand there's bad design.
Like, let's just get that very, clear,you know, in the space of an automobile,
because we can look,
we can all look at a car and say, hey,this was designed really well,
but understandingwhy it was designed really well,
(26:01):
now that's that you have to beclassically trained, you know.
Yes, but but to a lot of people,they're they're not. And,
there's this resurgence of,
people who are classically trainedcalling themselves designers.
And I find that really interesting
because there's a lotof things that if they just,
(26:26):
really picked at
or askedor maybe even had a mentor of some sort
in the field of automotive,automotive design, they can really,
excel because they,they learn the tools really quick,
you know, through YouTube Universityor through other channels of,
online platforms, online,you know, education.
(26:48):
And they learn these toolslike 3D alias and SketchUp and,
you know, all these things really,
you know, to their advantage.
But I think the number one thingthat different shapes between good
design and bad designis your eye to say yes or no.
And it really takestime to dial in your eye,
(27:10):
surface acceleration,
surface transitions.
What things not to do.
I mean, there's thingsthat are fundamentally,
are foundationalto design and automotive design,
that a lot of people here on social mediaare just not applying.
And if they would take that justa little bit, they would do really well.
(27:34):
However, on the flip side,
I think those that
do design reallywell are really captivating.
A new movement,
person, personalized,
bespoke type, vehicle builds.
Oh, and I mean,when I mean personalized bespoke,
I mean, you're looking at like an artist,for example, like Daniel our showroom.
(27:56):
Right.
You know, he's he came into the art
space as a, painter and sculptor,but now he's working
in the space of automobilesand creating different,
Porsche silhouettes or different, garmentsand things like that.
But it's all tied around this idea of,
(28:18):
love and fascinationbehind the automobile and the brand.
And so you have, guys like himthat are actually pushing
these new boundariesof, exploration and collaboration
and not being just tied downto one medium, which is really interesting
because as an automobile designer,as a car guy that has worked on cars
(28:39):
and fabricated cars,you get stuck in this box that okay,
he's he's the fabricator guybecause you can look at his design
and it's really fragmented on his tools,which is a welder and, and,
you know, shear cutters and thingslike that, or, you know, and, you know,
dye and, you know, Dollyand all these other things.
(29:01):
But, you know, on the flip side,you know, with technology coming through,
people are really embracing
this idea of 3D printingwhere they're just looking at things as,
you know, trial by error.
I can just 3D print, you know, another,
corner of this, this carand just get this corner right.
And then sooner or later,with that kind of mindset,
(29:23):
they actually have a completed 3D printedvehicle, right?
Which is really amazing because thatthat really cuts out the, the,
the old ways and chains of development,you know, so,
there's a lot of people in the onan individual basis taking ownership
of their designs, which you cannot notand you cannot hate that.
(29:44):
But I think there's just a lot of thingsout there that people are, are,
are doing just for the sake of shock valueto, you know.
Yeah, that's and yeah.
And that's also another thing is like,
I get it
like, maybe that's part of your, your,
your ethos where you're trying to gain,you know,
(30:05):
high followers, high subscribersby the shock and value of design.
But it does no justice to the opportunityof what you could be as,
an amazing designer, but,
yeah, I can go on for for days. Yeah.
No, I love it.
So taking all that inand including all the other stuff
we've talked about, what do you thinkis the future of car culture?
(30:27):
What are people going to be into?
What are people going to be doing?
Well, so,you know, I'd like I'd like to see people
embrace electric vehiclesto the idea of modification.
Right.
Because I think that's something that can,
really take off.
And what I mean by that isand for those that are listening,
(30:50):
you know, if you have an EV out thereand you want and before your,
you know, you're into Mustangsor Camaros or Hondas or Integra,
and beforeit was the opportunity to modify
the engine, add some performance partsand then maybe esthetically,
you know, put a wing and a lip kitor a body kit or something for your car.
(31:10):
Right.
But I think for for electronic vehicles,for EVs,
the opportunity liesin the direct esthetics and changing
of the shape of the vehicle, primarilybecause you can think about it as
how do I increaseaerodynamics and efficiency
so I can make this electrical vehiclefaster?
Granted, it's the same as,you know, some electrical vehicle
(31:32):
platforms with the same torqueoutput, same range and things like that.
But how can how can I,push the conversation of saying,
you know what,I've modified my EV so that it can get,
one around the track,
five secondsfaster than your average, primarily
(31:53):
because I've changed the aerodynamicsand the components
by putting carbon fiber or carbon Kevlarchanging out the wheels, things like that.
So the modification world on an EVshould be more challenging,
but it should be way more rewardingbecause you're doing so much more.
And on a subtle level,
to create these opportunitiesfor yourself in this space.
(32:14):
So I challenge everyone that is listeningthat has an EV to,
look in that direction for an opportunityto embrace that
platform versus sayingit doesn't have the roar of an engine.
Look at the opportunities of what it doeshave and and use that to spin.
You know, I think that's going to besomething that's going to be interesting
(32:35):
in the future.
I hope I'm right because, you know,I'd like to see more of that being pushed.
And, you know, with
everything in the space of,petrol engines, you know,
I think people are scaling backand I think it's becoming more primitive.
And the raw experiences of drivingare becoming more,
(32:58):
there's more opportunities in that space,you know, you see,
car companies, here's a prime example.
Sasha and in a celeb nav,
Neelu that came out with their hypercar,
that, you know, showcased at Pebble Beachthis year.
It's a raw,
(33:19):
1000 horsepower, six speed,
supercar.
That's no thrills and no gimmicks.
It doesn't have traction control.
It doesn't haveall these technological amenities.
It doesn't have Apple Play.
It doesn't have,you know, car audio system.
It's a real it's a real machine,you know, and
I think the opportunity there isso that you're not so much
(33:42):
babied and cateringtowards the driving experience,
but you're learning how to drive properlyso you can control the machine.
You know, nowadayswe have everything that can, you know,
give you, traction control and,you know, help you with, launch control.
And there's all these controls.
Yeah, butwhatever happened to the understanding?
(34:03):
If I put my foot downand I pop the clutch too fast.
Okay, that's not control.
Yeah, let let's just let's just startwith the basic fundamentals of
how do you drive a car fastand how do you get faster.
You know, I think that's a dying art.
You know, I there'sI see a whole bunch of brands that says
save the manual, save the gearbox, save.
(34:23):
And it's it's true because those things,those, experiences are dying.
Yeah.
But I think that now with the resurgenceof too much technology
in the space,I think people are really dialing it back.
I think companies like singer,for example, is really creating,
a balance between beautyand, a raw driving experience.
(34:44):
I think that's what more peopleare going to see in the space of,
retro modern builds and retro vehicles.
Retromodding is going to come full circle,
but it's going to be really interestingto see because we have all this
opportunity to, design and 3D
print and createall these things from our own OEMs.
(35:07):
So the idea of modifying your car
has, like, exponentially been blownout of proportion, because now people
are actually fabricating and designingtheir own things that are one of one
and can create, you know, different typesof models for those, those silhouettes.
Yeah, that's really fascinatingto think about because I, I haven't
(35:28):
considered that aspect of car culturemoving forward.
I've been thinking about just people'sgeneral interest,
primarily like what kind of carsare people going to like and stuff.
But the idea that modding isn't goingaway, it's actually
growing, and it's just growingin a different way than it was in
sort of the classic days of these thingsis really fascinating.
(35:51):
And and I love thatyou brought all that up.
Yeah.
I mean, just look at the landscapeof Porsche, right.
Like Gunther work sweet singer
I mean you have roofs still in, in the,in the competition of everything.
Then you have
you know
streetwear brands getting involvedwith, with car banks and it's just
(36:13):
people want a pieceand they can have a piece now
because it's not just big corporationsholding it down.
Yeah.
There's a lot of peoplethat are just saying, I can do this too,
because I've learned the toolsthat these industry leaders have.
But how do you how do you go about it?
You know, and that's they're trying towe're in the stage in the renaissance of,
(36:33):
retro mining where people are reallyjust trying to figure things out, right?
Right.
Yeah.
That's it makes it really exciting,really exciting time to be.
And so before we go, Walter,
in terms of a curator,
what let's say no, no one's listening,okay?
You're not you're not pitching this.
(36:53):
You're not pitching thisto the guys upstairs.
You maybe you have your own giant
museum in in Washington.
What is the one saying you
want to do as a curatorwith an automobile museum?
Man, that's a that's a loaded question.
I have thought about that.
(37:14):
I'll be real honest.
I thought about, you know, of course,because, you know, with with Montaigne
as our brand between my brotherand I, you know, the space
of storytelling, and,
there's, there's facets in our car culturethat haven't been told yet.
And I think as a curator, I think youyou need to tell all these stories.
(37:37):
You need to tell all the stories,
so that it gives you this well-rounded
understanding of what car culture isand how to appreciate car culture.
Right.
Because the the kid from the south
side of Seattle that's into low riding,
you know,
box or bubble, you know, lifted,
(38:00):
Chevy's on, you know, wire wheels.
They have no understandingof the world of car collecting
when it comes to vintagePorsches, Ferraris and so forth.
Right.
But in, in a, in a,I would say in a perfect museum
that we can story all these things.
You would have these thingsthat would be such
(38:22):
a juxtapositionto each other, be in the same space.
You know, I think that more stories
and more, I guess,
different types of perspectives would,
you know, be in the space of, of of, of,
showcase I wouldn't necessarilycall it a museum because,
you know, these things would be more ofa showcase of, of different car cultures,
(38:47):
as opposed to just,a standardized system of of what,
a, presentation, a vehicle presentationshould be, you know?
Yeah.
And I think the storytelling, is,is of a high priority.
You know, it'sa high priority where people,
can come in, you
know, the space and,and have something cool.
(39:08):
Not necessarily at the, the,the acquisition value, but more so of the,
what was it meant for them, you know,what was it for them that really,
resonatedand helped hold, to a high regard.
You know, cars are special,you know, especially whether it
be your first car or somethingthat you spent, you know, a lifetime with.
(39:29):
You know, a lot of people have attachmentissues when it comes to their vehicle.
So yeah, let's, let's,let's talk about that more.
Right.
You know, like not not a lot of peoplereally talk about that.
And so,
in a, in a perfect scenario
and where money is not, you know, and
(39:49):
a problem,I would have everything in, in anything
and we would just storytell every single view. Yeah.
Well, you're in a great placebecause, you know,
there's alreadysuch a wide variety of automobiles
at America's Car Museumthat you do kind of get to see
a little of that juxtapositionand not even a little.
You get to see that juxtaposition.
And that was a great answer.
(40:11):
It was very professional.
I, I was I would have come up withsomething like, I want the rocket cars
that people use to try to beatthe speed records on, like the salt flats
and like kids can turn on the rocketwhen they're in there.
I was going to go crazy with it, but,no, your your answer was, was right on,
and much more intellectualthan mine would have been.
So I appreciate that.Is there anything else
(40:32):
you want to talk about thatI haven't asked you about today?
Man, Imean, I mean, we could talk for days, but.
Yeah, I know, so, you know. Yeah.
You know, asking the right question.
I mean, you can even ask thewrong question and we can talk about it.
So, yeah,
you know, being being here at ACM,
it really, definitely has openedmy eyes to,
(40:55):
all ages and all backgroundsto really loving and appreciating,
you know, the vehicle and the car,you know,
I love working here every single day.
All right, I have before we go,I have a pitch for an exhibit.
Yeah.
What about you?
You know, this is going to take a lot ofwork for you, but you need to find people
that have amazing storiesabout very run of the mill, everyday cars
(41:20):
that they've grown attachedto for some kind of reason.
Like,I have a friend, a good friend of mine
that drove cross-country to move out hereto Los Angeles, where I live,
and she had that car for like 25 yearsand it, like, killed her to get rid of it.
It was just like,you know, a Honda or something or other,
like it was just, you know,very like basic college kid car and,
(41:41):
and peopledon't want to get rid of these things.
So just like everyday cars that peoplehave some kind of crazy story that, that
createdthis, you know, emotional connection
where they never wanted to get rid of itand they still have it.
They may loan it to the museumfor a little while for an exhibit,
but like, just line upthese like beat up pickup trucks and,
and all that kind of good stuff
(42:01):
and actually have, like,you know, information about the story,
maybe even the people come byand they can talk to guests.
So that's my pitch.That's my pitch for you.
I think that would be a lot of fun.That's a great idea, Mike.
I think that would do well hereat this museum again.
Good.
All right.
I expect to see that up next month.
You heard it here first.
Yeah.
Thank you so much for taking the timeto talk and be on the show.
(42:24):
Walter, I really appreciate it.
No, thank you for havingme. Let's do this again.
Thank you for listening.
To feel for the future driven by America'sAutomotive Trust.
Learn more at America'sAutomotive trust.org and take a quick
second to hit that subscribe buttonand leave a rating and review.
It goes a long way tohelping others find the show.
I always have this saying whereif you want to, you know, work
towards the future.
You have to startby looking at your past, right?
The primary reasonwhy we fall in love with
the car is primarilybecause we have an attachment to freedom.
Like in the state of our youngergeneration.
Looking forward to that sense of freedom.
Now they have options and it's not justthe vehicle that's going to take them
(00:24):
to freedom, it's justthe experiences are our little bit more.
There's more options availablefor this type of experience.
And I think as a curator,I think you need to tell these stories.
That is Walter Franco, a curator
at LeMay America'sCar Museum, based in Tacoma, Washington.
ACM is recognized as one of the bestand largest car museums in the world.
(00:49):
Walter's life experiencesgive him a unique perspective into
not just curating, but the state of carculture and its future.
This is fuel for the future.
Presented by State Farm Insuranceand driven by America's Automotive Trust.
I'm Michael May.
What exactly does a curator do?
And I don't just mean specifically
(01:09):
at America's car museum,but any museum around the world.
What it what does that job entail?
Well, with curation, you're,
this special individual is, selected
to, showcase and present, certain items.
So if it's like,
(01:29):
a typical art museumwhere you have sculptures and paintings,
there are,selecting these certain pieces to,
tell a story, you know, and for,you know, here at the museum,
the pieces are automotive memorabilia,
the vehicles that participate in,
you know, groundbreaking designs,
(01:52):
become legendary vehicles
in the world of motorsports.
It can even go to the simple factof the most common vehicle
to the average American, you know,
so these cars are curated, making sure
that these cars alignwith our vision here at the museum.
(02:13):
The person,the curator, tells these stories
with these, specific items and piecesand how they go about doing it is,
you know, really up to
them to kind of have a vision,
to put these things into position.
So it makes sense to the gueststhat come and walk through the museum.
(02:35):
And how long have you been at ACM?
I've been at ACM.
For five months now.
Oh, so fairly new.
Yeah. So I'm fairly new to the space.
However, you know, in the landscape of,automobile,
motorsports and, and car community,
I've been doing it for,since the late 90s.
(02:59):
And so, just like anything you learn car,
nature and car,
you know, estheticsand things like that from, you know,
either an elder or,you know, your parents or, you know, I,
I was fortunate to have my fatherand I still have him around, thank God,
to kind of tell me the do'sand don'ts of how to build a car.
(03:19):
And how to work on cars, you know? Right.
So when you say you've been doing it,
you know, been involvedwith the car community for that long,
what have what has your experience been?
I think you worked a little bitin design, things like that.
And by trade I am an automotive designer.
And so I,
I studied at Artcenter
College of Design in Pasadena, California.
(03:42):
I went through their rigorous program of,you know, blood, sweat
and tearsand being a hot shot of a designer. Yep.
And it was it was tough.
You know, that program,
you know, it's a two and a halfyear program that's accelerated.
And so,for those that don't know about Artcenter
College of Design, it'sheralded as the, number.
(04:04):
I would say it's it's in the top tier
of automotive design education.
And so you have,
the, vehicle brands around the world
that invest, you know, sponsored projects,
to young, you know minded designersto kind of showcase and have this ability
(04:25):
to even potentially get an internship,you know, through the educational program.
So they're heavily involved with, alumniin their transportation design program.
Being in the industry, you know, it'sjust not a simple course of,
the foundational, but it's more abouthow do you keep up with the ever
changing tasteof automobile design and esthetics? So,
(04:48):
but yeah, so
went to Art centerand then, upon graduating,
I worked with, VMC at in Camarillo,
California, as an exterior designer.
Worked with them for a couple of months.
I had an internship prior to,
me working there full time, and then,that was short lived.
(05:08):
And then I ended up, in Chongqing, China,
doing contractwork with, Buick and Mercedes.
Oh, wow.
Wow. So, Yeah,it was part of their exterior, program.
Hyson Motors was the, contractor,
and they were hiring to developfor both Buick and Mercedes markets.
And so they were looking for,the next wheels,
(05:31):
Hot Wheels setor lip kit, for their market.
And, and I learned a lot in that timeframe.
I found myselfwanting to move back to the northwest
to cultivate car cultureand to start a brand with my brother
Michael, so that we may
have something for longevity,you know, have ownership in something.
(05:51):
And so,we started a brand called Non Saying,
which we've dedicated the last seven years
to producing, one car event
and one car cruise, every month,and that's rain or shine.
And we've consistently been doingthat, year round for the last seven years.
And so, amongst things, you know,
(06:13):
we use this spaceas a means for people to connect.
And also just,you know, genuinely helping,
people be introducedproperly into this space.
Yeah.
And I want to
I want to circle back to thatin a little bit because I, you know,
do want to talk to youabout the current state of car culture
and how you see this progressingand moving into the future.
(06:34):
And that gives you a really handson point of view and expertise in that.
But I do want to talk a little bit more
about the curation aspectnow of what you're doing with ACM.
Because, you know, I always sayyou get to look back to look forward,
and you're in the perfect placeto constantly be reminded
of the history of the automobileand how it relates to to us.
(06:58):
So when you are curating,when you're looking at potential,
you know, cars or exhibitsthat you want to put together,
what have you learned frombeing around all these amazing vehicles
and what are some of your goals as well?
So, you know, as I always have this thingwhere if you want to,
you know, work towards the future,you have to start by looking at your past.
(07:19):
Right.
And so, you know, there'sso many amazing brands and,
vehicles that are not heralded,
and even talked about in the circlesin the present.
Right.
And so brands I'm talking aboutare like Packard and Auburn.
Yeah.
You know, old Somerville, Plymouth. Yeah.
(07:40):
You know, these are, you know, hardcore American vehicle brands
that have no kind of, substancein the day of modern technology.
You know, it's,
it's something that I thinka lot of people need to understand
and learn,like something like the forerunner to,
you know, when you talk about theOldsmobile, four, four, two is heralded
(08:01):
as one of the muscle cars of ownershipthat should be in a car collection.
Yeah,and not a lot of people know about that.
You know, everyonekind of thinks that, you know,
well, if it hasn't been on the TVor if it hasn't been on Instagram,
then I it's not cool, you know,and I, I totally disagree with that.
You know, I think, a part of, understanding what's cool is understanding what's,
(08:27):
you know, breakthrough and what's,
importantin terms of these vehicle brands.
I mean, a lot of people don't even knowthe history of, of of Packard
or even just Auburn. Right, right.
And and for the sake of, curiosity,I'm not going to,
you know, dive into those,you know, brands.
But I encourage anyone who's listening,really take the time to understand,
(08:50):
you know, who's of the who that really putthose brands together
and made these cars globally recognized.
There's a lot of opportunityin any type of space to create,
nostalgic, an impact, an a memory,
to anyone that, walksamongst these vehicles, you know.
(09:13):
Yeah.
And I, I believe that a lot of,
people are and especially nowthat we have social media,
I think a lot of peopledon't really slow down enough
to really absorb some of the historywithin the automobiles.
You know?
I mean, let's just begin with, like,the Model A's and the Model T's, right.
(09:34):
And I can honestly saythat a lot of the newer generation,
the younger generation don't necessarilyknow why these are significant vehicles.
But then you have to ask yourself why,you know, and it boils down to you know
guys that are our age
I would say in the, you know,late 30s, 40s maybe in their early 50s
(09:56):
to really go in there and educate,you know, so
as curation goes in into space and,you know, you look at everything
and how you're going to,you know, exhibit and present everything,
you always want to have somethingthat says, hey, you know what?
Like, this catches my eyenot because it's old,
but because I've learned somethingin the space of contra.
(10:17):
Right?
Having something newand having something old
really, really jogs a curiosity.
And so in this space of our museum,you know, curiosity can run rapid.
And my thing is, I would like for people
to walk into this museumto understand, like, hey,
you know,this is not a museum about the flashiest
(10:40):
and the most high ticketed itemvehicles in the collection, but more
so this is a museum that I can,
relate to, primarilybecause the vehicles presented here
are something of a nostalgia,something that I can resonate with
in my period of, of, vehicle building
or in a time where I was really into cars.
(11:01):
Or perhaps, maybe this is somethingwhere I remember, you know,
because we have a lot of seniorsthat come and visit this museum
and one of the main things isthey can really go through the older
vehicles and older,meaning I'm like 1920s to 1960s
and really have a storywith certain vehicles
(11:22):
that the that switches the conversationto a younger generation, you know.
Yeah, it's it's really remarkable.
And it's really,
it's a it's charming, I would say
to to have these conversationswith this, with this older senior group
about vehicles and the importanceof how it made them feel and the purposes
(11:42):
and intentions of what they were usedfor, during their time, you know?
Yeah, I always think stories are the wayto attract anybody's attention.
So and automobiles have an amazing storyand sort of that wide, broad view,
but also the personal connections
that people haveand everybody can relate to those stories.
(12:05):
But I always think that stories are a wayto to connect and also provoke,
you know, some ideas.
Absolutely.
We we have a, 1985 Chrysler panel wagon,
station wagon. That, yeah, gets.
Photographed, you know,it's the most photographed vehicle
(12:25):
in, you know, museum, aside from,you know, our Shinkai exhibit.
You know, we have the,
hot, you
know, the 1886 Corolla
that's in, initial, you know,and for those that,
followAnt-Man love Ant-Man initial, there's,
you know, a story about a young driver
(12:47):
who's trying to deliver tofu,but he's trying to perfect,
you know, his drifting skillsso that he can, impress his dad.
Who owns the the tofu restaurant?
Yeah.
And so, you know, it's stuff like thatthat, really brings people together
because there's a common touchpointbecause of the story, you know?
Yeah.
And these stories are really,what drives this museum?
(13:12):
Absolutely.
And talk to mea little bit about the different exhibits
you have right now,because I know there's a
there's a permanent collectionand there's some permanent aspects to ACM.
But what are some of the sort ofrevolving exhibits right now?
So revolving
exhibits, we have just our,showcase Gallery,
which is our main gallery,and that's a yearly rotation of vehicles.
(13:35):
So this year, well, priorto this, this year,
we had Porsche and Corvette celebration.
And so we told the story about Corvetteand how it's heralded as,
you know, the flagship vehicle for,
Chevy and the American brandsand things like that.
And of course, we had, Porsche and,you know, showcasing the different styles
(13:58):
of, you know, the, the 911and the, how that kind of carried out,
modern technologyand different applications.
And then this year we have Simca,which is dedicated to our love
and fascination to Japanese,
sports cars and, and JDM culture.
(14:19):
And so it's been the number one exhibitsince the museum opened.
I mean, it's groundbreakingand it really shows that,
you know, there's, there's a touch point
with in our audience,in our community that these cars are very,
appreciated and
fawned over, you know, and so,
(14:40):
with, with Showcase Galleryevery changing every year.
That's somethingwe look forward into the future to,
you know, showcase other types of ideas.
We have our coachbuilder ramp,which is dedicated to the
to the fascination of, of building coachbuild vehicles
and, creating vehicles that are heralded
(15:02):
for delegates and presidents and,
significance and technology.
And, it's it'sone of the exhibits that gets,
I like this exhibit primarily
because it allows people to slow downand just kind of absorb
just the fundamental basisof a coach built vehicle, you know?
(15:22):
Yeah, it's modern technologyand everything that's so integrated and,
you know, very, technologically intuitive.
This is something that's very tangible.
It's more of a tangible experiencebecause of how
you have to get in the vehicle,how high it is.
You know, the the stepsand the little things that kind of pop out
and unfold as you experiencethis coach built vehicle.
(15:45):
So, you know, we educate our, our guestson why these vehicles were significant.
And it's primarily because,you know, the use of different materials
and, and luxury amenities were once,you know, of, of a high regard.
Yeah.
Now we now we look at luxuryas is convenience.
You know, it's like you don't have,you know, power seats,
(16:08):
you know, that can move your car,move your seat forward and back.
I mean, I mean, you're missing the pointnow in terms of a brand,
but back then, it's like, okay, well,you didn't have to because you had,
you know, 2.5ft of legs,you know, for yourself.
Just just right off the bat,
I love when I see people inand on the coach build ramp and exhibit.
(16:31):
And so, you know, moving further,you know, we also have,
stories of the roadwhere it's more of a digital presentation
where we have our cars on these rampsand platforms, and we showcase
the story of these vehicles and,the one that we have currently
is a, Shelby Gt500and some beautiful and gorgeous car.
(16:53):
It's part of our collection,
and it's one of the storiesthat, is a it's a full circle story.
This gentleman,
he had
gone to the military, and he ended up,
coming back,and he actually bought the vehicle,
and he enjoyed it for his time being.
And, unfortunately, he passed away,
(17:15):
while in the military.
And when, when he got back,
they found out that he had purchasedthe vehicle, from some family.
And that family ended upfinding that it was their dad's.
And so there's a little bit, again,like that storytelling
(17:37):
that we talked about earlier that really,really, plants a seed about ownership
and, you know, not just being, a,
a really cool car.
But it had some type of storythat was passed down from one to another.
So, Stories of Road is somethingthat we look forward into building.
(17:58):
And then, of course, I mean, there'sso many areas that we're currently
in the processof, of developing and currently,
we're all excited for here.
That nice.
Well, let's take a turn.
And I do want to talk aboutthe state of car culture and what you see.
And obviouslyyou have such a good grasp on this.
So I'd love to get your your thoughtsand opinions.
(18:21):
But, you know, automobiles,they're changing.
They're changing kind of quickly.
And also I look at peopleI have an eight year old son.
He doesn't care about cars.
To him it's you know, it literally is justa saying to get from point A to point B,
and they're growing up around Ubersand they're, you know, the connection with
cars is just different.
It's been it's differentthan previous generations.
(18:42):
So what are your thoughts onon the state of car culture in the state
of appreciation of, of the automotiveart and, and everything else?
God, that's that's such a loaded question.
I know I kept going and adding to it,
I was like,I should stop and just get specific.
Well, I'll I'll say this.
You know, it'slike with cars and car culture, you know,
(19:02):
the primary reason why we fall in lovewith the car is primarily
because we have an attachmentto freedom, right?
You know, when you're young and you're
looking for an opportunityto, be independent,
you look forward to getting your driver'slicense, you know,
and I can honestly saythat's probably true for majority of,
(19:23):
young individuals, Americanshere in the United States
to be part of this,you know, freedom experience
at the early age of thinkingand making things happen at 14, you know,
and so the, the love to, or the desire
to wanting a car becomes very, aggressive.
You know, I get my license, I'mgoing to take this car and I'm going to,
(19:47):
you know, do away with it.
And I'm gonna, I'm going to own it.
And so the part of ownership that the
it says essentially transcends to,how do I make this more of mine?
Right. And so how do you personalize it?
How do you make itmore of an extension of your personality
and who you arein this space of freedom now?
(20:09):
So if you have, you know,
a mustangor if you have, you know, a Camaro,
you want to, you know, dress it upin a certain way, or if you have,
you know, a Crocs or an Integra, you know,
you do these modifications so it becomesyours and becomes very distinct.
You know,
that idea of this, like in
(20:30):
the state of our younger generation,looking forward to that sense of freedom.
Now they have options.
You know, it's not just the vehiclethat's going to take them to freedom.
It's justthe experiences are are a little bit more,
there's more options availablefor this type of experience.
And so, you know, like Uber,you know, Lyft is a great
(20:54):
an example for that because now they cansee as the car has more of a tool,
and I can use this tool to kind of createmy freedom and take me to
my other friends as opposed to themselvesgetting the car and wanting ownership
in this car in this space and saying, hey,I'm going to drive to my friend's house,
you know?
And so the option there is they look at itas and it's kind of interesting because,
(21:20):
you know,I have a 22 year old son and like, he
he doesn't see cars the way I do, buthe's starting to understand how car is.
Cool. Yeah. Yeah.Which I love which I love.
But before that he was very he was like,oh, that just cost too much.
It becomes more of a, a headache for them
versus a, an appreciation of a freedom.
(21:42):
And so when they can,
maximizetheir opportunity to be somewhere else
rather than their household,
and not have the financial obligationsof maintaining a car or,
you know, putting gas in it and all theseother things that I have to do it.
They're going to take the other option,
you know,and that's that's the challenge, right?
(22:03):
That'swhen we're talking about car culture.
I think a lot of peopleare really leaning into that idea that,
you know, kidsdon't really care about these cars, but,
I have to disagree with that primarilybecause it's all it just really depends
on their environment and their their peerswho are in this space.
(22:23):
If you have no one that's in it,of course you're not going to be in it.
But if you have people like I have had,have people like my uncles, my father,
my brother, like,
and then of course,all my friends in high school
that were just into,you know, modifying cars,
it's going to stickaround and you're going to have this,
understandingand joy for these type of hobbies.
(22:44):
And I think the dialog is justthe dialog is just,
it's not there amongst the youth,but having social media,
you have all these things where I'm like,well, I don't want to spend,
you know, $8,000 for a carand then have to maintain it.
I think I'll put $8,000to a gaming computer
(23:06):
and just do everything, you know,Twitch and online.
Yeah, because it's a lot more convenient.
I connect with my friends moreand I can buy, the new, iPhone 16
and, have more Ram and and deal with that.
That's more of athat's more of a freedom for me.
Yeah. No. Yeah. And so,
(23:28):
I think it
just boils down to also a propereducation, you know,
and I think that's why, you know,there's a lot of people who organize,
especially like, notyou know what I'm saying?
It's all about, you know,we're we're a community over cars.
We put the people first, not necessarilyjust the car build.
And it really, injects themwith a really good experience
and a really good dialog to really,embrace car culture.
(23:52):
You know, it's a really greatfoundation of space, you know?
Yeah.
And car culture, it's so broadand it's even hard to ask about,
even though I talk about it
all the time, not even just,you know, on the podcast, but elsewhere.
And it's so broad and, you know,I think a lot of it is community.
People see car culture as a communitythat they get to be involved with,
(24:12):
whether it's, you know, specific car clubthat they're part of,
whether it's going on tours,whether it's just
people hanging out in their garage,working on their old cars,
you know,there's all these different aspects.
But I do think people find community.
I love that
you talked about the sense of freedombecause I think that's
so important to the history of carsand why why people saw them
and why there's generations of peoplethat were so attached to their vehicles.
(24:36):
And I mean that from likean emotional standpoint.
But also because you have a backgroundin design, there's also,
a, a group of people I know.
It's also very broad, butthere's also people who just love design,
and automobiles are kinetic art, andthere's fancy and crazy designs of cars.
There's, you know, the balance of formand function at times.
(24:58):
Sometimes not.
Sometimes just, you know,
someone can can have a comic book ideafor an automobile and build it.
So, yeah.
What do you think about artbeing part of that, that broad subject
of car, community and car culture?
Yeah.
I mean,
so so, I'll refer back to social media.
(25:18):
I mean, because it's, it'sthe it's the platform of,
visual abundance, you know,
and so there's a lot of good and bad,you know. Yes.
When you look at the experience of,
you know, expression and car design and,
build, you know, every everybodyon, on a social media platform looks
(25:41):
at the opportunity to showcase their,their abilities, you know, and,
you know, there's there's good designand there's bad design.
Like, let's just get that very, clear,you know, in the space of an automobile,
because we can look,
we can all look at a car and say, hey,this was designed really well,
but understandingwhy it was designed really well,
(26:01):
now that's that you have to beclassically trained, you know.
Yes, but but to a lot of people,they're they're not. And,
there's this resurgence of,
people who are classically trainedcalling themselves designers.
And I find that really interesting
because there's a lotof things that if they just,
(26:26):
really picked at
or askedor maybe even had a mentor of some sort
in the field of automotive,automotive design, they can really,
excel because they,they learn the tools really quick,
you know, through YouTube Universityor through other channels of,
online platforms, online,you know, education.
(26:48):
And they learn these toolslike 3D alias and SketchUp and,
you know, all these things really,
you know, to their advantage.
But I think the number one thingthat different shapes between good
design and bad designis your eye to say yes or no.
And it really takestime to dial in your eye,
(27:10):
surface acceleration,
surface transitions.
What things not to do.
I mean, there's thingsthat are fundamentally,
are foundationalto design and automotive design,
that a lot of people here on social mediaare just not applying.
And if they would take that justa little bit, they would do really well.
(27:34):
However, on the flip side,
I think those that
do design reallywell are really captivating.
A new movement,
person, personalized,
bespoke type, vehicle builds.
Oh, and I mean,when I mean personalized bespoke,
I mean, you're looking at like an artist,for example, like Daniel our showroom.
(27:56):
Right.
You know, he's he came into the art
space as a, painter and sculptor,but now he's working
in the space of automobilesand creating different,
Porsche silhouettes or different, garmentsand things like that.
But it's all tied around this idea of,
(28:18):
love and fascinationbehind the automobile and the brand.
And so you have, guys like himthat are actually pushing
these new boundariesof, exploration and collaboration
and not being just tied downto one medium, which is really interesting
because as an automobile designer,as a car guy that has worked on cars
(28:39):
and fabricated cars,you get stuck in this box that okay,
he's he's the fabricator guybecause you can look at his design
and it's really fragmented on his tools,which is a welder and, and,
you know, shear cutters and thingslike that, or, you know, and, you know,
dye and, you know, Dollyand all these other things.
(29:01):
But, you know, on the flip side,you know, with technology coming through,
people are really embracing
this idea of 3D printingwhere they're just looking at things as,
you know, trial by error.
I can just 3D print, you know, another,
corner of this, this carand just get this corner right.
And then sooner or later,with that kind of mindset,
(29:23):
they actually have a completed 3D printedvehicle, right?
Which is really amazing because thatthat really cuts out the, the,
the old ways and chains of development,you know, so,
there's a lot of people in the onan individual basis taking ownership
of their designs, which you cannot notand you cannot hate that.
(29:44):
But I think there's just a lot of thingsout there that people are, are,
are doing just for the sake of shock valueto, you know.
Yeah, that's and yeah.
And that's also another thing is like,
I get it
like, maybe that's part of your, your,
your ethos where you're trying to gain,you know,
(30:05):
high followers, high subscribersby the shock and value of design.
But it does no justice to the opportunityof what you could be as,
an amazing designer, but,
yeah, I can go on for for days. Yeah.
No, I love it.
So taking all that inand including all the other stuff
we've talked about, what do you thinkis the future of car culture?
(30:27):
What are people going to be into?
What are people going to be doing?
Well, so,you know, I'd like I'd like to see people
embrace electric vehiclesto the idea of modification.
Right.
Because I think that's something that can,
really take off.
And what I mean by that isand for those that are listening,
(30:50):
you know, if you have an EV out thereand you want and before your,
you know, you're into Mustangsor Camaros or Hondas or Integra,
and beforeit was the opportunity to modify
the engine, add some performance partsand then maybe esthetically,
you know, put a wing and a lip kitor a body kit or something for your car.
(31:10):
Right.
But I think for for electronic vehicles,for EVs,
the opportunity liesin the direct esthetics and changing
of the shape of the vehicle, primarilybecause you can think about it as
how do I increaseaerodynamics and efficiency
so I can make this electrical vehiclefaster?
Granted, it's the same as,you know, some electrical vehicle
(31:32):
platforms with the same torqueoutput, same range and things like that.
But how can how can I,push the conversation of saying,
you know what,I've modified my EV so that it can get,
one around the track,
five secondsfaster than your average, primarily
(31:53):
because I've changed the aerodynamicsand the components
by putting carbon fiber or carbon Kevlarchanging out the wheels, things like that.
So the modification world on an EVshould be more challenging,
but it should be way more rewardingbecause you're doing so much more.
And on a subtle level,
to create these opportunitiesfor yourself in this space.
(32:14):
So I challenge everyone that is listeningthat has an EV to,
look in that direction for an opportunityto embrace that
platform versus sayingit doesn't have the roar of an engine.
Look at the opportunities of what it doeshave and and use that to spin.
You know, I think that's going to besomething that's going to be interesting
(32:35):
in the future.
I hope I'm right because, you know,I'd like to see more of that being pushed.
And, you know, with
everything in the space of,petrol engines, you know,
I think people are scaling backand I think it's becoming more primitive.
And the raw experiences of drivingare becoming more,
(32:58):
there's more opportunities in that space,you know, you see,
car companies, here's a prime example.
Sasha and in a celeb nav,
Neelu that came out with their hypercar,
that, you know, showcased at Pebble Beachthis year.
It's a raw,
(33:19):
1000 horsepower, six speed,
supercar.
That's no thrills and no gimmicks.
It doesn't have traction control.
It doesn't haveall these technological amenities.
It doesn't have Apple Play.
It doesn't have,you know, car audio system.
It's a real it's a real machine,you know, and
I think the opportunity there isso that you're not so much
(33:42):
babied and cateringtowards the driving experience,
but you're learning how to drive properlyso you can control the machine.
You know, nowadayswe have everything that can, you know,
give you, traction control and,you know, help you with, launch control.
And there's all these controls.
Yeah, butwhatever happened to the understanding?
(34:03):
If I put my foot downand I pop the clutch too fast.
Okay, that's not control.
Yeah, let let's just let's just startwith the basic fundamentals of
how do you drive a car fastand how do you get faster.
You know, I think that's a dying art.
You know, I there'sI see a whole bunch of brands that says
save the manual, save the gearbox, save.
(34:23):
And it's it's true because those things,those, experiences are dying.
Yeah.
But I think that now with the resurgenceof too much technology
in the space,I think people are really dialing it back.
I think companies like singer,for example, is really creating,
a balance between beautyand, a raw driving experience.
(34:44):
I think that's what more peopleare going to see in the space of,
retro modern builds and retro vehicles.
Retromodding is going to come full circle,
but it's going to be really interestingto see because we have all this
opportunity to, design and 3D
print and createall these things from our own OEMs.
(35:07):
So the idea of modifying your car
has, like, exponentially been blownout of proportion, because now people
are actually fabricating and designingtheir own things that are one of one
and can create, you know, different typesof models for those, those silhouettes.
Yeah, that's really fascinatingto think about because I, I haven't
(35:28):
considered that aspect of car culturemoving forward.
I've been thinking about just people'sgeneral interest,
primarily like what kind of carsare people going to like and stuff.
But the idea that modding isn't goingaway, it's actually
growing, and it's just growingin a different way than it was in
sort of the classic days of these thingsis really fascinating.
(35:51):
And and I love thatyou brought all that up.
Yeah.
I mean, just look at the landscapeof Porsche, right.
Like Gunther work sweet singer
I mean you have roofs still in, in the,in the competition of everything.
Then you have
you know
streetwear brands getting involvedwith, with car banks and it's just
(36:13):
people want a pieceand they can have a piece now
because it's not just big corporationsholding it down.
Yeah.
There's a lot of peoplethat are just saying, I can do this too,
because I've learned the toolsthat these industry leaders have.
But how do you how do you go about it?
You know, and that's they're trying towe're in the stage in the renaissance of,
(36:33):
retro mining where people are reallyjust trying to figure things out, right?
Right.
Yeah.
That's it makes it really exciting,really exciting time to be.
And so before we go, Walter,
in terms of a curator,
what let's say no, no one's listening,okay?
You're not you're not pitching this.
(36:53):
You're not pitching thisto the guys upstairs.
You maybe you have your own giant
museum in in Washington.
What is the one saying you
want to do as a curatorwith an automobile museum?
Man, that's a that's a loaded question.
I have thought about that.
(37:14):
I'll be real honest.
I thought about, you know, of course,because, you know, with with Montaigne
as our brand between my brotherand I, you know, the space
of storytelling, and,
there's, there's facets in our car culturethat haven't been told yet.
And I think as a curator, I think youyou need to tell all these stories.
(37:37):
You need to tell all the stories,
so that it gives you this well-rounded
understanding of what car culture isand how to appreciate car culture.
Right.
Because the the kid from the south
side of Seattle that's into low riding,
you know,
box or bubble, you know, lifted,
(38:00):
Chevy's on, you know, wire wheels.
They have no understandingof the world of car collecting
when it comes to vintagePorsches, Ferraris and so forth.
Right.
But in, in a, in a,I would say in a perfect museum
that we can story all these things.
You would have these thingsthat would be such
(38:22):
a juxtapositionto each other, be in the same space.
You know, I think that more stories
and more, I guess,
different types of perspectives would,
you know, be in the space of, of of, of,
showcase I wouldn't necessarilycall it a museum because,
you know, these things would be more ofa showcase of, of different car cultures,
(38:47):
as opposed to just,a standardized system of of what,
a, presentation, a vehicle presentationshould be, you know?
Yeah.
And I think the storytelling, is,is of a high priority.
You know, it'sa high priority where people,
can come in, you
know, the space and,and have something cool.
(39:08):
Not necessarily at the, the,the acquisition value, but more so of the,
what was it meant for them, you know,what was it for them that really,
resonatedand helped hold, to a high regard.
You know, cars are special,you know, especially whether it
be your first car or somethingthat you spent, you know, a lifetime with.
(39:29):
You know, a lot of people have attachmentissues when it comes to their vehicle.
So yeah, let's, let's,let's talk about that more.
Right.
You know, like not not a lot of peoplereally talk about that.
And so,
in a, in a perfect scenario
and where money is not, you know, and
(39:49):
a problem,I would have everything in, in anything
and we would just storytell every single view. Yeah.
Well, you're in a great placebecause, you know,
there's alreadysuch a wide variety of automobiles
at America's Car Museumthat you do kind of get to see
a little of that juxtapositionand not even a little.
You get to see that juxtaposition.
And that was a great answer.
(40:11):
It was very professional.
I, I was I would have come up withsomething like, I want the rocket cars
that people use to try to beatthe speed records on, like the salt flats
and like kids can turn on the rocketwhen they're in there.
I was going to go crazy with it, but,no, your your answer was, was right on,
and much more intellectualthan mine would have been.
So I appreciate that.Is there anything else
(40:32):
you want to talk about thatI haven't asked you about today?
Man, Imean, I mean, we could talk for days, but.
Yeah, I know, so, you know. Yeah.
You know, asking the right question.
I mean, you can even ask thewrong question and we can talk about it.
So, yeah,
you know, being being here at ACM,
it really, definitely has openedmy eyes to,
(40:55):
all ages and all backgroundsto really loving and appreciating,
you know, the vehicle and the car,you know,
I love working here every single day.
All right, I have before we go,I have a pitch for an exhibit.
Yeah.
What about you?
You know, this is going to take a lot ofwork for you, but you need to find people
that have amazing storiesabout very run of the mill, everyday cars
(41:20):
that they've grown attachedto for some kind of reason.
Like,I have a friend, a good friend of mine
that drove cross-country to move out hereto Los Angeles, where I live,
and she had that car for like 25 yearsand it, like, killed her to get rid of it.
It was just like,you know, a Honda or something or other,
like it was just, you know,very like basic college kid car and,
(41:41):
and peopledon't want to get rid of these things.
So just like everyday cars that peoplehave some kind of crazy story that, that
createdthis, you know, emotional connection
where they never wanted to get rid of itand they still have it.
They may loan it to the museumfor a little while for an exhibit,
but like, just line upthese like beat up pickup trucks and,
and all that kind of good stuff
(42:01):
and actually have, like,you know, information about the story,
maybe even the people come byand they can talk to guests.
So that's my pitch.That's my pitch for you.
I think that would be a lot of fun.That's a great idea, Mike.
I think that would do well hereat this museum again.
Good.
All right.
I expect to see that up next month.
You heard it here first.
Yeah.
Thank you so much for taking the timeto talk and be on the show.
(42:24):
Walter, I really appreciate it.
No, thank you for havingme. Let's do this again.
Thank you for listening.
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