Students in the University...
Students in the University of California San Diego's muscle car class were treated to a Mopar car show that included a side-by-side comparison of a new and old Hemi. The students in the class were quite knowledgeable about the newer muscle cars and very interested in the older cars too. Here, instructor Seth Cohen points out the Hemi engine in a 2011 Dodge Charger R/T to several interested students.
The approval of muscle cars in American culture has finally reached full acceptance as evidenced by the University of California San Diego's offering a class on muscle cars. Yes, college students attending the prestigious USCD can learn about muscle cars and get college credit. It looks like the devil can buy those ice skates now.
The college was looking at ways to help freshmen integrate into college life and be introduced to additional faculty. When presented with this opportunity, Seth Cohen, Associate Professor of Chemistry, proposed a class on muscle cars. "The university requested one-unit seminar courses for freshman that would get faculty and freshman together to discuss topics of common interest," says Cohen. "Because the class would only meet for one hour a week for ten weeks, I didn't want to cover the complete history of the automobile. The muscle car era seemed like a good one to focus on for several reasons: the modern retro-styling comeback of the new Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger, the common environmental and economic pressures we are experiencing now and were experienced during the decline of the muscle car-emissions controls and gas prices-and the explosive growth in the classic muscle car market, driven in part by the baby boomers." Owning and restoring three classic Mustangs and his current project of a 1969 Firebird drove Cohen's individual interest in conducting the class. He attributes his love for cars to his childhood when his father would restore cars in the family garage and he would help. "My dad always took me to auto museums and car shows, from local events to Pebble Beach," recalls Cohen. But the best 'museum' was our garage."
At the beginning of the Mopar...
At the beginning of the Mopar show, the instructor, associate professor Seth Cohen (right of center with shades on) gathers the students and car owners together for introductions. The students were then free to look at the cars and talk to the owners. Many students had interesting questions regarding the restorations.
Class enrollment is limited to 20 students, all freshmen and all full time UCSD students and about 1/3 of the class is female. "Their backgrounds are varied," says Cohen. "Some students are taking the class on a whim, and others are very knowledgeable about all kinds of cars. Some of the foreign-born students told me they wanted to learn more about American culture and other students have a family with classic cars-the class is a really great mix of backgrounds."
In addition to his classroom lecture, Cohen regularly brings in local muscle car experts to address the class and schedules mini-car shows with the help of a few of the local clubs. Author and Mopar Muscle contributor, Robert Genat, was brought in to discuss the history and evolution of the Hemi engine. The following week, the San Diego Mopar Club drove in breaking the concentration of those students trying to study on campus with the rump-rump of long duration cams in big displacement engines. At this class the students were treated to a side-by-side comparison of a 1966 Hemi Belvedere and a 2011, Dodge Charger R/T. Also in attendance was a wide selection of classic Mopars.
The car shows scheduled by Professor Cohen are especially interesting for the students. It gives them a first hand chance to see vintage Detroit iron along side modern muscle. As other students, not in the class, milled about the cars they expressed an interest in the school opening up the class to those students other than freshmen. My only question is: Why didn't they offer this kind of class when I went to school???
The students in UCSD's muscle...
The students in UCSD's muscle car class were all born into a world of vehicles with EFI and computer controls. A carburetor is not something many have seen, much less three on this Duster's 340 engine. Solange Pihut is one of the students in the class of which about 1/3 of the class is female.
The week prior to the Mopar...
The week prior to the Mopar show, the students were given a presentation about the history of the Hemi engine. And just like any cruise night the Hemi car, Bill Baugh's 1966 Hemi Belvedere, gets all the attention.
Student Desiree Lee is checking...
Student Desiree Lee is checking out the interior of Steve VanderSchaaf's '70 Dodge Challenger R/T convertible. No doubt making comparisons to the new Dodge Challenger's interior, a few cars away.
Barracuda owners Bob Gough...
Barracuda owners Bob Gough ('67) and John Prall ('66) took questions from student Daniel Ornelas such as: What's a Plymouth? And, where do you get parts for a car this old? These owners were very patient, enjoying the enthusiasm and interest of the students.
Ben Giangiulio's '63 Plymouth...
Ben Giangiulio's '63 Plymouth 426 Max Wedge drew a lot of attention from the students. To many in the class, the world of muscle cars was much broader than they initially thought.
One quickly learns that not...
One quickly learns that not every young college age person wants a Prius or Moped. Several students quickly made their way to the new 2011 Dodge Charger R/T. One student said he read everything he could on the car and when offered the chance, student Andrew Thai sat inside obviously dreaming of the day when he could own one.