Interview with AACA Chapter President Bob Lowden

Bob Lowden in his 1936 Dodge Rumble Seat Coupe

I am sitting across from Robert (Bob) Lowden, President of the Kansas City Chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA), a group that represents over 60,000 classic car owners across the country. Bob had been a member since 1966, when he was 29 years old. He is here at the World of Wheels competition showing his 1936 Dodge Rumble seat coupe, a pristine all-original beauty with only 58,000 original miles. As we sit at the AACA’s booth, we gaze around at all of the adjacent exhibitor displays. Some have all original vehicles, others have cars rebuilt from the ground up. At the other end of Bartle Hall the” Rat Rod” section has dozens of vehicles that started life as scrap metal and a dream. With all of these different types of car enthusiasts, I asked Bob what was the thing they all had in common. “Everybody has their own individual tastes,” he tells me, elaborating that even though their own style is different, they all share a love of cars. “People today buy cars to get them from point a to b, and don’t view them as an extension of their personality” assuring me that he was not referring to any of the 1300 plus car enthusiasts in this room. Bob’s passion for cars has extended through his twenty years in the Army, where he served two tours in Vietnam. After leaving the military in 1980, Bob has been a pastor for two churches, and eventually retired in 2004. Over the course of his car collecting, he has owned close to 25-30 classic cars. “When did the car bug bite you?” I asked. “The 50’s is when I really became interested,” he says, coinciding with the golden era of classics. We chat on about classics and certain makes and models for a while, and we land on the subject of what modern cars will be classics fifty years from now. “Probably that Cadillac convertible,” he says, referring to the XLR. “Also, that T-Bird that Ford made a few years back will also probably be one.” Its tough figuring out what will be collector items down the road, but one thing is sure: The amount of people, young and old, in this convention center is a reassuring image, guaranteeing that cars will continue to be extensions of individual personalities for years to come.   Bob currently resides in Blue Springs, MO. For more information on the AACA please visit www.aaca.org .