If you ask the average Joe what car they drive, they may be able to tell you the make, possibly even the model of their vehicle. A few of them might know the year, and even fewer may know that it’s a V6 or a V8 that “gets them from point A to point B.” However, every so often you will meet a guy who answers your question with something like, “a 2015 S550 Ford Mustang GT with a 5.0 liter V8 churning out 435 horsepower and 400 pound-feet torque sent to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual.” Congratulations, you’ve just met a gearhead.
They go by many names; anything from “enthusiast” to “purist” to “fanboy” could be used to delineate these people. They can be spotted from miles away, with their vanity t-shirts embossed in some sort of car logo or perhaps some sort of clichéd catchphrase such as “drop a gear and disappear.” And then there’s the grease — grease on their hands, grease under their fingernails, grease on their faces, and grease on their t shirts — these men and women are prisoners to the perpetuity of being covered head to toe in the lubricants that keep their beloved cars running smooth and sound.
So what makes a gearhead? Simply put, it's one who likes cars. Not a passive appreciation, but instead an obsession, an almost manic affliction, for anything automotive. They could sit you down for hours explaining the ins and outs of an internal combustion engine. Want to know how a rotary works? How about a piston head? Either way, they’ll tell you all about both. But of course, you wont know what they’re talking about, because they’re not referring to a car by its name, no — they’re referring to it by its chassis number. A 1985 BMW 3 Series isn’t a 1985 BMW 3 series, it’s elegantly just an “E30.”
Be prepared for them, because when they ask you “what do you drive?” they’re not looking for a mundane answer like, “I don’t know, a red sedan I think.” They’re looking for a “Subaru WRX STI with a 2.5 liter four cylinder making 305 ponies matted to a 6-speed stick.” Because that’s the other thing, they don’t just care about their car; they care about all cars. From your Civic to your Sequoia, they want to know.
As for what the gearhead himself drives, preferences range from person to person. However, all gearheads strive for more power, lighter weight, and more connected driver dynamics. They yearn for a time now past in which cars were analogue, lightweight, and void of any restricting nannies such as traction control and anti-lock braking. Some prefer muscle, some prefer tuner, but across the board each gearhead holds within him a respect and appreciation for every vehicle that has been cared for and modified.
And on the subject of modified, oh the modifications. They’re the things that get them covered in grease, they’re what break their bank accounts. From subtle appearance modifications such as vinyl stickers, to heavy performance modifications such as supercharger kits, the gearhead spends his time and his money thinking of ways to modify his car. Make it fast, make it loud, make it pretty – this is the motto they live by. And what happens to the car parts that are taken out or don’t get used? Well, to the gearhead, they make for very tasteful home décor.
Being a gearhead isn’t just about the cars though, it’s much more than that; its about being part of a culture of like-minded people who come together as a family. There are hundreds of automotive clubs and online forums where people are discussing their cars, planning meets and shows and group drives. There’s comradery in the way they support each other, there’s friendship in the way they work on each others’ cars together. It goes beyond that as well: for instance, the SVT Club of North Texas organizes an annual toy drive in which they cruise to three local orphanages and drop off toys. The Mazda MX Miata USA Club hosts a track day in which all proceeds goes to diabetes research.
While their cars may be loud and ostentatious and their driving style reckless and rash, gearheads are just a group of people who love to celebrate what they’re passionate about. Listen for the loud car, look for the grease, look for the vanity t-shirt; they’re regular Joes, who just really like cars. So the next time you meet one, ask them about an internal combustion engine. Ask them about their modifications. But for your safety and their sanity, please, know the make and model of your own car.
