Get ready to rev up your engines. Longwood University's newest club, Automotive Enthusiasts, is aiming to get on track for students and community members of Farmville alike to participate in an organization dedicated to the fast, the furious and any automotive enthusiast willing to hop on board.
Longwood students were first introduced to the up-and-coming club on Monday, April 9 on Brock Commons with the presence of a 1996 Pontiac LeMans parked beside Ruffner Hall. The car belonged to the owner of the National Automotive Parts Association (NAPA) in the Farmville community. With support from NAPA and the Heart of Virginia Classic Auto Club, the Automotive Enthusiasts have the dedication, the drive and the know how to be bigger than ever this upcoming year.
Clinton Mooney is one of the Longwood students working to make the Automotive Enthusiasts Club a big part of the community. Having written the now approved constitution for the organization, Mooney said the goal of the club is to "draw people, distract them from schoolwork a little bit [and] give them something different from what Lancer Productions offers."
The club will also be able to offer information and training on general car maintenance to preventing car troubles. Mooney notes that offering workshops would benefit the community by helping others save money by learning how to change the oil themselves and so on. With the assistance of those in the organization and those in the Farmville community, Mooney hopes to host big car shows on Longwood's campus. Additionally, Mooney hopes to fundraise with the organization to contribute to Longwood parking.
As one of the founding fathers of the organization, Mooney has planned to put Automotive Enthusiasts into effect since before the fall 2011 semester. "It's something I've always had an interest in, cars. And me and my friends, we've always had an interest in cars and have wanted to start something like this."
"I want more people to come and speak up to see where they'd like to go. The more ideas, the better," said Mooney, adding that the club is open to students, faculty and staff alike.
With eyes set on a bumper to bumper car show on Brock Commons sometime in the future with a goal of 100 to 150 cars, Mooney hopes to see cars from all years, from old Model Ts to the newest cars being developed.
"Something about older cars or just any vehicle, you know, just kind of catches my eye. I'm always in the passenger seat, looking at cars passing by, working on them and being able to fix [them] and getting them faster than what the factory specs are," said Mooney.
Mooney commented that he knows people who have up to 10 or 20 cars stored in their sheds. With the excitement of the Automotive Enthusiasts organizing the first ever car shows to grace the campus, the community may be able to view cars not viewed before in years.
"Everything I do with Longwood I want to include with the community," said Mooney. "I think they should work together."
To learn more about the up-and-coming Automotive Enthusiasts, go online to their Facebook page or contact Clint Mooney at clinton. mooney@live.longwood.edu for more information.
Dr. Tim Pierson and Clint Mooney check out the 1996 Pontiac LeMans car.
