Several members of the Seymour High School CARR Club have grown up around a parent or a grandparent working on classic cars.
On Friday, juniors Wyatt Wischmeier and Elliott Fraizer and sophomore Jackson Sutherland were among those showcasing their hard work in the 14th annual Hotrods and Academics Cruise-In at the school.
The event is open to students and the community and gives participants a chance to win door prizes and one of the specialty awards.
Standing for Customs, Academics, Racing and Restorations, the club is designed to appeal to students interested in some form of the automotive world and tie that into academic success.
At this year’s show, Wischmeier brought a 1938 Plymouth Coupe that he and his father, Jeremy Wischmeier, have had for about a year. Jeremy is the CARR Club’s sponsor with fellow SHS teacher Ryan Money.
“The front rack-and-pinion was out of it when we first bought it. We replaced that,” Wyatt said. “Then after that, it was pretty much drivable.”
When they bought the white car at an auction, it had a painting of Casper the Friendly Ghost on the back.
“We saw it online. We were like, ‘Man, that’s pretty nice,’” Wyatt said, smiling. “So we decided we would go check it out, see what we could get it for.”
Normally, Wyatt said he drives a 1980 Jeep J10 to school, but on Friday, he drove the Plymouth so he could have it there for the car show.
Currently, he and his dad are restoring a 1969 Buick.
“We’ve done this pretty much my whole life, work on old cars, fix them up,” Wyatt said. “I like being able to work on it with him, and then also, I like being able to drive it when it’s finally done. That’s probably the most exciting part.”
Sutherland brought a 1955 Chevrolet that’s owned by his grandpa.
“I probably worked on it when I was little, but I don’t remember,” he said. “I help my dad with his. He has a station wagon. We were taking it (to the show), but it quit running when we were over at his house, so we had to leave it.”
Sutherland said he has learned all he knows about cars from his father and grandfather.
“I have an old ‘65 pickup truck, but it’s in two pieces,” he said of his current project. “It has been in pieces for about 10 years. We were supposed to get it done, but I think we’re going to finish it this summer.”
The royal maroon vehicle with gold stripes Fraizer brought to the show, a 1969 Ford Torino, has been in the family since it was brand new.
He and his father, Bob, enjoy sharing a story about when it was purchased from a Ford dealership in Brownsburg.
“When they first got it, they didn’t expect the horsepower that it had,” Elliott said.
Trying to get on a busy highway in front of the dealership, Bob said the car, which has mechanical linkage, wouldn’t go. They pushed on it and wound up doing a burnout.
“That was my first memory of this car,” Bob said, smiling.
“That shows you what this car can do,” Elliott said. “It’s fun.”
Elliott said he was 8 when the car was rebuilt.
“I remember getting underneath there (back of the car) and lifting up the gas tank,” he said. “Me and my brothers lifted it up so he could get it out.”
While he doesn’t drive the car to school on a regular basis, Elliott said he enjoys getting it out for cruising and car shows.
“We take it to pretty much every show around here we can,” he said. “A lot of my friends know it’s my car because they always see me and my dad cruising on the main roads around town.”
So what do people like about the car?
“It’s just the fastback,” Elliott said. “It’s probably the best year of the Torino ever made. ‘69 I agree was the best year made. I love the fastback. We have met these guys up in Ohio that we get a lot of our parts from, and they have multiple Torinos, but out of all of them they had, I still love the ‘69.”
The father and son currently are rebuilding a 1968 Torino.
“By next fall, we’re trying to get it painted,” Elliott said. “We’ve already had it for a year now. (Part of the car) is all rusted out, and my dad has shown me how to weld and grind it down with just a little welder in our backyard.”
By next year’s CARR Club show, he hopes the finished car will be ready to show off.
“It takes a lot of work and a lot of time,” Elliott said, smiling.
He also hopes to talk his dad into letting him drive a Torino to his senior prom next year.
“I just want a nice car to show up in,” he said.
The best part about it all, he said, “I get to spend time with my dad. I hear so many stories about cars.”
Besides entering vehicles in the car show, Jeremy Wischmeier said CARR Club members made the 12 trophies that were handed out as awards. Those were laser etched and cut in the Owl Manufacturing class he and Money teach.
Members also helped select some of the award winners, put the door prizes together and advertised the show on the school announcements.
Jeremy was happy to see several former club members enter cars in Friday’s show.
“That’s always neat, too, where some of the early on CARR Club members come,” he said. “Being 14 years now, we see several of those come back now of students that are interested.”
In all, there were 78 vehicles entered this year, ranging from the 1930s to modern day.
Money raised from entry fees will go toward a scholarship for a student enrolling in an automotive-related field, Jeremy said.
The other annual club activity is attending the World of Wheels car show in Indianapolis, but they didn’t go this year since it fell during the school’s spring break.
“We didn’t get to take a day out of school to go to a car show, and I was equally as disappointed as the kids were,” Jeremy said.
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in Hotrods and Academics being canceled the past two years, and Jeremy said it also has affected club membership.
“This year was a little light coming back from COVID, around 15 to 20. We usually average around 35 to 40, but we started the year not having meetings,” he said. “Now that COVID is loosening up, we’re hopeful for next year to be back to our usual self again.”
Next school year, Jeremy said they would like to add a field trip or two to manufacturing facilities.
Award winners
Seymour High School CARR Club’s 14th annual Hotrods and Academics Cruise-In
Best paint: Bob Jennings, 1970 Plymouth Superbird
Best interior: Steve Cox, 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle
Best under construction: Derek Harrell, 1968 Ford Mustang
Best fabrication: Ulysses Black, 1939 Indiana truck
Best 4×4: Sam Castetter, 2012 Ford F150
Best motorcycle: Chase Wilson, 2018 Harley-Davidson Road Glide
Best pre-’75: Floyd Clouse, 1966 Chevrolet Nova II
Best post-’75: Richard and Betty Jones, 2018 Ford Mustang GT Coupe
Best pre-’75 student class: Elliott Fraizer, 1969 Ford Torino
Best post-‘75 student class: Brayden Rorick, 1995 Ford F250
Principal’s choice: Chuck Brackemyre, 1963 Ford Galaxie
Principal’s choice student class: Wyatt Wischmeier, 1938 Plymouth Coupe
On the Web
For information about the Seymour High School CARR Club, visit facebook.com/Seymour-High-School-CARR-Club-110829002282317.