Senate designates July 8 Collector Car Appreciation Day

Seal Beach Classic Car Show – Click above for high-res image gallery

In the midst of governmental turmoil surrounding the national debt, the Senate has reached out to car guys, designating July 8, 2011 as the second annual Collector Car Appreciation Day. That day, any father-son team that has ever turned a wrench will be invited to take a few hours to celebrate all things automotive, whether at a car show, at the race track or just in the comfort of their own garage.

Last year, the Senate designated July 9 as the first-ever nationally-recognized celebration of cars. The event is designed to not only celebrate collector cars and car hobbyists, but to recognize the importance of the motorsports and car restoration industries as valuable providers of jobs across the country.

The United States Senate passed Senate Resolution 154 last Thursday after the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and its offshoots, the Automotive Restoration Market Organization and the Hot Rod Industry Alliance, asked Senators Jon Tester (D, MT) and Richard Burr (R, NC) to sponsor it. Senators Tester and Burr sit on the Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus, a non-partisan group of congressmen and senators who help represent the interests of motorsports in Washington.

What do you think of Collector Car Appreciation Day? Is it necessary to recognize the car hobby as a vibrant and valuable economic resource, or is it a frivolous waste of valuable time? Let us know in the poll below! Hop the jump for the full SEMA press release.

View Poll

Gallery: 22nd Seal Beach Classic Car Show