Big Media does not always portray the automotive enthusiast in the best of light. So, when we find a story that is positive and encouraging to the next generation of automotive enthusiasts, we feel compelled to share. If you pay any attention to job statistics or even listen to Mike Rowe you’ve probably heard that skilled trades are dwindling as the tradesmen age out of the workforce. This is an issue in several careers, including the automotive industry. Where will the next Gene Winfield, Boyd Coddington, or Chip Foose come from? How are the youth of today learning the skills of yesterday that have made hot rodding not just a pastime, but a career and even an art form? CBS Sunday Morning recently featured a story about McPherson College, in McPherson, Kansas. McPherson is home to the nation’s first and only four-year automotive restoration program, where students learn every aspect of preserving automotive history.

More Than Just Mechanics

Many schools across the country feature automotive mechanics programs and even partner with OE manufacturers to get students jobs in dealerships upon graduation. McPherson College is different. Instead of being a trade school, they are a private, four-year, Liberal Arts College offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Automotive Restoration. They take a holistic approach, specializing in restoration as well as automotive history and design.

Students get plenty of hands-on training in essentially all areas of restoration. Metalwork, bodywork, paint, engine mechanics, and more are taught throughout the program.

Winning Awards at the Highest Levels

While students get exposure to all makes and models of automobiles, from early 1900s horseless carriages to mid-century classics and customs, they have become well known for one restoration in particular.

More than 60 students worked for more than seven years to fully restore a 1953 Mercedes-Benz. The quality of work was such that McPherson College was invited to bring the car to the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance. At one of the world’s most prestigious events, McPherson College placed second in their class with the Mercedes-Benz, marking the first time in the event’s 73-year history that a student-restored vehicle had accomplished such a feat.

Since their result at Pebble Beach, applications to the McPherson College Automotive Restoration program have increased by 85 percent. And, graduating students are getting jobs in the industry with well-known shops like Martin Bros. Customs in Austin, Texas.

The students coming out of McPherson College are learning everything they need to know about automotive restoration. From design, history, and mechanics to upholstery, paint, and parts. Many are enthusiasts and work on their own vehicles, from cars to tractors, in a special area designated “The Sheds”, on McPherson’s campus. This is more than just a four-year education for most of them. It is a passion. Just like it is for all of us. And, whether it’s a 1955 Chevy or a 1953 Mercedes-Benz, we want to make sure the art form lives on. That our enthusiasm for cars is passed on to the next generation and the generation after that. The bottom line is, that the McPherson College students are not only keeping the cars alive, they are keeping the traditions of restoring the classics and building hot rods alive. Regardless of brands, we can all appreciate and applaud that.