How would you feel about a teenager learning to drive a manual transmission on your car? What if your car was a classic 1930 Ford Model A, or a priceless vintage Aston Martin?

If you visit Traverse City Central High School on Saturday, you’ll see just that – teens learning to drive a “stick” behind the wheels of some incredible rides.  

It’s part of the Hagerty Driving Experience, a combination of classroom instruction and practical experience for drivers between the ages of 15 and 25. Before they get behind the wheel, they have to learn the basics in a classroom. Then when they do get in the car, they’re accompanied by either the car’s owner or personnel from Hagerty.

Hagerty has hosted the Driving Experience at locations across the country – but tomorrow’s event is the first one offered in Hagerty’s home state of Michigan, says Rachel Ventimiglia, the youth advocacy coordinator at Hagerty.

The program started in 2011 as a means to teach a skill many young drivers today don’t have, while at the same time helping them develop or deepen an appreciation for vintage automobiles.

And Saturday they will get to appreciate some fine ones: Past attendees have had the chance to learn to drive everything from a 1928 Packard Phaeton to a 1955 Porsche Continental to a 1950 Willys Jeepster to 1963 Corvette. Among the vehicles at this event will be a DeSoto convertible, courtesy of Bobbi Youngblood.

Youngblood and her husband are coming up for the event from Eau Claire, Michigan (near St. Joseph). They’re bringing her pride and joy, a 1947 DeSoto Custom Convertible. “I refer to her as the Princess,” says Youngblood with a laugh.

They came to their passion for collector cars when they became empty nesters. “We had show horses when the kids were growing up. But horses aren’t as much fun without kids,” she says. The couple started going to car shows, and when they came across a DeSoto they fell in love with it. Youngblood’s husband Joe converted it into a hot rod. When they saw a DeSoto convertible at a show in 1999, she decided she had to have one, too.

Now she’s excited to show off her baby while helping others learn the intricacies of the car’s fluid drive, also called a tip toe transmission. The semi-automatic transmission was used on many Dodge and Chrysler models from the '40s through the mid-'50s. “What I pitched to Rachel is a transmission that is not a straight standard. It’s a semi-automatic with four gears in two ranges. There’s no metal flywheels.”

Annie Norris, a brand coordinator at Hagerty, is a proponent of the program – in part because her first experience with it was as a participant. “I started at Hagerty as an intern in 2015,” she recalls. “I got to learn to drive a stick as an intern.”

Now she’ll be working with those who are in the same place she was just a couple years ago. Norris says actually driving the cars is much different than just seeing them at a car show. “My dad took me (to car shows) but I couldn’t connect, I was bored, until I learned how they worked and drove," she says. "That’s what sparked my interest.”

Youngblood says this kind of experience is invaluable for passing on auto enthusiasm to the next generation. “Young people know what a Corvette is, but they don’t know about the others (classic cars). The hobby will die out if we don’t encourage young people.”

Norris concurs. “It’s such a unique event, so hands-on. You’re doing instead of looking,” she says.

One group of 25 will be working in the morning, while another group of 25 will be meeting in the afternoon. Having two sessions allows the maximum number of participants and provides a full day’s worth of display and driving instruction for the owners.

Though the sessions fill up quickly, Ventimiglia says there is always room for those who might want to simply display their vehicle, as well as those who just want to watch and admire. If interested, RSVP by calling 231-922-8841 or emailing youthprograms@hagerty.com.