SportsCar Magazine Feature: The Cave

This article first appeared in the December, 2015 edition of SportsCar Magazine. SCCA members can read the current and past editions of SportCar digitally here after logging into their account; To become an SCCA member and get SportsCar mailed to your home address monthly in addition to the digital editions, click here

As autocrosser and gearhead Angela Carlascio tells us, the garage isn’t just for men

The garage: a place commonly called the Man Cave. Most women agree they can have it; dirt, grime, bugs, spiders, and all. Though some Man Caves are very clean, immaculate even, that’s a bit scary, too. I mean, it’s a garage, it’s supposed to be dirty. Isn’t it? Mine is.

Sure, I clean it. Then time passes and my Honda Civics (JC and Bratz Toy) and Honda CRX (Li’l 1) come in and out and bam, there’s the dirt again. It’s a cycle. A cycle I secretly enjoy.

When I go in my garage to work, clean, reorganize, or just visit – because it’s not attached to my apartment – my mind goes quiet. My stresses, concerns, worries, or thoughts disappear. I can be with my cars, tools, and friends and I’m happy. I’m guessing this could equate to what some non-gear head women experience in department stores. Happiness comes.

I was nervous when I rented my very first Cave. There were my Bratz along with some tools and a bunch of stuff (car parts) that were no longer needed but, for some reason, had to be kept. I had some car-wrenching knowledge that was gained through my best friend David Green, but did I really trust myself to do my own work? On my own? In my own garage? Honestly, no, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I could change out my front brakes by taking my time and doing what I knew I could do. Otherwise, I’d make a call for help. Herein lies the secret for the ladies out there: Men have this same thing happen to them, and they make those calls, too.

If you’ve ever hung out in a garage, you will have noticed that a man working on a car will attract other males. They come around to talk cars, admire cars, look at tools, lend a hand, or just drink a beer. But a garage can also be like a Hooters for women because the views can be very nice. Seriously – I did just say that.

Having a guy around in the garage – even if you are one – can be helpful. No man is Thor or the Hulk. Men also run into bolts that do not want to break loose no matter how strong they are, how much leverage they have, or how many layers of PB Blaster they spray on. Don’t believe me, male readers? Want to talk about that socket that went flying across the garage in a fit of anger, or the cuss words that were heard around the block? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Just because they are men working on a mechanical item does not mean they know everything about how to fix, replace, or upgrade it, even though in their mind they might think they do. Just Google “How do I blah blah blah on such and such a car” and see the frustrations. These videos can be as entertaining as they are helpful.

My point is that as a female with an interest in cars, you can have your garage. You can work by yourself or with another, ask for help, search for answers, sit around and bench race, or just putz around and be no different then the thousands of males in their garages. It just takes being bigger than the fear that keeps you from doing it. That fear is something that nearly all of us have shared, and it’s fairly easy to get over – just visualize a man in a crafts room.

Words by: Angela Carlascio
Image: iStockPhoto.com/DistinctiveDesign

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