Lastly, tonight, from futuristic AI creations to vintage cars.

They're almost a century old, but Model A Fords are still turning heads all over the Carolinas.

Members of the Queen City Model A club keep the vintage cars running, traveling together to shows, schools, and weekend trips.

But members are not getting any younger, and they're working with the next generation to take over the wheel.

"Carolina Impact's" Chris Clark has the story.

(upbeat music) - [Chris] At Jim Townsend shop's in Rock Hill, these cars aren't tucked away under covers.

They're out in the open, up on lifts, out on the road and surrounded by people who still light up around them.

- Model As are meant to drive and to share with the public.

I like to see 'em on the road, you know, not in a museum.

- And that's the hook.

These old Fords aren't just something to look at, there's something to experience.

What's it like when you take this thing out on the road?

- It's awesome.

You know, people would just wave, and smile and take pictures.

- [Chris] And part of the charm is that these cars still carry a little personality, too.

- This is a rumble seat, 'cause you're sitting above the rear axle, and it's also affectionately referred to as the mother-in-law seat, because the rear window does not fold down.

So she's kind of sitting in her own world back here.

- [Chris] And when a line of Model As heads down the road together, they rarely go unnoticed.

- I look in my rear view mirror, and the cars are backed up as far as you can see.

Well, the problem was we had 25 cars, all different models of Model As tooting along 47, 49 miles an hour.

And the people passing us in the left lane, we're all driving slow, had their phones out, videoing all of us, and we're waving at 'em.

- [Chris] For the people in this club, the cars are only part of the appeal.

The other part is who they bring together.

- It's like coming home when I come into the shop.

Guys come in and we work on the car together, and it's formed a comradery among the members.

- [Chris] And what starts in the shop doesn't stay there.

It spills onto back roads, beach trips, and weekend getaways.

- Touring with these with these folks is just a really good time.

Tight knit community.

They become your best friends.

- [Chris] For Holden Long, these cars are tied to family.

- My grandpa had one, and it was just something fun for me to do a new hobby, and then also getting to spend time with him.

So, to me it was like a win-win.

- [Chris] Connor Jackson found that same pull.

You're 17, you're in a car that is what, a hundred years old almost?

- 96.

- 96.

What made you get interested in something this old?

- So my grandpa's had Model As for all my life, and so, you know, being around his cars, you know?

When I found out Mr.

Foster was giving away a Model A, I was just absolutely ecstatic.

- [Chris] And once one became his, he was all in.

- It's awesome just being able to, you know, oh, that's a new rattle.

Let me, you know, take this part and see if I can figure it out.

And then just going, you know, straight in with, you know, just a few simple hand tools.

You don't need anything special or even power.

- [Chris] But getting one on the road is one thing.

Learning how to handle it is another.

- It's definitely not power steering.

It takes two full arms to drive a Model A. It's a full-time job driving it, you need to be alert.

- We can't tell the size of his forearms, 'cause you got on long sleeves.

But power steering is one thing the car doesn't have.

What's something else that kind of took you by surprise when you're driving this thing around?

- Just getting used to double clutching.

It's definitely something that takes, you know, people a little bit to learn - [Chris] Out on the road, that old car sets 'em apart from just about every other 17 year old out there.

- Every time I see, you know, a little kid wave, I make sure to blow the horn.

(horn blaring) - What's your girlfriend think of this thing?

- She loves it.

It's definitely something different, something unique, - [Chris] But underneath all the fun, the club knows it needs a younger generation to carry this forward.

- We have a club of 80 members, and our average age in the club is 76.

What we're concentrating on is getting youth, 35 and younger, into this hobby.

- [Chris] So this isn't just about preserving cars, it's about preserving the know-how that keeps them alive.

- This is, you know, a mission that we have as a club is to assure that taking care of these cars and being caretakers of the cars can continue.

- That's why they're trying to build a youth center of sorts, a training space, a place where younger people can come in and learn what older members already know.

- I'm very hopeful that they can put together this project, I think is the key to move forward.

A modern garage doesn't know how to work on them.

There's no computer that you can plug into to tell you what you do next.

- [Chris] In some cases, older members have done more than just invite younger people into the hobby.

They've given them the cars themselves.

One member wanting to spare his family the burden later on decided that some of his cars should go to younger people who would keep them going.

- We had two of those four winners of the Model A Youth Restoration Award.

They were given cars by a member.

We had a member that had two cars and he called me, and he said, "I want to give these cars, but I want to give them to youth."

And you know, we found two youth that were, had an interest in it, and we put these cars in their hands.

- [Chris] For the club, the real hope isn't simply handing over a car, it's watching a young person take ownership of it.

And when Connor met Greg Foster for the first time, he got to see exactly that.

- My first impression is that he has obviously been doing a lot of work on that car, because it didn't look anything like that when he got it.

That car looks great.

I probably wouldn't have it given away.

(man laughing) - How you doing?

- Pleasure to meet you.

Car looks wonderful.

- Thank you.

- Better than what I have, that's for sure.

- For Holden, the appeal is easy to understand.

- No one really has, you know, a Model A or anything like that.

They're like, how old is it?

And I tell 'em.

They're like, really?

- What would you say to someone that's kind of on the fence about getting into this Model A club?

- Do it.

It's one of the best things that's ever happened to me.

You know, there's so many great people involved with the club - [Chris] And that's where this story really comes alive.

Not just in the garage, not just on the road, but in the passing of the keys.

- We've got four youth that have have gotten involved, and we're trying to support them anyway we can to keep 'em interested - [Chris] At a shop, full of old steel and knowhow, the future of this hobby may come down to something pretty simple.

A younger set of hands, a set of keys, and somebody willing to teach.

For "Carolina Impact," I'm Chris Clark.