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Some people stress about not being able to retire by their 65th birthday. That was never a concern for John Larkin. A mechanic at USA Motor & Machine in Nashville, Tennessee, known as “Papa John,” he spent his 95th birthday on the job because he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“I just enjoy it. It keeps your mind occupied, keeps you out of trouble,” Larkin told an interviewer from News Channel 5 Nashville. “I ain’t never found nothin’ I like any better.”
News Channel 5 Nashville via YouTube
Born in 1931, Larkin has been working as a mechanic since 1955, back when the first Tri-Five Chevy and Ford Thunderbird were hitting showrooms. He’s spent much of that time working on fast cars. Larkin is a member of the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Hall of Fame, which preserves the history of the half-mile oval located just outside the Tennessee state capital’s downtown (not to be confused with the 1.3-mile tri-oval Nashville Superspeedway). He was inducted in 2016, and according to a Facebook post from Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History from around that time, he was a sought-after engine builder as well as an official at the track.
When many people are well into retirement, Larkin was looking for a new gig. He started working at USA Motor & Machine around the time he turned 80. Showing reporters around his workplace, he pointed out a freshly rebuilt V8 destined for a Camaro. Larkin still rebuilds five engines a week, and is eager to share his knowledge with his much younger co-workers. Michael Kelly, one of this colleagues, called him “the master book.”
Nashville mechanic still rebuilding engines and working full time, celebrates 95th birthday Tuesday
Larkin’s wife died in 2014, but he has two daughters and a granddaughter, as well as those appreciative co-workers. They bought lunch and cake to celebrate “Papa John’s” 95th lap of the sun.
It’s unusual to see cars from the 1930s outside a concours lawn or museum, let alone a working mechanic of similar vintage. But John Larkin is a reminder that if you love what you’re doing—and can do it well—age really is just a number.
Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he’s not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.
