Most people would consider 95 a perfectly reasonable age to retire. John Larkin apparently has other plans, because the longtime Nashville mechanic is still showing up to work and rebuilding engines on a regular basis.
Known around the shop as “Papa John,” Larkin recently celebrated his 95th birthday at USA Motor & Machine in Nashville, Tennessee. His coworkers marked the occasion with lunch and cake, but the birthday celebration didn’t signal any intention to put down his tools.
In a report by NewsChannel 5, Larkin says he has been working on cars since 1955, giving him more than seven decades of hands-on mechanical experience. These days, he reportedly rebuilds around five engines per week, with performance applications remaining a particular specialty.
For Larkin, continuing to work isn’t simply about collecting a paycheck. He says he genuinely enjoys the job and appreciates how working keeps his mind occupied, which helps explain why retirement hasn’t managed to tempt him away from the machine shop.
He’s Been Fixing Cars Since 1955
Larkin’s career stretches back to an era when carburetors were standard equipment, electronic fuel injection was decades away from becoming commonplace, and diagnosing an engine problem usually involved considerably fewer computers. The automotive world has changed dramatically since then, yet his fascination with engines clearly hasn’t disappeared.
He joined USA Motor & Machine when he was approaching 80 years old, an age when most people are already well into retirement. Roughly 15 years later, he’s still part of the operation and apparently has no interest in becoming an occasional visitor.
“I just enjoy it,” Larkin told NewsChannel 5. “It keeps your mind occupied, keeps you out of trouble.”
His experience also makes him an invaluable resource for the younger mechanics working alongside him. Coworker Michael Kelly described Larkin as the person he approaches whenever he has a question, calling the 95-year-old mechanic “the master book.”
Papa John Still Builds Five Engines A Week
Showing up at a shop at 95 would already be impressive, but Larkin isn’t simply stopping by to drink coffee and tell stories about the good old days. According to NewsChannel 5, he continues rebuilding approximately five engines every week.
Performance engines appear to be particularly close to his heart. During the station’s visit, Larkin pointed out one of his current projects and explained that the engine was destined for a Chevrolet Camaro.
That interest in speed has followed him throughout his life. Larkin is also a member of the Nashville Speedway Hall of Fame, connecting his decades of engine-building knowledge with the city’s motorsports community.
Building a high-performance engine is precision work at any age. Clearances, tolerances, machining, assembly, and component selection all demand attention to detail, making Larkin’s continued workload an impressive reminder of just how deeply ingrained the craft has become after seven decades.
Decades Of Knowledge You Can’t Easily Replace
Modern mechanics have access to digital service manuals, diagnostic computers, online databases, and countless technical resources. Someone with Larkin’s experience brings something considerably harder to download: decades of accumulated knowledge gained by actually building, repairing, breaking, and rebuilding machinery.
That’s why his coworkers still turn to him when they need answers. After starting his career in 1955, Larkin has watched automotive technology evolve through multiple generations, from relatively simple mechanical systems to today’s increasingly computerized powertrains.
Engine building, however, still relies heavily on fundamentals that would be familiar to mechanics from earlier eras. The tools and components may improve, but understanding how an engine fits together and recognizing when something isn’t quite right remains a skill developed through experience.
Larkin has accumulated plenty of that. Building five engines a week also means his knowledge isn’t sitting unused in a scrapbook or trophy cabinet; it’s still being applied to cars that will eventually return to the street or track.
The Shop Has Become Part Of His Life
Larkin has experienced plenty outside the workshop as well. He has two daughters and a granddaughter, and he lost his wife in 2014.
Through it all, working on engines has remained a constant. The camaraderie at USA Motor & Machine appears to be another reason he continues showing up, with Larkin speaking warmly about his coworkers and the three women he describes as his bosses.
There’s also something fitting about celebrating his 95th birthday in an engine shop. For someone who has spent most of his adult life surrounded by cylinder heads, engine blocks, tools, and performance cars, sitting at home simply doesn’t seem to hold the same appeal.
He Still Hasn’t Found Anything He Likes Better
Stories about people working well beyond traditional retirement age can sometimes overlook an important distinction: whether they have to keep working or genuinely want to. In Larkin’s case, he makes it clear that he continues because the work remains something he enjoys.
“I ain’t never found nothin’ I like any better,” he said.
That might be the simplest explanation for a remarkable career that has stretched across more than 70 years. Cars have changed, engines have evolved, and generations of mechanics have entered and left the trade, yet Papa John is still at the shop building motors.
At 95, Larkin doesn’t appear interested in slowing down simply because the calendar says he should. As long as there are engines waiting to be rebuilt and fast cars needing horsepower, Nashville’s “master book” seems perfectly happy to keep doing what he’s been doing since 1955.