Is it me or we going through another phase of "remember when..." in certain sections of hot rodding and racing? The automotive manufacturers, after the last 10-15 years, seemed to have gotten the retro novelty out of their system. Save for the Challenger, the other performance heavy-hitters consisting of the Charger, Mustang, and Camaro seem to be moving forward once again in design. Rat rods, while still cool, aren't on the top of the hit-parade anymore. Even certain makes & models of muscle cars that seemed to be featured every month in different magazines because of popularity isn't the norm anymore. I don't know about you, but these are some of the things I'm seeing in the following areas -
1). Street / Hot Rods - While there's still a tremendous amount of diversity out there, which is a very good thing, I'm seeing more experimentation of colors, paint, and styling that were prominent in the late 50's into the early 60's. Remember when nose jobs, chopping, and channeling were popular with regular vehicles and not just 20's & 30's rods? This seems to be making a comeback.The car pictured to the left is a 1965 AMC Marlin. It has a custom grille insert, along with a Chevy Nova hood, and a bumper from a 1965 Plymouth. Chew on that for a while...One thing I'll admit I thought would never come back (and in a way hoped it wouldn't) was the pro street concept from the 80's. The difference this time is the cars are WAY more streetable, look closer to their original stock configuration, and make more power without the complexity or financial overload.
2). Drag & NASCAR Style Racing - I've mentioned this before; nostalgia drag racing is huge. Smaller, less complicated nostalgia drag racing events are really gaining popularity. As an added bonus, Gasser style race cars are making a serious comeback. All three are a top-shelf "remember when..." warm fuzzys. I came across a photo of what is considered "The Day Drag Racing Began." This event took place in 1949 at a landing field at Goleta in the Santa Barbara area. It was a contest between two well known dry lakes veterans, Tom Cobbs and Fran Hernandez. Just groove for a moment on the picture. Talk about humble beginnings...Now, note in the second half of the notation above; NASCAR style. While Daytona will always be Daytona, and all the pomp and circumstance that goes along with it, local roundy-round racing is still riding high on the popularity scale as well as participation despite the economy. Why? I call it the D.I.Y. factor - anyone can do it and it doesn't have to look pretty either. Competition and fun is the name of the game and financials come farther down the totem pole of priorities.
3). Muscle Cars - If you're old enough to remember, there used to be a concept called "Day 2" looking performance cars. This was in relation to the day after a muscle car was driven off the dealer lot and the owner was now in the process of adding wider tires, mag wheels, headers, and maybe some aftermarket goodies like an aluminum intake manifold, a bigger carb, and an accurate tachometer.I will admit - this is something I grew up with. As a result, when the "factory restoration" craze swept the country in the mid to late 80's, it was cool to see that stuff, but for me, the novelty wore off fairly quickly. I was pumped when "Day 2" restorations started becoming popular. And yeah - the cars get driven... a lot.
4). Rarity Be Damned - One of the fantastic things about this hobby is the fact that there is truly something for everyone. It also leads to freedom of, "it's your car - do what you want with it." In the past two months, I've read articles ranging from the first Shelby Mustang (a 1965 GT350) that was restored to 110% originality, to a 1956 Chevy that was once an original matching-numbers vehicle, and is now an 6-second (that's not a misprint) street machine complete with wheelie bars and parachutes. Both are cool for their own reasons, but I'm grooving more on the 56 Chevy. It's totally street driven (and easily I might add) and it still wears it's original paint. (Photo courtesy of DRD Photos).
Lastly, I'm adding a small feature to the weekly blog. Apparently a number of you liked some of the junkyard pics I've posted and wanted some more. Either these pics are increasing your appreciating of these particular specimens of Detroit iron in some way or you're just sick bastards. Be that as it may, I'll be posting one new pic per blog, as long as I have them. Until next time, peace out.
Dave
No comments:
Post a Comment