A Picture Says A Thousand Words

Did I ever mention that I love going through old pictures of hot rods, muscle cars, drag racing, and the like? I think I do this subconsciously every once in a while, because it always reinforces why I love cars in general, but especially the influential iron from my youth. Many times it's not just the automobile that is the subject - it can also be the setting, the body language, or several other aspects that truly make the photo memorable.


This is especially true in advertising. I can't think of any other industry that plays so heavily on feelings, desires, emotions, and the like - and that's what it's supposed to do. If an ad in question does not accomplish this in some way with a particular demographic, it has failed. I was reviewing some of the classic muscle car ads I have in my collection for a book that is getting finalized for publication. It still amazes me the language, the imagery, the colors, and the social norms that were played with, stretched, and boldly put into print. In regards to automotive

advertising, the late '60's will never be repeated. The picture above is from a Plymouth brochure from 1971. In a time when musclecars were almost 100% marketed towards men, Chrysler did an about face where the woman was front and center, as was the guy and his sorry expression, even though he's in the background. Not only does the photograph advertise the 'Cuda, but it also presents a humorous scenario (depending on which sex you are). The picture to the left is an entirely different story; an ad even similar to this would be unthinkable today. AMC used this "description", as they called it, in their fan club magazine that was mailed out semi-annually to AMX owners. This is a case where absolutely nothing more needs to be said...

During the golden era of drag racing, the sport relied on photographs published in enthusiast magazines during the early years because not every household had a television and the TV networks hadn't caught on to it's upcoming popularity. Aside from actually attending a somewhat local event at an actual drag strip, or as was the case in the early '60's, a nearby small airport, cool photos of hot racing action in monthly periodicals like Hot Rod, Car Craft, and others,

were a speed freaks only connection to what was new, what was fast, and what combo worked. Take a moment and absorb all that's going on in the picture above. While it may present a great deal of wow factor, there's also a reason why we don't see diggers like this anymore. As racing progressed into the early '70's, safety was improved, but elapsed times and miles per hour by the end of the 1320 were way up as well. In modern times with driver canopies on both dragsters as well as funny cars, we no longer see some of the exciting, tense, and even humorous expressions of drivers. Check out the launch pic of the rail that's above left. There's so much going on here; the exhilaration of speed, the concentration of keeping the dragster straight, but the oh-shit look as the wheels are hooking the rig to the left. You can imagine the thoughts going through the guys head of how to straighten his ride out while not letting up on the throttle while hoping for the win. That's pure raw, folks.

However, it still bums me out though, the sometimes the most overlooked "picture that says a thousand words" is the one taken at home and is usually the most basic. For example, the classic father/son (or even the mother/daughter or uncle/nephew; just fill in the blank) restoration project that is finally completed. Never mind, that the car actually got finished - but couple the facts that there were probably delays, setbacks, and then there's always the fact that no killed the other person! Sometimes it's difficult to stick to your goals regardless of well the plan is laid out. However, it's worth way more than words can say, and all the money in the world, when this type of project gets finished and finally enjoyed. Trust me on this one - the experience, memories, and bonding far outlasts the restoration.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

What's Your Game Plan For 2018?

You've probably heard this garbage a million times - what's on your hot rod list for the next 12 months? Are you going to make 2018 the best year ever? Blah, blah, blah. Sure, we can all dream of winning the Powerball and letting all hell break loose from there, but what about yours and mine reality? What can we do this year, that just might make a difference, and make this year better than the last? First off, we all need to make goals that we can actually attain. While some people may say, "go big or go home", I like to keep my goals fairly simple. The reasoning behind this logic is, if I complete that goal, it motivates me to tackle another, and if possible, another. And then when 2018 is drawing to a close, I can look back and say, "Well hot damn!"

For example, when I was restoring / modifying an antique Chevy C-10 truck, and I came to the interior, I took this in stages - which lasted over the course of three years. The first part was when I had the truck painted. The exterior paint scheme was carried over into the interior. That was step #1. I had to wait for steps 2 and 3, because my wallet was pulling more vacuum than the V-8 between the fenders. The following year was a small goal - to install the Auto Meter gauges in the dash, which happened faster and earlier than I thought. With a great deal of the summer left, I installed a Hurst shifter on the floor in July. I found I still had some extra money left, so I recovered and installed the bucket seats in late August that I had weirdly stashed in a huge closet (along with the shifter and gauges on a shelf in said closet) for three years. This benefited my psyche greatly as I accomplished more than one goal, I didn't have to spend much money on parts and materials that year, and it gave me time to buck up for next years goal of installing a custom dash, which involved ripping out the entire original unit, dash pad, wiring, and lower metal portion.

My point is, is that I would have lost my mind if I tried accomplishing all that in one year. I would have been living in my garage. While that may work for some of you, I can't roll the dice that way. So, if your ride is looking smooth, except it needs a paint job, (and it's currently wearing it's primer proudly), that doesn't mean you can't take it to a car show because "it's not finished". You'd be surprised at the number of people who will still dig your ride, and comment a year or two down the road, when it finally is painted. They'll love and support you in the process. Another item that can be on your 2018 planner is to take your kids, grand-kids, nephews, and/or nieces to a car show or drag race. You might be taken aback at how much they'll interact with you as well as the surroundings. They make ask a ton of questions - they also may not. They may not say a whole lot, except to say that it was "pretty cool". Then, years later, they will thank you or appreciate what you did for them. What did you do? You shared your passion. And that's rare these days.

Your game plan doesn't have to be big, just make your game plan count.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave