Art & Inspiration Insult or compliment

No joke, had a young guy look in my car one day, asked me if my name was Hurst
I just laughed and said 'how did you know?' Ha!

Joe

 

It comes from the OEM Crowd and many times from the Hotrod/Custom Crowd many times so it's truly a vicious circle at the forefront, so always put on a smile and be ready for it but hope its just a fun time...I usually have fun...

 

Everyone's opinion does not have to match yours. People are free to like/dislike your car as they please.
And remember, it is only an insult if you allow your good self to be offended by it...............

 

It's weird. People generally don't comment or grade you on your house, shoes, whether your tie matches your trousers...whatever...but they sure seem compelled to pass unsolicited judgement or comment on a car. Often a backhanded remark. Why is that?

 

Some are pretty talented at getting under the skin though but truly again it hasn't been too bad my way...

The OP sounded as if this was something that happened some time ago...and giving more thought to it it was probably his description of wildly modded and not something he could identify with...my missus doesn't like Chopped Tops or open cars for instance...

I remember one fella had a billeted, tubbed, Streetrod A Coupe and he was looking the Ole Hotrod over and said I really like it but the back Tires stick out too much...

I just said it's truly typical of the period and I was good with it...that was the extent of it...I saw his Coupe and had absolutely no interest in it...never said boo about it...

Two situations pissed me off a bit and I did speak out with my opinion and it was a little gruff...

One was a Citizen telling me as I went away to see the show I should wait till the pipes cool before going away...I told him parents are at a show they have the responsiblity to keep their kids off the cars...the rest should know better...no touching is generally the rule...and quite frankly there have been no issues that way...

I find people like to feel the Hotrod though, especially the Riveted Roof which I'm okay with as it's truly not a Showrod...

The other was I believe a Car show participant telling me sternly take my keys hanging by a carabiner on my belt loop and put them in my pocket so I don't scratch anything which I can honestly say I've never done...and I told him that too...but hey I took them off and carried on and made his day...

All in a diversified mish mash of everything and everybody...

 

Because a car cruise or show is a social event...the cars are being displayed and comments are part of that socialization...many have the gift of cordial conversation others it's more of a challenge...

 

I heard Kerry use the term "applied research and development" with a car builder [aka "let's try it and see"]

He also once said to a guy building his own engines......... "If you 'machine gun' enough hot-rod parts at it....It might go OK"

People like to spend $$$ "romancing" their engines with shiny/ anodized bits, but are reluctant to spend $$$ on the unseen things like machining [or labor to assemble correctly]

Wanna bet? Ask any realtor about the nosy people on the "open home circus" going through wardrobes etc.

 

Almost every time we take our early Corvair or our Morris Minor woody out we get folks coming up and making comments. Mostly it's; "That's so cute!" or "what kind of car is that?" Being friendly types for the most part, we usually end up in a conversation and we try to be good ambassadors for our hobby. But I have noticed that often when you approach a guy getting out of his $100K+ deuce coupe or roadster they don't want to be bothered. Go figure.
I can see where John Q Public might be tongue tied when confronted with a full on custom. All of the modifications are really an artistic expression of the owner's thoughts and not everyone is going to see it as the owner sees it. As to how or whether they should comment, that kinda falls to how they were brought up.

 

This is a John Public to Stogy...What is it?...me...a 1929 Ford Sport Coupe...him...Is it original...me...No it's built into a Hotrod that would have existed in the Year 1963...Done alls good...again many have never seen a Hotrod period...I will chat away with anyone who is sincere...

I love this shot...I just call it Ferrari Love...



It's interesting No one has ever said I wrecked a Model A...not one...

Perhaps it's just exactly for the same reason I keep my thoughts to myself...Just Walk on By......hey that's a tune...

​

 

Maybe to each other, but to the owner?

 

I reckon late 50's big fin wagons like Caddys, Chryslers, etc, look like they have just been flown in from another planet... so I would take the "car from Mars" as a compliment. It's a lot better than someone saying your late model car looks like it came from.....Uranus.!

 

In my opinion, if you get upset by remarks about you vehicle from passerby's, you may to man up a bit more....

 

We live in a historic home 1877 and was asked if we would open the home for Christmas tours years ago.
We literally had 2000 people go through. The floors looked like cattle had been there. It was interesting to listen to the comments. Mostly positive. But I remember a remark from one passing by the office. “Why on earth would anyone keep a computer laying on the desk in a house like that.”
I told them this is our home and we live here. I couldn't count the number of people who asked if we live in this place. https://www.facebook.com/pages/cate...ues-in-the-Wash-House-127156330695060/photos/
A few weeks ago I went to a small show of 75 cars in a nearby village.
Only three flatheads found there and maybe two traditionally styled early 40-50’s Hotrod’s. I had two interesting people come look. One guy in his early twenties crawled on his belly to look at my enclosed driveshaft. Another guy the same age totally understood the 34 pickup and was explaining to a stranger why it looked different than the others at the show.

The best yet….. a mother and her 6-7 yr old son was looking at the pickup. I could see the excitement in his eyes. I walked up to them and asked if he’d like to get in. He literally began to shake. I told him to hit the ahoogah horn and it scared everyone within ear shot. I then asked him if he wanted to start it. I showed him the start button and explained how it will fire it up. It started up with a bang and rattled the old flatty to life. He was just totally beside himself. It seemed to me like Christmas for him. I just made another lifetime hot Rodder. Yes we still have the flame going.

 

Apparently many have the opinion that everyone they run into at the gas station/store/car show etc. is as well versed on these Hot Rods as we are.
Reality is, most are clueless, and therefore may be completely oblivious to the fact they may be insulting you/your car.
Keep in mind there is NO ONE that knows the effort, thought, hard ship it may have required to get your Hot Rod to its present condition, but you.

 

Just last week, I was picking up my son from a sleepover at a family friend's house, was showing his dad my T Bird. His neighbor across the street came out to get his newspaper when my friend said "check this out!" His comment was: "oh, an old car." To each his own...

 

My Sedan Delivery Has Been Called A Olde Panel Truck So Many Times That Now It Is.

 

Wearisome......everybody that says don't worry about is worried about it.....yer in the public eye if you ain't hidden away in a garage or a barn or a crypt. people maybe ain't gonna like your stuff. Be gleeful....maybe that's what it's all about anyway.

 

Drove Rusty to Lowe's the other day to pick up yet another can of PB Blaster. Another customer told me how much she liked my truck as I was walking to the front door. As always I thanked her and told her that "it keeps me out of trouble". I then added at least you didn't say it was "cute". She laughed and pointed to her sister who was several steps ahead of her and threw her under the bus by telling me that "she did". We all had a good laugh.

 

So no reaction would have been better? Hell, i'm delighted when someone says you need to fix etc.etc. or "that's not the way it came" etc. At least it was noticed, and sometimes a great conversation starts and i might actually learn something.

 

Good point but I personally don’t care what people say about my cars. If anything it makes for good entertainment. I’m also not talking about non car people making comments. Polite answers and conversations will follow. I’m talking about the know it all “car guy” that gets his rocks off finding negatives and makes sure everyone in ear shot gets an education. I only get angry when I see it done to someone else. Especially a young guy or a senior car owner. I’m working on that (anger management) so I think it best to ignore and move on.

 

.........Serenity now, serenity now.

 

I don't like it when people ask me if I'm the original owner!

 

I pulled into a little cruise-in a few years ago and a nice lady asked me if my Roadster was an early Indy car! It's not too often that I'm caught speechless, but that time I was.

 

I’m getting better.

 

I just consider the source when I hear something I don't like being said. Most the time it's people who don't know cars, or don't know the style of car I've built.
The only time I've gotten irritated was when somebody who thinks they know my own car better than me tries to tell me what it is....or isn't! I get guys asking me if my old Austin gasser is a Willys or Anglia constantly! I chuckle, as it's got an Austin emblem on the grille, and the license plate frame too! I understand the "Anglia" thing, as Anglias do look a bit like an Austin of my car's era. But the Willys thing puzzles me?
I had a guy call my Austin an Anglia once, and I corrected him by saying it is an Austin, not an Anglia. He began to argue with me, and telling me I didn't know what I owned. His buddies told him to stop, and that I must know what I owned. But he continued to argue, so I simply gave up and walked away. Just proof you can't fix stupid.

Not an Anglia!

 

Years ago when I first had my roadster drivable, I drove it across town to buy some bolts. As I pulled in the parking lot I saw this older gentlemen change his course to where I was parking. I was apprehensive at first but he was eager to tell me about his roadster back in the 40's. He complemented my car and then went quiet. I sensed something wrong and asked him if he was ok. He looked sad and he told me his Dad lost the farm and they sold his roadster at the auction.

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, someone said a long time ago! Old folks seem to say what’s on their mind! Lol The Mars statement, I’m sure, was not complementary! But in all fairness I have seen some real nice Mercs……and some guys just ruined. Give us a pic of your car.




Bones

 

Years ago, I brought my '65 Karmann Ghia drag racer (street legal) to a local car show. Parked in the "Race Car" section next to other pro street style cars. I truly think that my little KG was the only one of the contender in that class that had ever been down a drag strip. The guy parked next to me had a really nice, and well detailed '68 Camaro. It was beautiful, and I told him so. "Please look, but don't touch" read the sign on it, while I was letting kids sit in mine while parents took a picture.
The Camaro guy says, "Letting kids sit in your car sends a bad message. Makes 'em think they can do that with everyone. Is that a Porsche motor? Y'know, I never really had much respect for these cars."
So I said, "There's nothing a kid can do to this car that will hurt it any more than I do on a regular basis at the track. Besides, it's a good thing to get 'em interested early! And by the way, I have a few hundred high 9 and low 10 second time slips. How many do you have?" He says he's never taken the Camaro down a track.
"Oh, I thought this was a race car class," says I.
Then it came time for the so-called "cackle-fest." While others fired up and rev'd their motors a few times, I fired up, let it warm a few minutes, filling the air around with methanol fumes, then put it on the limiter (8200 rpm) a couple times. I didn't win or place at that show, even tho I think I had the only "race car" in the race car class. But I didn't care. It was still fun! Seeing the smile on little kids faces sitting in the car is a great memory. Hopefully it was for them too.
Soon, I will show up at local shows with my rust bucket '65 F100. I'll still let little kids sit in it.....as long as they are current on their tetanus shots!

 

I have ad quite a few people say I ruined my car. Why should I care?

 

Summer 1964, Saurday afternoon, my friend John McNally (pin striper and customer - owned Cushenberry's el Matador when it burned to the ground) is sitting at a red light in south Saint Pete, Florida. He's driving his chopped and dropped '50 Mercury with a cammed up Buick Nailhead couresy his friend Don Garlits in Tampa. It looks bad and sounds the same. Two elderly gentlemen are sitting on the porch of a mom and pop store, passing a bottle in a bag back and forth. One of them asks him "hey mistah, jes what kinda car is dat?" John, deadpan, says "You mean you ain't herda that new rocket car?" "No suh." is the answer. "How fass do it go?" John answers: "This car will go four hundred miles an hour" and wings the Buick. Waaang, rappa, rappa. One gent turns to the other, sez: "Fo hunnert mile an hour, ! Why, dat car could outrun the word of de Lawd!" Light goes green, John pulls away leaving two wide strips of rubber on the pavement. [I'd say that was a true compliment.]