History Where is this hobby headed?

Got so many shows/car events around here it’s almost overwhelming. Which one do ya go to?
Planning a show date is crazy.

 

The correct answer is 'The dustbin of history'. We can whine about costs, lack of interest from younger folks, an ever-diminishing parts well, etc etc... But we're forgetting the elephant in the room. Like it or not, the day when burning dead dinosaurs to propel vehicles will no longer be economically, politically or ecologically feasible is coming. The politicians can try legislating it away all they want (don't say 'climate change'), but Mother Nature will pay zero heed to them. I don't expect the expiration date to appear in my lifetime (I'm 74), my children may see it, my grandchildren will undoubtably see it. Whether it's addressed before catastrophe ensues remains to be seen.

 

^^^^ yep^^^^^
Everything we own is headed for the scrap yard.

so enjoy em now

 

Not if you don't hoard it till you die.
I have seen too many garages full of cool useable stuff gathering dust sitting on a shelf only to be scrapped or auctioned off later.
I got a great deal on my car from a gentleman who was selling it all "because they are just going to throw it all away". He and I really hit it off and he was happy to see me have the car. When I had it on the road later that year and went to look him up I found he had died. Well that was one pile that didn't get scrapped. That's why if I see someone looking for something I have sitting on a shelf I will frequently let it go cheap (or free) if they really need it for thier car.

 

Not the point.
It all eventually hits the recycler or evaporates when the sun explodes.
We can’t escape death
None of our cars will either
So enjoy em

 

Just another sign: Went to the local (large) bookstore to pick up a book to read on a recent trip. In checking out their huge magazine section I noted no hot Rod genre mags. Amazing that there used to be a pretty good number of titles there monthly.
Guess I’m getting old.

 

Good points. A few months ago I read an article about how 20 somethings are buying Model T's as a cheap way to get into the hobby. Ironically, I saw 3-4 young guys driving T's around the fields at Hershey.

One young guy drove his open top early T from Ohio to PA and filmed his travels & stops. Once at Hershey, hit the fields to find some parts that needed to be replaced or fix right there on the spot.

I know these are small examples, but there is still some interest in the old stuff.

Another factor is and has always been in cost. Not too many young guys are in a position to drop $80-100K on a killer Deuce roadster, etc. That same dude can afford $20K on a decent Fox body GT 5.0.

Personally, I do not believe the hobby is dying, it's just changing. Stock Fords are dropping in value. Conversely, a well done early hot rod-type of Ford with neat original parts still are bringing good money and changing hands.

What has definitely changed is where the action is. Instagram is full of great cars, young guys and killer craftsmen. They have migrated from the internet to social media platforms.

Attending TROG this year, I was amazed at the number of cars running (over 100) and the number of people who came. I believe Saturday had something like 20,000 people in attendance. What was also surprising was how supportive the town people were. The town's folks love the event and support it.

I would start my car in a residential neighborhood at 6:00 AM and when I came back at night, they gave me the thumbs up.

The hobby is not dying in my opinion, it's just shifted for the better.

 

In a way, guys that hoard stuff away could actually be doing the hobby a favour by preserving it for the future...

 

did you include me???

 

I think the biggest thing is to get them out there and drive them around. I drive mine to the store and to get mail and so on. It helps to show that these are fun to drive, not just something shiney to trailer around and have people look at. I do think that is a change with the younger guys. I see less of the crazy overpowered stuff that is undriveable and more of the dirt drags fun cars,

 

As a parts guy I will pick up newer stuff, and find there are buyers for the stuff. Just today I sold 1965 Falcon parts, helps me buy Model A parts.

 

I remember back in the early &late 60's guys parked their hot rods and bought shiny new muscle cars, but many of them kept that hot rod or custom car and brought them back out in the 70's & 80's, there will always be someone out there that will be driving hot rods & customs, just enjoy the ride and the car hobby will continue although it may make some twist and turns.

Stop and think about it, the hamb is still getting bigger every year, this segment of hot rods and customs is alive and well. HRP

 

That goes along with "Antiques", last time my 1912 T had legal plates was 20 years ago. I remember the events I took it on, fun times, no need to drive things forever.

 

I work with a twenty something he's into Subaru's has big money into it even races it but also have club a club member who's 19 that's into traditional rods big time and doesn't get the tuner thing of guy's his age the point is cars will always be around it's just a mindset.

 

Wow this is still going! Good to see.
Haven't been on here much lately, but I still think about this. I still feel like the hobby is shrinking, but because it's shrinking, it's driving more people to it, if that makes sense. Parts quality has declined sharply overall. Events (at least in my area, as I've mentioned) have decreased. Seeing guys and gals out in their cars is less frequent (again, at least in my area). It's less accessible than it used to be, seems like we can all agree on that.
But because of that, I feel like there's a counter movement happening with people looking for something different than today's norm, or just to "fight the power" if you will. It's no mystery that the push is to get away from fossil fueled vehicles altogether, and we've all seen the push back against it. Might explain the influx of young guys not interested in more modern cars. I also feel like there's a growing number of people who are more interested in things from the past because the present and future don't look so promising to them.
I don't know. Just my thoughts, they don't have to be correct. I'm becoming more and more of a hermit and fully admit I'm out of touch with what's going on out there.

 

There are a few 500-1,000 hp cars at local cruise nights (seems a lot more with tech advancements). I have 4 running "special" cars, they don't have 1,000 hp combined . I still have fun!

 

The Hobby Started From Meager Beginnings And If It Slowly Goes Away Then Enjoy The Ride...Period...

 

In my opinion, for what it is worth, we need to embrace the kids and mentor them. They are doing no different than we did and that includes not just my generation but EVERY generation. We got what was available, popular, and what we could afford. Kids today see tuners everywhere in school parking lots and hangouts. There is an abundance of them around, parts are available, and they can daily drive them and drive them to school. Did any of us not follow that pattern?.

I talked to a DJ at a radio station that was my favorite for many years. I told them I no longer listened to them because the music was too modern for me . I liked it when they played classic rock from Pink Floyd, Aerosmith,, Bad Company and Led Zeppelin. The DJ asked me when this was? The late 70s and the 80s.. He then asked me if those bands at the time were actively touring promoting albums that were charting at the time? I said yes, he said that they are still following the pattern playing active music of bands touring and promoting music on the charts, That I stayed behind not them. Is this not what each of us has done? be it the 50s 60s 70s 80s or 90s? We still get those warm and fuzzy feelings when we hear one of the songs from our early years. Eminem or Vanilla Ice are no different than Elvis. Rebellious white kids playing black music speaking for their generation albeit quite a bit more vulgar but wasn't Elvis considered vulgar with his gyrating hips? do you see where this is as relevant as our cars are an our "hobby"?

A new 1940 Ford cost was $900 .In 1963 a new corvette costed between $4k-$6k today a new one costs between $70k-$90K depending on options. A new 1966 Fastback Mustang costed between $2600-$3200k today a Mustang GT base model is $43k A 1977 Z28 Camaro brand new was $5100 today a new one is $65k. Today a base Honda Civic is $25k. All of us went to school and saw these cars brand new in the parking lot. A kid could afford to work at a gas station and make the payment and buy extras for it. All of these cars this could be done this way. I personally know a guy that bought a 64 Vette fully loaded with the biggest engine at 16, he still has that car to this day. Today in that list the only reachable car in that list is the civic.

Leave these kids alone and let them learn about cars and the mechanics of them. be there for them, help them find their first classic car. It will probably be super cheap and a basket case and not a model that many of us would choose but hey, they have to start somewhere. I once was a high ranking world wide car club of a "traditional" car club that would NEVER go beyond a certain year. Turned out that the founder in Modesto California was out to make a dime in any way he could. he talked out of the side of his mouth or ass which were one and the same. we weren't founded in 1948 as he claimed but around 2016. All of a sudden rumblings started popping up about the club going to die off with the older members that we needed to move up the years of eligible cars. first it went to 1977 then 1988 to 25 years old. I refused to allow anybody newer into my chapter. my members didn't want a Honda Civic tuner in the center of our hot rod pictures. As they started adding Late Model. Foreign, Air Cooled and tuner divisions we packed up our 50 members and dropped the club name and drag plates and do our own thing we wouldn't let all of that garbage in. We would still mentor them nut they needed an eligible car to join. It gave them something to strive for. I was never into the everybody gets a trophy, everybody plays mentality. If I want to see a new tuner, Mustang Challenger or Camaro, I will go to the dealership, They don't belong at car shoes we have become too inclusive as a society. I like many types of music but I like to be able to turn the knob to find that tpe of music that I am in the mood for. I don't want it all on the same station

 

banjorear said, "Another factor is and has always been in cost. Not too many young guys are in a position to drop $80-100K on a killer Deuce roadster, etc. That same dude can afford $20K on a decent Fox body GT 5.0."

That describes my grandson. He and his wife really stretched to by a house with no garage. Guess who stores his car in the winter? I first started making a living in the hot rod industry in 1961 and the question of "where is this hobby going" was front and center back then. Very simply, the answer is EVERY WHICH WAY! Believe it or not, the cost of early VW bug stuff is higher than a cat's ass! I'm in the process of redoing the '29 CCPU avatar and I can't believe the prices I'm paying for Model A repro parts and I'm semi-rich! I see more tricked out Subaru's than muscle cars where I live.

 

A young women just joined today. Working on a 51 chevy truck.

 

Digging this corpse back up so I can piss and moan some more. Agree, disagree, whatever, but here's my current state of mind on things because I just know you were all dying to find out!

You know what this hobby needs? TO CONTEMPORIZE, MAAAAN!

There's a thread in the OT Forum about the death of Roadkill and the associated shows on MotorTrend.
You know what? GOOD. What did you see on MT TV? Mostly overly-dramatized slop with unrealistic budgets and teams of guys to do all the work, between ads for Viagra and hearing aids and Medicaid and all the stuff young guys don't give a shit about. Look at the shows that got axed and look at the shows they kept. Low-buck fun with junk young folks can afford is out, pushing the status-quo image that this hobby is reserved for rich old guys stays in.

This is the passing of the torch. All the MT guys have moved to YouTube. All the young guys who were raised on Roadkill now have their own channels on YouTube wrenching on old stuff (and new stuff, often on the same channel). These guys would have never gotten exposure otherwise, and they are now influencing the next generation. The perception about the state of this hobby, especially in popular media, does not reflect where it actually is. It's not in the high-dollar shops with unrealistic budgets and trophy-car level builds, it's in the garages and sheds and back fields and everywhere else someone with a vision and a willingness to work to achieve that vision spots an old heap.

Just like it's always been.

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like things were being pulled away from that once TV corporations learned they could make a buck off of pretending to care about our hobby. It feels like the pendulum is now swinging the other way.