What cars made recently will be future hot rod/cusotm material?

I was driving to work today behind a charger cop car and was thinking how cool it was going to be when these things got older and affordable. It got me to thinking about the cars from the last couple of decades and which would be deemed "classics". Some of my favorite body styles which I think are going to be cool in the future would include 1987-1996 f series ford trucks, the boxy grand marquis' and crown vics to 92, and any of the new Chysler rear wheel drive cars. Any thoughts?

 

Yeah the chargers would be cool if they didnt have those back doors. I think I'll hang on to our 96 Roadmaster wagon. The new faux woodie.

 

The problem is they will be so expensive to restore because they are made of very poor quality plastics. Also cars now are not meant to last more than 100k miles. And you are lucky to get that.

I work for Jaguar in the dealer. I can't see any of these newer cars being on the road more than about 10 years.

The materials are such poor quality compared to what they used in the good ol days. too much cheap brittle plastic that crumbles after a few seasons of getting hot and cold.

My biggest complaint is that I don't feel like car designers are artist anymore. At least not like they where through the40's, 50's, and mid 60's. There is no new ideas coming from car caompanies. To me these retro desighns like the Mustang and Charger are just the companies saying "we don't have any good new ides, so lets give them this rehashed retro car. they'll buy it because we'll tell em it's cool. Yeah, thats the ticket."

Well,thats what I think anyway.
MIke

 

That's why I like the f series and the big ford, both full frame and the Crown vics actually have some chrome on those older ones.

 

RWD Caprices/Roadmasters/Cadillacs/Olds Wagons
Lincoln Mk VIII
Astro vans...

But with all the hardened sheetmetal; curved, tempered glass and plastic, I don't see many customs going beyond, wheels, lowering, grills and taillights and interiors. new hot rod material hasn't been made since 1948, some would say 1940 or even 1936.

 

If you're going back into the 80s, the 78-87 G body midsize is rapidly becoming a cult car. It shocking what's available restoration-wise, and how many frame-off street/strip cars are running around. There is some SERIOUS hardware lurking behind license plates.

The same can probably be said of the 73-87 C/K truck variations. They don't seem old, but my chaser is a mildly modified low mile 85 and it's really shocking the way people approach it at gas pumps the same as an old car. Be prepared to see more of em in cruise type situations

 

you did say recent? right?..im going to take that as the last 5 years..ok now im not being sarcastic..and im not bashing this is onlly my opinion...ok?

There aint nothing out there that is worth a fu@K!! there ugly have no tase in design, are cheaply built for high dollar to own..Have no character..in a word They Suck!
I love my old cars..till death do us part!

 

that's just the opposite of my experience....but maybe there's an explanation?

maybe you should be looking at late model Chevys and Fords instead?

plastics have improved a lot over how they were in the 70s, engines are made better, fuel injection and overdrive mean engines last a lot longer, etc. But it's gonna have to be a whole new generation who finds these modern cars appealing enough to make hot rods out of them....I would sure have trouble....

 

Hmmm...tell that to Toyota...I'm over 230K in my pickumup truck and it's still running strong (not that I think it will make a good hotrod in the future).

I like the new Chrysler 300 series and the Crossfires - I think their body styles will work in the future...but you can take the PT Cruisers and shove 'em.

 

I think the legal,enviromental & fuel mileage will all but sideline Hot rods as we know them . Some folks will build complete reproductions but the cost will be unreal.
AS far as what we are doing now, maybe they willl let you tow it to a show ,but I don't think a daily driver will be possible.
The Model A and T restorer crowd is dying off rapidly ,yeah there are a few young people to replace them but they are on the downhill. The shoebox crowd and 55,56,57's are the next . Thats kind of my years and I don't see 20 years olds even beginning to want these cars.
Then the muscle car guys ,they for the most part are still out there earning money and fixing the leftover stuff.
I hope this doesn't happen but every generation has there own music ,cars and even food.
It all has it's time.

 

To play devils advocate, look around at cars besides 80's & 90's American sheet metal. Civics, Integras, WRX Sti's, Evo's.... it's already been happening. Kids today see Civics as cheep, plentiful and easily modifiable. Sound familiar? Just like kids of the 50's did with cheap, plentiful and easily modifiable old Fords.

slick64 wrote:

I disagree with you and I have an inside perspective from the frontlines. You should aim your criticism at the bean counters. I can't tell you how many times my design ideas are shot down because of cost issues, the inability to justify the tooling costs that are hard to amortize over the lifespan of the vehicle. Designers have always been and always will be artists. We have ideas, but look at the current situation of the "Big 3". It's hard to get fresh new ideas into production because it poses a big financial risk in a time when taking financial risks is difficult to do.

 

The idea of modding cars will last forever, because it is human nature. Therefore "Hotrods" will be forever. What shape that takes, I dont have a clue.

Yah, the Chargers, Magnums, T'birds (2 place late ones), The 5.0 has it's cult already.

My biggest hope for future Rods is the new Mustang, It just reeks of "Big Block" to me.

 

hmmmm.....from what I've seen, the "fresh new ideas" lately have been incredibly ugly. But what do I know, I think a 55 chevy looks good.

I do realize that style has to take a back seat to other issues, such as safety regs, aerodynamics, packaging, and ergonomics. Maybe that's the real culprit? or maybe not? for example, I really like the bland look of my wife's 99 chevy truck compared to the mishmash of the 2007s.

Upside is that it's now economically feasible for repop places to make the designs we like, out of steel, so we'll probably never run out of decent looking sheetmetal

 

You got it all wrong. 20 somethings would way rather have "our" cars. But they view them as out of reach because they're not viewed as daily driveable. As that age group moves into their 30s and gains stability and earning power, they will move into "our" cars.

Model Ts? Let me tell ya, when the restorers die off over the next 10-15 years, this 30-something has his eye open for a real nice low priced T. There's thousands of us that would love to have one kicking around to use 4 times a year, but aren't gonna pay today's restorer prices.

Old cars will never die. They are part of America's fabric.

 

They won't be hot rods, but the Hondas will inherit the earth.

 

Cars suck nowadays, I can't see anything from today being hot rodded in the future.

 

Cars don't last? My ex-wife is still driving our old Neon at just under 300K miles with only one head gasket at 90K. You want to talk hot-rodding on new stuff, check out the work Johnathan Goodwin is doing in Wichita. See the article in Fast Company mag. (available online I think).

60mpg with 2,000 ftlbs torque...0-60 in fives seconds in a 5,000 lb H3 Hummer on biodiesel...using off the shelf GM parts. Detroit is watching this guy. I'd say that's hot-rodding on new stuff at it's finest.

 

Has anyone thot about how difficult it will be to get any of the
electronics chips when they go bad or maybe the whole frigging
computer when it fries?

Or how about the dealer only headlight/tailight 'modules'??

 

the trick is to not be afraid of the computers, they're really not that complicated. My friend and I turbocharged his already supercharged Mini Cooper S, it's a hoot! I know there's some tunerphobia around here, but they can be a lot of fun if you know what you're doing.

 

New cars all look like electric shavers. I am not all impressed at all . I think the 1986 Ford Taurus ruined it for everyone as it set the stage for what we see on the road today.
Just my 2 cents.

BC

 

A Jag IS a late model Ford!

 

My own thoughts....don't know if that magazine article is believable, but interesting.....

Still, I'm sticking with my old sheetmetal. When I started on my F-1 the "reverse curves" from sliding into fence posts required an honest to god hand sledge to move. Ain't like that now. I'm thinking I might be running an electric conversion someday, but keeping the same truck anyway.

 

Here's something to ponder. Nearly all new cars are in one way or another run off computer components, relays, sensors, etc. Once those shit the bed, there is no real backyard mechanic (at least from our generations that I know of) that can fix those doohickies. We are assuming these parts, particularly the ever-so-important chips will continue to be reproduced.
I have already heard a few stories where car owners (I think even one Corvette owner) was unable to fix their cars because the "brains" were unavailable and no longer manufactured.
If that isn't a sign of where the restoration of late model cars is going, I don't know what is.
Aside from a few well built machines on the road theses days, most cars are not something you'd think to hold on to for generations, but are like so much else of our pre-fabbed particle board society: use it up, throw it away, buy a new one.
Besides, I think all the late model stuff is ugly as sin when compared to damn near any vintage tin model. But that's not swaying my opinion at all.
Maybe I'm off base and the tuner crowd can fix burnt out chips ... in their mother's basement with a soldering iron. More power to them.

 

Funny question as I was following an Oldsmobile Aroura to work today and wondering the same thing. I was thinking the rounded Buick Riviera from a few years back would likely become something people would be after.

I think people will still be hot rodding the same old cars we are hot rodding now. What, are all the 32 Fords gonna get kidnapped by aliens or something?

New cars that get hot rodded aren't considered hot rods by this group so without some perception shifting there are none. Hondas, Mazdas, Nissans are the new hot rods like the guy said.

Who would have ever thought that anyone would ever want a four door 73 Caprice, yet look at those donk guys. Good for them, modifying a car no one wants. Not my style but a young guy wrenching a car is better than one playing video games anyday.

 

No more than 100,000 miles?

My '94 Escort Hooptiwagon has 236K and is still running strong...

not that I see it as a future custom, unless I can find me some cool 23" spinners and add a ricerocket exhaust, tint the windows and add a whaletail!

 

In my ner-to-be-humble opinion, it's all cyclic........it all comes back around again. Cars/hot rods will take different shapes governed by whatever is available, trends will come and go as the new stuff looses it's "shine" and eventually some vehicles will emerge as the next "classic". Most of us clinging to our '30s and '40s stuff will fade away, but I have a glimmer of hope.....and that's in my 30 year old son's garage. His 1941 Ford project sitting next to his chopped, slammed, shaved 1951 shoebox. He was raised with this stuff, has retained alot of the values and ideals that I passed on to him and hopefully he will pass this along to my 5 year old grand son (who is already showing signs that he is a "car guy").

 

I believe what we think of 'hot rodding' is very much part of the old car culture.

I don't think cars made recently will ever turn into 'hot rods' in the future, in the sense and understanding we have of the term.

You will need a computer and programming skills more than welding or mechanical skills.
I imagine kids probably already have their own new word for 'hot rod'.

 

As far as slightly earlier GM stuff i gotta agree. In fact i'll go as far as truck's up to current date.. Seem's two wheel drive truck's have alway's been a popular vehicle to modify.
As far as the G body..I had a few of them myself before they started to become interesting fodder..
I did a frame off on an 81 Malibu back in the mid 90's and built it into a street strip car. They are nice because they are mid size, full frame and you can do anything with them that you could on an old ride..Some even came with factory manual transmission's too. That's what mine was..In fact, i had 3 of them that were stick's. 2 ElCamino's and one Malibu.

Current stuff, i'd say the typical F body's, Mustang's and some of the new Mopar addition's as well..
With the introduction of Import's, i'm sure they too will have a large following as they do now..just not the same as the stuff we are mostly into in my opinion.

For myself, if i'm still able to do this and don't have any 'vintage' tin, i could see me doing a GM truck...
Hopefully it'll never come to that in my lifetime

Tony

 

Yeah, I see the electronics as a big hurdle to overcome when they're rodding 2007 model year cars 30 years from now. Not impossible, but much more complicated and expensive than piecing together one of our old hot rods that just have basic wiring harnesses.... Hell, I'm an engineer (EET), have converted 2 vehicles to EFI, and it would intimidate me.

I think the new mustangs will be popular hot rods someday, they're plentiful, cheap, and look good. RWD Dodge cars. Monte Carlos too.

 

I think what people will want is based on high school: People want either the car they drove in high school or the car they WISH they drove in high school...that at least is the whole muscle car/vette scene.
I suspect Hondas will fall into the same line as '32 Fords and '55 Chevys...kids have them, kids want them, there are cool easy engine swaps, there are tons of hop up parts...plus, except the earliest ones, they seem to be holding up in large numbers.
The people now interested in GM G bodies, Caprices, late pickups, seem to be the same people as musclecars. Extinction looms.
'32 Fords and '55 Chevies??? I dunno...they are correctly viewed as too damn expensive to get into, and I think the majority of these cars are generally seen at geeky streetrodder shows with fake drive in trays and back to the '50's crap that seem almost agressively uncool and anti-young people.
I see younger people in some numbers attracted to both traditional rods and to ratrods (many of them think this is just one category, too...WTH??) but again the entry price is damn serious. Many ratrods I suspect cost more than streetrods, because all the parts seen as cool are expensive...and traditional stuff is absolutely getting WAY more expensive than 1-800-streetrod stuff. I know I couldn't afford now to replace a damn thing that's in my garage...ebay and auctions are the beginning of the end for us scroungers, as everyone is getting the idea that any ragged bit of deuce is worth a zillion dollars.