The car shows will change as they have changed from the past to today. I’ve been going to shows for over 30 years and they have changed during that time. Back in the 70’s the cars were about 15-50 years old. That was 1920s to mid 1960s. There were lots of stock Model T, Model A, 55-57 Chevy, 55-56 Ford, Mercury Packard, Duesenberg, Nash, Hudson, Kaiser, etc. I saw my first Tucker at a Rank and Sons Buick show. The muscle cars were cruising on the street and didn’t make it to shows in big numbers then. They weren’t considered show cars and I remember people complaining about those NEW cars being allowed in the OLD car shows. There were very few Hot Rods or Customs to be seen. In the early 80’s, the A’s and T’s started to get rarer and 60’s muscle cars started to show up. Mustangs, Camaros, Chevelles, SS Impalas, 2+2 Pontiacs, Turbo Corvairs, Studebaker Hawks, etc. Later in the 80’sand early 90’s, the early 70’s muscle cars showed up and people were complaining about the NEW 80’s muscle cars being allowed in the OLD car shows. Hot Rods and Customs were starting to show up in larger numbers and original cars before 1940 were seldom seen. In the later 90’s muscle cars, Hot Rods, and 55-57 Chevys were eveywhere. Original cars before 1950 were less than 25% of the shows and Orphan cars were a rare sight. It took a large show like Jefferson or Iola to bring out large numbers of pre 50’s cars. Today I’m seeing 70’s economy cars start to show up. This year I’ve seen late 70s Novas, Vegas, Pintos, Mavericks, Mustang II’s, Gremlins, etc. There seem to be less 50s and early 60’s cars coming to shows. I’m also seeing more 70s-80s full sized cars and Imports. People want to look at and buy the cars they had, or wished they had, when they were younger. Because of this trend, the car shows will change and more Imports and economy cars will start to show up in the next 5-10 years. Reliability is a factor in long distance driving, but not for a show within a days drive. About 12 years ago, a friend and I took his 52 Kaiser to Indy for a show and drove there and back at highway speeds. It’s more the owners don’t want to drive those distances or can’t drive those distances any more. I think the main factor in keeping the newer 90’s cars on the road long enough for them to be seen at shows in 10-15 years is parts availability. Will the computers and sensors be available to keep them running? Will the body parts be available to replace rusted or dented panels? Will the plastic parts be able to be saved or replaced as they fade and crack? I think Hot Rods and muscle cars will always be around because they are seen and wanted by younger people. Even the Fast and Furious movies used American muscle cars. The first one was all Imports until the big race. Then a Charger showed up. The latest one started out with a race between a Monte Carlo and a Viper. It ended with a Mustang winning the last race. It didn’t have the original V8, but it was still the Mustang body. The shows will evolve as they have in the past and the cars people remember and want to see will be at them. The cars are still mainly 15-50 years old, but now that is mid 1950’s to early 1990s.

I feel exactly the same at many shows with the newer cars. I did stop and look at the ones at Mayville and was quite surprised on the amount of money the “kids” put into those cars, but it’s what they desire. I also feel if someone has $30K to stick into a car, I’d buy a muscle car first, but not everyone agrees. I’ll never forget driving our 68 SS Nova a few years back near the high school and the kids walking nearby yelled wondering what on earth we were driving. Very sad, but true! Many of the cars at shows today were around long before they were even born ~ or thought of! icon_cheesygrin.gif

Duplicate entry sorry.

I personally don’t see a problem with parts availablity. Just go on line and you can find all the parts you need, plastic or not for any late model car you have. And as the number of production cars increases the aftermarket parts company will follow in suite to provide the necessary parts. Computers in cars have been around for more that 20 years. Even though, they have become more sophisticated they are very dependable and easily obtained. If there is a problem they are basically throw away items and replaced with new units. And those who grew or grow up with the systems of these new era vehicles will acquire the knowledge to keep them on the road just as many of us have to keep the older vehicles on the road. Just look at the number of these type cars on the street today. I also think as we see the air become more polluted and our dependency on fossil fuels continue to grow in the next 5-15 years you will see state legistators attempt, as they have in many states, to place restrictions on the collector car hobby. That will certainly be a sad day and I know SEMA will fight it tooth and nail. As the Baby Boomers continue to age the car show will become more and more dominated by later and later model cars. It is a fact of life. You will see the great muscles cars of the 60s retreat to the museums and individual car collections just as those from 1900-1950s have done. I have seen this trend over the past 40 years repeat itself over and over. And what happens when Hydrogen fueled vehicles hit the road. Won’t that be interesting.

Got this from a help site. Covers my point about parts availability as the 90’s cars need parts for repair or restoration. He’s thinking about repair or taking the insurance money because it was declared a total loss and has this to say:
“I drive (or drove) a ’94 Suzuki Swift GT. This past Saturday night I was rear-ended by another driver. The insurance adjustor from the other driver’s insurance company checked it out today and is declaring it a total loss, declaring that the repairs will cost more than the value of the car. The NADA value of my car is about $1,600, although mine has a few dents and dings, and a broken fog light, that reduce the value. A good friend of mine is urging me to challenge the ruling and get it fixed. I’m not so sure about that. The estimate the adjustor gave me is a little over $3,000.00. I’m wondering if I should have another garage take a look at it and see what they have to say? One possible issue is that given the car’s age, parts might be hard to get. I’ve been functioning with one wiper for a while because my usual garage has been unable to locate another wiper assembly. The car’s had a few electrical problems for a while, as well; the rear defrost hasn’t worked, the rear wiper hasn’t worked, and the radio was sporadic.”