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As the years go by the selection of cars generally showing up at the shows changes. It used to be more 40-50s classics at the shows, now a lot of them are 60-70s muscle cars. Is this trend going to continue, and if so how fast? Obviously there are a lot of factors to consider with this. First off obviously each generation likes their own vehicles, so will the car shows eventually transition to mostly 80-90s vehicles, or are some muscle/classic cars so timeless they will still be popular? Also is it a factor to consider that cars of the 30s-40s ect weren’t as reliable as the 60s-70s and thus you will still see more of the muscle cars/later era cars at the shows, just because they’re a more pratical classic?
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As the Classic Car Show and Car Show circuit continues to evolve I think you will see a change in the style, make, models and years of the cars and trucks slowly move from the 60/70 era to the era of increased classes for imports and more overall classes to included all enthusiast. I hope the 60/70 cars do not fade away as we have seen happen to many cars through the 50s. Lets face it times are achanging all cars and trucks old or new, import or American are part the American Car Culture History. An indication of this can easily be seen on TV. The number of shows dealing with imports and tuners is on the rise reflecting the increase of interest in these types vehicles by age group and advertisers following the trend. Times change, as does the demographics of car enthusiast. Will the car culture along with the type and style of Car Shows change? Of course it will, it has to.
Lets hope not to fast though.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.
Quote: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?This is a great point. Like you said there used to be a lot more older cars like Model Ts at the shows, but those weren’t very reliable for longer distance travel – the technology just wasn’t as far developed. On the other end of the spectrum the newer cars use such complex computer technology that it may make it almost impossible for hobbyists to restore and customize these cars – both with availability of specific parts/prices but also the knowledge of how it works! Because of this, does this mean the 50s-70s classics are a better target for the future of the collector car hobby and car shows? These cars are more reliable than a Model T but yet also are a simple enough technology so that everyone can work on their car without having a degree in computers and auto mechanics. Do these things factor in? Will this mean that the collector car hobby will center around these cars moreso in the future because of these reasons?
Also at least for me I don’t see much appeal of newer cars because they all look the same. They have no distinctive designs in comparison with each other. How will this affect the hobby?
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
What do you think will be the future of car shows taking into account the reliability I mentioned above of the older classics vs the technology-heavy modern day cars?
Duplicate entry sorry.
I think it is rediculous that a state legislator would try and put restrictions on the collector car hobby! The amount of pollution the collector cars put out is no where near what the rest of the vehicles on the road are emitting – look at how many more of them there are and how much more they are driven! There is the source of the problem!
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.
Yes it very disconcerning. Check out the next car mag. you get look for trends in the states. You will see what is being considered and the action SEMA is taking to prevent these incursions in to the car hobby. And the impact of the CARB on aftermarket parts. What would happen if every state used the same guidelines that the CARB mandates. And if you look at some of the Wisconsin Motor Vehicle Laws you might be surprized what they have to say.
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.”Hi. Did some checking and I found several web site locations which supply Suzuki Parts. I found the wiper blades at the Auto Zone web site for example. So I think with a little research the parts that were needed could be found.
Jim
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