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Topic
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Fender Skirts
I haven’t thought about “fender skirts” in years. When I was
a kid, I considered it such a funny term. Made me think of a
car in a dress. Thinking about “fender skirts” started me
thinking about other words that quietly disappear from our
language with hardly a notice.Like “curb feelers” and “steering knobs.” Since I’d been
thinking of cars, my mind naturally went that direction
first. Any kids will probably have to find some elderly
person over 50 to explain some of these terms to you.Remember “Continental kits?” They were rear bumper extenders
and spare tire covers that were supposed to make any car as
cool as a Lincoln Continental.When did we quit calling them “emergency brakes?” At some
point “parking brake” became the proper term But I miss the
hint of drama that went with “emergency brake.”I’m sad, too, that almost all the old folks are gone who
would call the accelerator the “foot feed.”Didn’t you ever wait at the street for your daddy to come
home, so you could ride the “running board” up to the house?
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what will kids remember out today? hmmm
1: price of gas…possibly the fact that the fuel is gas too.
2: Toyota dominating the mass-customization tool.
3: The decline of Nascar and the death of American open wheel (IRL and CART).
4: The rebirth of car design and styling that seemed so dead in the 80s till about a year ago.
5: Big rims, small tires, a/v systems, crazy body kits
6: Large vehicles, SUVs, huge trucks…and how they were a bit of a mistake for the big 3
I may be young, but I do know about steering knobs, curb feelers, continetal kits, von dutch style, sling bodies, lead sleads, rats, west coast rods style, and that Adolf Hitler was the impetus behind VW.
Hurray for being a car enthusiast…tons of impracticle knowledge lol.
How about what this young (well, 26) guy remembers about cars…..
1. People used to buy pickup trucks because they had a use for them, not because they were “cool”
2. The Hummer was a military vehicle….like a tank or a fighter jet.
3. Tune port injection
4. Cross-fire injection
5. Chrysler’s ‘K’ cars… icon_vomit1.gif My Grandparents had an Aries…
6. The family car was a ’79 Olds 98 because mini van’s didn’t exist
7. You could ride on your dad’s lap while driving thru town because no one thought is was unsafe
8. Gas was $1.00 a gallon crybaby2.gif
9. Air conditioning was an accesory
10. Loud pipes DID save lives
11. What Emissions?
12. 1987-When Chevrolet had there first fuel injected truck icon_applause.gif
Quote:…and that Adolf Hitler was the impetus behind VW.Hurray for being a car enthusiast…tons of impracticle knowledge lol.
You bring up some great history with that statement about Adolf. It is amazing to think that without Hitler taking a chance on an idea that Mercedes thought as foolish, Porsche may not have ever happened. To think that Ferdinand Porsche was working for the Mercedes race team when he came up with the idea of a mid-engine air-cooled car and Mercedes told him that it was not a good idea. So Porsche went to the government to ask for funding for a “vehicle for the people” or Volkswagon. Adolf Hitler, the crazy megalomaniac, took chance a an automotive vision that Mercedes, one of the all time great car makers, wouldn’t. That vehicle became the best selling vehicle of all time, with the longest production run ever. I think they produced the Beetle for more than 35 years. And that chance that Hitler took eventually led to Porsche having money to start one of the greatest sports car companies.
I think it will also be remembered that impractical cars built to only do one thing, go fast in a straight line, went from being unpopular gas guzzlers to million dollar investments. I mean how many Daytona Chargers and Superbirds sat on lots for months because they were funny looking and impractical?
One thing they won’t remember is how dependable they are as far as starting in cold weather compared to the carbureted engines. I think that is the biggest improvement over the years.
Quote:I think it will also be remembered that impractical cars built to only do one thing, go fast in a straight line, went from being unpopular gas guzzlers to million dollar investments. I mean how many Daytona Chargers and Superbirds sat on lots for months because they were funny looking and impractical?Months? If the dealer was lucky, some sat on dealer lots for years!!! I have an article in a Chrysler book that was written in 1972 and tells about how dealers would remove the wings and nosecones then sell the cars as regular chargers and roadrunners just to get rid of them.
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