by Vince Capece

Created on: April 24, 2008   Last Updated: November 07, 2008

It may seem that the classic car hobby is falling by the wayside, but it's just not the case. The hobby and the people in it are changing.

How are people in the automotive hobby changing? If you were a car person in 1975 in the US, you were a GM fan, Ford fan, or Mopar fan. There were a few Volkswagen people and MG or Triumph people, but the import people were the exception. For the most part, "car guys" had a Chevrolet or a Ford or a Dodge/Plymouth, and that was about it.

Their cars were something else. Back then, it was relatively easy to swap an engine and transmission for a more powerful setup. Swapping rear ends on these rear wheel drive cars was also fairly straight forward. And parts could be traded between different vehicles to piece together the ultimate ride. Whether you were restoring or modifying, everyone knew what to do and where to get the parts.

Today, those "old school" hobbyists look down upon the new guys. All of those "kids" with their Hondas and Mitsubishis and Subarus hooked up with the latest computer chips and loud mufflers aren't in the same league as the "real" car guys with their Mustangs and Camaros and Barracudas, at least in the minds of the Old Schoolers.

It's not that they're better or worse, they're just different. The modern "sport compact" tuner works within the parameters of their vehicle. Where someone could replace the standard 2bbl carb with a 4bbl Holley 40 years ago, today bigger injectors or remapping the computer will accomplish similar changes. And while modern front-drive vehicles do not make it easy to replace the engine, there are potential swaps with beefier engines not offered in the US market...usually known as JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) engines to the Asian tuners.

When the hot rodders in the 1950s took Model T Fords and 1930s business coupes and dropped newer, more powerful engines in them, they were ridiculed and laughed at. I'm sure that the muscle car guys of the 1960s and early 1970s were abused by those who came before them for not doing much work on their vehicles other than "simply" dropping in a larger engine. And today, all of those guys laugh at the sport compact tuners who do more electronic work than actual engine modification. But there's room for everyone in this hobby.

Why don't more people see that all of these people are doing the same thing? They're all making their cars personal. It's not just about speed or handling or paint or exhaust note...it's about all of those things and how they come together to make a statement. It's a personal statement just like the clothes you wear or the music you listen to or the places you go to be seen.

What's my taste is not yours, nor would I want it to be. What's your taste may not appeal to me, but I appreciate the work and dedication you've invested in your project. We're all in this hobby together and there's no need for one group to abuse the other. Some joking is fine like the Ford vs Chevy rivalries, but when it comes down to it, both sides admire each other's efforts. And that's how it should be no matter if you're driving a Duesenberg or a rodded Yugo.

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