Nostalgia on the Road

| 1 Comment

If I had unlimited money and/or time, what car would I want to fetishize?

My new ride

Eyes on the Road - WSJ.com:
This past weekend, around a million people converged on the stretch of Woodward Avenue between Pontiac, Mich. and Ferndale, Mich. for the annual “Woodward Dream Cruise,” a celebration of the Motor City's glory days made that much more emotional by the present day tribulations of Detroit's Not So Big Three. Meanwhile, in Monterey, Calif., a smaller and generally wealthier crowd of car aficionados assembled for the annual Pebble Beach Automotive Weekend, a festival that celebrates the automobile as collectible fine art.
These events represent two distinct branches of American car culture, separated at one level by the number of digits in the personal net worth of the average attendee. Among the Dream Cruise's signature cars this year was the 1957 Chevy Bel Air, celebrating its 50th Anniversary. At Pebble Beach, the featured makes were Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg and Aston Martin. Among the cars expected to generate particular excitement at Pebble, according to AutoWeek magazine's Larry Edsall, was an unrestored 1950 Ferrari 166MM Touring Barchetta found languishing under some rugs in the Arizona desert – the automotive equivalent of finding a Picasso in Granny's attic.

So 25 years from now, what will classic car fanatics be parading down Woodward Avenue or bidding on at Pebble Beach? What cars will emerge from beneath oily rags to delight some middle-aged buff in 2032? Will we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1982 Chrysler LeBaron?

It's not an easy question. There have been some fairly severe automotive design droughts during the past 25 years or so. Will someone who discovers a 1982 Chevrolet Citation under a drop cloth in the old barn experience any form of excitement – unless that person happens to need something to run in a demolition derby?

Yes I Do Have a Small One;

Well, it won't be a 1973 Chevy Nova (like the one I toured the Eastern Seaboard in with my uncle Phil), nor a Ford Fairmont, nor any box car of the 80s and 90s. In fact, there aren't many modern cars I would get too juiced over owning (other than the obvious answer of a super expensive sports cars, and even these, I suspect, would be more flash than substance, and not driven often). Maybe a Citroen if they brought back those funky retractable wheels?

Technorati Tags: ,


house, Ketchikan Alaska

At the high end, the key to collectibility will, as always, be rarity. Exotic cars such as the Bugatti Veyron, as well as certain limited run Ferraris and Porsches will likely grace Pebble Beach auctions of the future, says Rob Myers, founder of RM Auctions, the big classic car restoration and auction company that runs a sports and classic car auction at Pebble Beach. Mr. Myers points to some more attainable cars that could find favor in the future, including the Datsun 240Z and the Dodge Viper and Plymouth Prowler. A few 1980s and 1990s Detroit cars could have promise, too, he says, such as the limited production Buick GNX, or special edition Ford Mustangs such as the Bullitt model.

Chrysler designer Ralph Gilles, who led the styling team for the popular Chrysler 300, says in an email he expects cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the Pontiac Solstice convertible, the original Audi TT, the new Beetle and the Mini Cooper S will have a following in the future. He also puts in a vote for several Chrysler models, including the Viper, Prowler, the convertible PT Cruiser, the forthcoming Challenger and the 300C in “modified form.”

Mr. Gilles gets a seconding vote for the 300C, specifically the limited run SRT8 model, from automotive consultant Jim Hall of AutoPacific Corp. Mr. Hall says Cadillac CTS-V series models equipped with 5.7 liter engines will be collectible as well, because informed enthusiasts (such as himself) will know that these engines used certain exotic racing technology, such as titanium rods, to achieve extra power.

Future Woodward Dream cruises could also feature more cars from the extreme edge of today's tuner culture. “You will see crazy hot Honda Civics, I mean crazy hot,” says Mr. Hall. “Three hundred to 500 horsepower going through the front wheels. It's an internal combustion hand grenade.”

One challenge Mr. Hall predicts will confront collectors who want to preserve today's cars as future classics: Maintaining and replacing the on-board computers. “There will be a business for someone who can build a generic computer, plug and play” to allow a current car to keep rolling 25 years from now, he says.

---

a different sort of take, from a Detroit native, here

1 Comment

That first car just exudes class. They just don't make them like they used to.

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Seth A. published on August 21, 2007 10:52 PM.

Cutting Cancer Risk When Grilling was the previous entry in this blog.

links for 2007-08-22 is the next entry in this blog.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

Pages

Powered by Movable Type 4.37