Auto hobby fads (what will replace rice?)

[Ghoste]

I don't think the current rage for rice is dead yet and the serious import tuners are well established that I think it's safe to say they'll continue, but at some point the need to put fart cans, goofy wings and body kits will go away.  Anyone care to look in their crystal ball to try and predict the next big thing?

[69bronzeT5]

My best guess.....new muscle cars. They are really awesome though so I wouldn't call it too much of a fad.

[b5blue]

The way the market is heading.....electric go carts. 

[Mike DC]

Interesting question.



I wonder about the off-roader thing.  We've had tons of SUVs built in the last 20 years, purely for on-road usage, and yet that doesn't seem to have influenced the looks of other cars much at all.  We've been so far down the road of smooth-surface-only buildups that I can't help but wonder about going the other way.


It sounds bizarre now, but of course most big changes do.  Think about it:

Once upon a time people jacked up their musclecars with air shocks.  And made 4x4 conversions out of them.  And raced Oldsmobiles & Beetles at Baja.  There was even an early Ford commercial that showed a stock Mustang being driven through a creekbed full of rocks & a couple inches of water.

[Ghoste]

4X4's have had a few periods in the sun around here but I do notice more Jeep owners starting to get them dirty again so you could be on to something there Mike.

[Mike DC]

  
Think:  WRC Rally racing.  




Gravel roads, tight turns, getting air over the crest of hills, etc.  

It's a popular European sport(?!?) that's been around for ages over there.  It's been heavily shown in high-end video games for years too.  But it's totally not showing in the existing American hot rod scene up to now.  We've been doing it for decades here too (anybody ever seen a Dukes episode?) but we've always just called it car abuse.  We've never been into actually building cars to withstand and perform well at it.  

All this smells like a possible new trend to me.  


---------------------------------



The biggest thing working against it is probably the potential for bodywork abuse.  

The American musclecar scene is very fond of dumping $15K into a rustbucket repair and we don't like ANYTHING that risks screwing it up afterwards.  (IMHO this is a huge part of the popularly of amateur drag racing.  Even at its highest levels drag racing is basically still about breaking mechanical parts and nothing else.)

But will this really stop it from becoming popular?  Maybe not.  Maybe it'll just stop the musclecar guys from getting into it.

 

[Smokey Bear]

Racing is too expensive and structured to become a "fad" (IMO).  Fads are more like the use of neon (THAT was awful!) or spinners.

I'm not sure that ricers are really a fad. Sure there are a lot of posers, but the import car performance trend is just as solidly established as muscle cars.

[Brock Samson]

  These "Green" carts... ooops, I meant Cars,.. are getting pretty big around here... I've got several pics of them in different folders on my Comp,.. mostly pretty boring, but i might find the energy to post some up for you,.. most are really ugly yawners but,.. there's this one.....  
I haven't posted them before becuse i know how much you guys appreciate tiny green ugly imports with less then 100 HP... and 12 inch tires..

ok i resized a bunch... I'm gonna post here..

[Brock Samson]

i know, I know those are soooo frakin ugly!..
I understand and will now post something to take the horrific taste away...
PFFFFT!!..

[Brock Samson]

 I think the ford belongs to the same guy/shop that owns the orange whatever the *&%! that is...
The Ford F-100 was really nice and seems completly Orig...


Now I saw this trailered sports car and knew what it was though it took a minute to go back the 40 years in my mind to make the connection...
I guess it's gonna make a hit at the show.. for it's novelty...
I think it's actually smaller then an MGB Midget..
notice too,.. it's being towed by a honda truck...   

[Brock Samson]

I'm gonna post up a couple others somewhat unrelated just because i took then about the same day... and to get rid of the image of them fugly things...

[Nitrox]

Whatever it is, I hope its American!!!!

[Skinypete]

Referring back to the post about people not being afraid to get their jeep dirty again, just look left... I would love to start off roading and rally racing, but money is tied up in the 74 Charger and maybe a 70 Road Runner in a couple days.

[Brock Samson]

here's the most interesting of the new Mini carts,.. excuse me,.. I mean "Cars" I've seen running around...
Not to steal any of the thunder from the Wing cars in a barn thread currently launguishing over in the Areocars section... or anything... 

[Brock Samson]

This thing had a huge crowd of people around it, at 10:00 at night on a weekday,.. everyone was taking pictures with their cell phones, smiling and looking inside, the materials looked very much high-performance and Motorcycle derived, a tandem two seater the seats had a folding sliding arrangment, and was really very innovative...
I'm gonna look for a link to ID the thing...

found it! called the "Tango"
http://www.commutercars.com/

"Most electric cars, especially small ones, are thought to be slow and weak. We set out to blow some minds by designing the Tango to accelerate through the standing 1/4 mile in 12 seconds at over 120 mph - and travel from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds.

"The Tango can do this because it has two motors, with each motor having more Torque than a Dodge Viper V10 engine, starting at zero RPM. Who would think a car this narrow could compete? Consider all the cars we beat! The Tango beat the Tesla Roadster and Shelby Cobra in separate drag races, as well as several Corvettes in an autocross."

[rt green]

yes its fast, but sadly, its still a gay looking auto coffin. when they pick up whats left of it from a wreck, they'll be surprised that the guy wasn't wearing a clown suit.

[Chad L. Magee]

My guess would either be the ecocars that people mentioned before, or the new versions of the Hummers that will be produced from China in due time.  I could see the tuners going into that mode, but not so much the green stuff.....

[The70RT]

Maybe not the next but how about electric classic / muscle cars? When all the electric motor thing gets figured out we could be putting electric motors in our Chargers    or classic because of some stupid law in the future or pay some outlandish tax. I remember seeing an electric S-10 that was crazy fast. We will probably never see it but hey I guess you never know. A recording of a gas engine would have to be incorporated in a sound system of some sort to make it sound like it looks 

[FLG]

As long as we get to keep our chargers and our engines i dont care 

I've driven some decently fast cars (nothing crazy but stuff i know is faster then most of ours (mine included) cars) and yes its nice but i dont get that same feeling as i do in the charger. That old school look and feel just cant be replicated by new stuff.

[Mr.Woolery]

Hmmm...I think there are several "microtrends" that are up and coming in the US:

70s-80s retro Japanese & European imports:  Vintage japanese cars are gaining popularity and value.  Cars that many have forgotten are now becoming the project cars of a new generation.  Datsun 240Z's, Audi Ur-Quattros, early VW Rabbits, for example, are now a hot commodity.  Several websites have a good pulse on this movement, including www.bringatrailer.com

Newer trends in new cars:  Bodykits for the most part are out, but the low offset wheels and even lower ride height look is as strong as ever.  However, there is a new real emphasis on performance (much moreso than seen since the 70s).  The "ricer" movement has matured into some real tuning capabilities.  Some of the more modified cars have the track performance capabilities to back up the looks. Some good places to see this trend include www.speedhunters.com

Vintage Iron is also becoming more and more valuable, especially old cars with any track prep and provenance.  Yesterday's track whore is todays (and tomorrow's) showcar superstar.  This goes for any sort of track venue (strip and roadracing)...but if it qualifies for a vintage event and has provenance, it's "cool factor" and value is skyrocketing.

Old station wagons are becoming cool again.  Station wagon hotrods doubly so.

70's over the top paintjob hotrods, depending on condition, are coming back around and into a sort of nostalgic vogue.  The 40 different color & effects 70's Vette that looked hideous 10 years ago is now a nostalgic curiosity that's bordering on a sort of uber-cool status...expect these survivors to start cropping up and fetching looks and $$.  Corvette Summer 'vettes, Smokey & The Bandit Trans Ams are coming into vogue again.

[Brock Samson]

 They are?..

[Brock Lee]

The Caprices, LTD's, and Crown Vics have been moving out of the ghetto into other areas. They are cheap and comfortable rides. Parts are easy to get. especially for decommissioned cop cars. And they are plentiful enough to stay cheap.

[BigRed66]

I don't know if it's because the Pentastar is draped in red, white, and green these days, but, I like the looks of this car, (Fiat Bravo...might look good with a cross-hair grille) and think it could be a future tuner...

[Old Moparz]

The new fad would have to be something that the younger drivers can afford. It also will have to be the next thing that can be legally done to modify the vehicle. Well, maybe just fit into the gray area of what is not considered illegal just yet. When the 70's forced all the new emissions standards, it became impossible to pass state inspection after you modified the car. Other than mag wheels, weird paint, & a stereo, there wasn't a whole lot you could do to your car. I think that's a big reason that today's import cars have mag wheels with rubber bands instead of tires, goofy wings, & 72 inch flat screen TV's in the head rests.

[ITSA426]

All this, and I can't even adjust to metric wrenches.