What cars made recently will be future hot rod/cusotm material?

In order to answer the question correctly, one has to define hot rod. Can any late model car be a hot rod or are there such traditional boundaries to the term that only cars up to the 50's qualify? I define it as any car modified to increase performance as a priority to appearance. Lots of todays cars have great HP and response that can be increased by those that understand the electronics involved. Those of us that live in the non-electronic world will never get involved with the new cars at a performance level, so it will be up to those younger to define what new cars could be hot rods. I cannot define anything post-40 with 4 doors as a hot rod myself, but I see lots of younger people that don't have my predjudice.

 

NONE OF tHEM

 

Electronics will be the salvation of electronic cars.

Each day new standalone control systems get cheaper and computer processing power gets cheaper. Retro-fit fuel injection systems in 20 years will be smart enough to compensate for stupid users, truly plug and play. Chips will be a thing of the past.

Guys doing this today are routinely updating 15 year old "chip" F.I. cars to newer control systems which are laptop dependent instead. In a way, chips are already obsolete.

 

This isn't a very good question to ask on a traditional hot rod forum. Of course the vast majority of you are going to say that new cars suck, give me my old iron, etc. But if you look around at drag strips, street lights, minitruck shows, the term "hot rod" is taking a new form. Let's be honest, there aren't too many 32 Ford's to go around, and the ones that are out there are so far out of reach for the average enthusiast (I have a ton of respect for those of you that go to any lengths to own and build your dream ride). Take a look at some of those imports. Do you see the kind of ET they are turning at the drag strip? My brother owns a civic that runs quite a bit quicker than a lot of traditional hot rods. These guys are making these things go! Take a look at the minitruck scene. These are the modern customizers. They do the same body mods as the traditional crowd, and then some. They are doing what they can with what they got. I recently bought a Magnum R/T as a daily driver. As I look around, some of these guys got these things running in the 11's! It's a station wagon! Hot rodding will never die, it's just taking on a new form with the younger crowd. I'm not into tuner cars, prefer old american muscle, I'd rather drive a 50 Merc full custom anyday over my slammed S-10, but I am sometimes amazed at what these guys are doing with the newer car.

 

This isn't the direction I wanted this to take. I just wondered how many cars to day are going to be sought out by builders in the future. Like a Lincoln Town Car, or some of the new caddies.

 

5.0 mustangs. They were fast when new, and with some "cheap" junk yard parts, can be be very fast. My buddy has a 5.0 87ish or whatever. Stock bottom end, never been apart. He put some GT-90 heads on it, and a turbo off of a Volvo from pick-n-pull, and made his own plumbing to get it to work. Some other bolt on speed parts, stock rear with posi and aftermarket axles, slicks, and he has a high 10 second car. All for about 4000.00. If that isn't hotrodding, Tell me what is?

 

Look at 32 Fords. I think we can all agree that they are the image that comes to mind when you say "HOTROD". Shit, a 3 window coupe was built by Ford to be marketed twards women drivers
When Ford built these these cars, in the middle of the depression mind you, Do you think they thought these cars would be around in 2007? Hell no. and they were driven as cars, crashed, burned, shot up and left for dead in fields. Worthless. Now look at them. Everyone wants one. But there was a time when no one wanted one. They were an ordany newer car, but with technology, who would want an ugly, unreliable, cold to drive in the snow 32 Ford roadster, when you could have a brand spankin new 1938 Ford standard 4 door sedan? Same concept as today, kinda.
Sorry for the ramble, and I'm not pickin on 32's or 38's, just used as an example.


Wait and see. When the "good" cars are gone, do you think people will just quite buidling cars???

 

Scion xb. Ok, go ahead and laugh. It'll be the modern version of the mid 60s econoline.

 

the new mustangs for sure, if only GM would make the 67-69 retro camaros as simple as ford has made the mustangs, but it looks like its going to be some high priced dumb looking thing that no one will want to mess with, i keep looking at the price of the mustangs thinking i'd like to drop a cobra jet in one and add some bumpers.

 

Computers wont be needed. If we can adapt the old technologies of timing with non fuel injection then we should be able to get any car on the road. New style adaptations are being made all the time for the earlier engines in both of those areas. There is no reason why it can't be reversed to make the engines run without those requirements. I can't see any pre 60 bodys availability start to change what is considered a traditional hotrod until another 60 years.
Look what is happening to the early 30 and 40's rods that were made in the 70's and 80's...
alot of them are being adapted to more popular traditional flavors.

 

Who says it will be cars that will be "hot rodded"?

In the future, kids will be hot rodding their own personal robots.

 

Maybe not a Hot-Rod but this would make a cool custom.
86 Merc that I photochopped.
Can probably get one cheap these days. Right now its just an "old" car.

 

I AGREE! Plastics and electronics will make it too far from cost effective to restore. Plus the lack of charactor in the newer cars. My suspicion is, we will like the same cars in 30 yrs that we do now. I like the same cars I liked 30 yrs AGO

 

heh.....tell me about it! my kids are seriously into robots. Saturday we're heading up to phoenix for another competition.

 

I haven't been too involved in the early iron.... I am into the 60-70's muscle cars so here are my thoughts. 82-92 Camaros and 86-93 Mustangs are starting to make a killing to the "restorer crowd" 78-87 G-bodies, especially stick shift cars, 442's Grand Prix's and GN/T-Types are the major resto candidates.

Its the cars that people had in high school. 10-15 years from now you are going to see SRT-4's, EVO VIII's, WRX's, Type R Hondas and shit are going to be the next restorers rage.....

 

None. I just don't see it. Not interested.

The time of America being a car crazy society has passed (present company excepted). People are more interested in souping up their PC than a car today. JMO.

 

I agree with Chris. The 5.0 Mustang became the 55 Chevy of out time. Cheap to run and fast as hell....

 

As said earlier, the new Mustangs (05 and later) are very good canidates. My wife has an 05. I am not a Ford guy or a Mustnag fan but I like that car. I agree that GM is missing the boat on the retro craze.

Pickups will always be popular. The Dodge Magnum station wagon is another one that is going to be easy.

 

I dunno, what about that Chevy SSR? That's a pretty neat little truck, but I guess there isn't really much room for modification.

 

My old Caprice had 225,000 miles on it when I sold it, and it was a really good car. Easy to work on, easy to get parts for, very reliable. I'm really happy with these mid-90's B-bodies.

 

Since Bonneville and El Mirage seem to be accepted as "Traditional Hot Rodding" look around there and see whats showing up. Camaros, Mustangs, Monzas, Rice burners, pickups. Reasonably sized cars, reasonably cheap, that a big engine will fit into. That's what Hot Rods have always been.

 

i see a problem with trying to find parts when the more recent cars getting old,are the after market company's going to keep making these electronic parts that keep them running?.will the dealer in 2020 have parts for you 2001 car,my guess is no,if your plastic intake develops a crack will you be able to find one to replace it?,when the computer fries how hard will it be to find one of those,then again maybe you could just put in a sbc and take it to the local lick and stick guy

 

I've been wondering about the plastics as well, but I live in the desert, and my car lives outside. Its a 97 Saturn SL2 that still looks new, except for the clear-coat ecxema.