ok, im sure many will think this is off topic, but i don't think so. my question is this, what year do you consider to be the year that a car is a "late model"?? the reason i ask is simple curiosity. when i was a kid, my dad and his friends considered 55 and newer to be late model. mostly due to the new bodys and powertrain improvements that were introduced around that time period. when i got involved with the KKOA and subsequently the HAMB, its seems that the accepted definition of latemodel had shifted to 1965 or newer. i joined the KKOA 20 years ago. they have built a lot of cars since then. and to most younger folks ten to fifteen year old cars are OLD. do you see the line for "late models" moving forward any time soon?
i consider 75 and newer late model but being 23 i wasnt even a thought at that time. i sure hope the line doesnt ever move. EVER!
I believe the " general" consensous here is a 1962 cut off. Nothing is etched in stone, and only a select few here actually believe in the " HAMB police ", the toothe fairy, and W.M.D.s.
in my opinion; late model 10 years old and newer, beaters 20 to 10 years old, anything that came with a carburetor that has electric wires plugged into it i call junk, cars built during the '70's gas crunch i call a disappointment, then the older it gets the cooler.
To me, keys in the column equals late model. Pretty sure anything later than '63 is off-topic, not that anyone seems to have any respect for that.
I think of late sixties and newer as late models mainly because they were still pretty new when i was young.
I suggest that, by defintion, "late model" is a rolling number...........it's relative to now.....whenever "now" is. What I think you are asking is, what period vehicles appeal most to each of us as individuals...........that is often, though not always, relative too. Perhaps less so on the HAMB than in other venues. One's age, and the cars they grew up with and were influenced by, frequently are the hobby cars we favor most. Ray
So how does one classify a Checker Marathon built in the 1980's? [new york city taxi cab] Exact same body from the late 50's up untill production ended in '82... Think about it.
i agree with what you are saying here. because of some things i have read on the HAMB i was and am curious about what people here, as opposed to people in general , might consider as latemodel. like i said my dad and his friends influenced me and i grew up seeing 55 and later as latemodel, but time and other experiances have altered that perception for me. i think of cars within a ten year period from new as late model but i am under no assumption that my definition should be the accepted definition and certainly dont think that it should be the focus of the HAMB. i am perfectly satisfied for the most part for the general rules of acceptence on this message board.
basede on my stated definition i wouldnt consider any of them as latemodel, currently. some just older than others, and a remarkable production run. but it is an interesting question that probably would stir up quite a controversy if they were still in production now.
Interestingly enough... All the original sheet metal dies and production equipment survives for the Marathon. Some of it is on display at the Checker museum in Kalamazoo. The rest of it is in storage. There have been several attempts to put the car back into production. The biggest problem being the DOT and modern safety regs, which is what killed it in the first place.
To me, anything that doesn't qualify for antique plates is a 'late model'. Next year, I'll be able to get antique plates for my '87 VW Jetta... I'll have to agree with Hnstray that this definition should be a rolling number. And, the date only matters to those within a given group where the discussion is taking place. Add to that the fact that the make-up of the group will change over time. Even given agreement on the rolling number idea, we'd have to agree on how old is 'old'? Ah, the things that keep us graybeards awake at night!
I voted for 65 but my late model year floats a bit. When the factory muscle cars started getting that "rounded look" (Chevelles, GTO'S, any Mustang & Chry. products with that "wing") it became late model for me.
The wife and I consider anything in the '65 to '70 range to be late model. they were late model when we were kids, we wanted to own a newer car and we just haven't changed our way of thinking. So if we own say a '68 mustang to us it is still a late model car. that is not to say that we have never owned anything newer just that we still think that a late '60s car is a late model car. I guess that's pretty backwards but we dont fit in with most folks and we don't mind.
I'd say 1975. Anything after that required unleaded gas, makes it a late model for me. I was born in 1965, and at the age of 10 most folks become aware of cars. Classic, vintage, or antique plates should NEVER be applied to anything newer that 1965, IMHO
I guess I consider anything less than 10 years old as late model. Late model to me says cars that are the norm on the streets today.
I certainly wouldn't call most 1975 cars a "late model" but I sure as hell wouldn't call it an "early model" either, unless it came from a car company who's genesis was in the early to mid- 70's. It's all relative.
For me, the Muscle Car era begins the "late model"... But, I like them as well. From a lot of the notes and number of viewers of the 60's era drag racing, I think that most of the folks can even tolerate late 60's/early 70's versions of the Muscle Cars. After '72, I lose interest quickly (cars & music). I still have my '69 Camaro (40 years, now), a '55 & '57 Chevy, a '67 & '69 Nova, a '64 Corvette, and a couple of '33/4 Ford coupe projects. If I had to sell them, the Camaro would be the last to go. Heck, it's older now than a '32 was when I purchased the Camaro. I've had younger guys ask me what kind of car it is and/or what year it is. To a lot of folks, these first & second generation Camaro, Mustangs, and 'cudas are ancient. But, I don't have a problem with these "late models" being excluded from this site. Of course, neither am I offended when someone mentions them. For me, it's more about the style than the year model of the car. I have no interest in the Pro-touring, billet street rod, or Pro-street versions of any of the cars, regardless of the year model body being used. I'd be drawn to check out a survivor '70 GTX over a ProTouring '57 Chevy. Again, for me, it's more about the style rather than the year model. There's another 2 cents worth from me!
To me the cut off line is around 1974. I know the vast majority would disagree with me on this, but it is nice to see pics of cars/trucks from up to about 1969 once and awhile on the HAMB, as long as they are a custom or lowrider, no muscle car styles. My Dad had a 1968 Ford Meteor Rideau 500 in the 70's. wheels, thin whtewalls, chrome exhaust tips. A nice looking car. The look fit in with the early 60's custom style. As time moves on, in the future I could see the line defintition for "old car" move to around 1970...
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