The only indoor "car show" in our area is the Carl Casper. The trouble is its no longer a car show. They have boom box competition, hopping low rider competition, professional wrestlers, soap opera stars and very little car activity. You'd have to be nuts to waste your time and money on this garbage. The only "car shows" I care to go to is nostalgia drag racing like the Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green, KY.
most of the old guys i saw went right past the car show to the swap meet.jeez i thought all the cars in front were for sale!!!!
they ruined the milwaukee show the same way. the show now has guys selling model cars pinstripers new harleys bmx riders and some cars for sale. the vast majority of the cars i can see for free at any cruise night around southeast wi. oh and dont forget the bag of roasted nuts
Thank you- Im a young guy (31) and remember when model A coupes and 65/66 mustang fastbacks could all be had for less than 5 grand. But that was when I wasn't even old enough to drive and had only a few hundred bucks. I remember because I wanted a 65 FB so I looked at ads everywhere. By the time i had the money for a Mustang they had all gone sky high due to the gone in 60 seconds movie. Then the whole Hot Rod thing hit reality TV and suddenly 97 cores were $100+ at every swapmeet. But its not just TV to blame, they just threw an extra gallon of gas on the burning fire. One last thing... I think a few years ago when everything was "great" there were more young people involved. Then tougher times came the ones who were not "truly" into it dropped out. and if you really want to know where all the young people are, they are off playing with 4WD stuff and diesels, they could care less about model As and flatheads.
I'm 28 and you will see me at shows driving cars just as old and cool as yours so there is hope for the future.
It is what it is. Somebody said that hotrods weren't what they used to be, fast, fun, loud, and dangerous. Well he got it half right they were fast, for the day, Fun, for sure usually, loud, if you call smitty or porters loud, and if possible, not dangerous. Young guys go on the assumption of what they thought was the lifestyle. Old guys kept building until their rides were finished, many young guys today get it where it will roll and that is good enough. Loud wasn't the only criteria in the old days. Take everything that I just typed with a grain of salt, because nothing is 100 percent. Many youg guys are building true hot rods. Finished past the rust stage. I am typing this because I can't sleep.
the part i meant that was dangerous was street racing and drag racing and just plain old stepping on the gas just to see what it will do that day. hot rodders are differant than street rodders i feel. i hang out with our local grey beards every saturday and eat lunch with them. they are a great bunch and very knowledgeable and experienced. they come from different back rounds and professions. we all have different cars and opinions. im the racer in the group. theres room for everyone in the car world. as long as you enjoy your car who cares. a guy in our group told me when i started my build as long as the white lights are in the front and the red in the rear do what ever you want. i hang out with the grey beards and the younger guys.
I don't know, I guess in my area the "young" guys just busy building stuff. A buddy of mine is finishing his firewall on a 59 Rambler wagon gasser, another is mocking up a A 2 door sedan. I spent the day putting our 29 A roadster on a pair of 32 rails. Hot rodding is in no way a "old guy" thing in my area. Its a "hey come help me lift this body on the frame." thing.
I'd say the guys I hang with are averaging around 40 or so. Several of them in thier late 20 through 50ish guys building stuff and swapping parts and cars.
I suppose it depends on the part of the country and types of shows you are going to. We live in the boonies of NW Florida and there are rodders of all ages at shows and cruise ins. I have a son 23 and I'm slightly older. As a matter of fact we adopted him from our own son. We love going to events together when we can, meeting younger and older car guys. Altho at my age, there are very few older now days. When the other guys are yelling at kids we are letting them sit in our cars going "udin udin."
never fear gray hairs. im 34 with 4 kids. and all of my kids love the old cars. the wife and i have five classics. none are show stoppers or beauty queens. one is close though. three out of the five run and get driven whenever we can. so there is hope
I hope hot rod's never go away cause that is all I really know. I will live in breathe them till the day I die just like my father. I would love to see more people my age get into this kind of thing instead of tuners and sport bikes that way I could have friends my age that can relate. HOT RODS FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would love to have had a rod when I was younger. Had not much money, no talent to fix old cars and all my friends were into muscle cars. Funny thing, I was offered an old jalopy as a first car, turned it down in favour of a sport's car. What I'd give to have had that choice now.
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