THOUSANDS of people in America flock to vintage car shows, antique car auctions, and collectable car shows every weekend. The George Lucas film “American Graffiti” which was filmed mostly in Petaluma, California brought rat rods, hot rods, and vintage cars to the mainstream.
Reno, Nevada hosts an annual event called “Hot August Nights” which brings crowds from all over the world to view the muscle cars, cool 57 chevies, vintage motorcyles, and hot pickup trucks. Vintage cars seem to be as part of the American Culture as apple pie and ice cream.
Although, the current economic recession has effected the value of many of these cars the old school car culture is still alive and well in America.
Pebble Beach, California famous for professional golf tournments featuring greats like Tiger Woods and others is also the home for the annual Concours d’Elegance. The event features investment grade automobiles automotive artists, car collectors. The affair consists of wine tasting and an antique car auction of high end vehicles. The event is one of California’s greatest showcase for the vintage car and collectable car market crowd.
The GoodGuy’s sponsor old school car events every weekend nationwide that keep the younger generation inspired to own a piece of vintage car history. The events include car and truck swap meets for cars, truck, used and antique parts as well as car rally’s and old car contests. The old school cars of yesterday with their hugh sharklike fins bright paint and spinner hubcaps attract a crowd of their own. The big V8 engines that purr like well oiled sewing machines makes you wish gas was still .35 per gallon and that you could afford to still drive the great machines.
The average 16 year old kid in 1959 could find a model T Ford for as little as $25.00, sand it down, put a coat of primer paint on the finish and add baby moon hubcaps and glass pack mufflers and be the coolest kid in school. The new generation 16 year old would rather be playing video games.
My first car was a 63 Chevy Convertible with a white finish red leather interior with a 327 cubic inch V8. I paid a total of 1600. for the car from money saved from mowing yards, delivering newspapers and washing cars that vehicle would be worth 10 times that amount now.
I realize that those days are sadly behind us, the days where you worked for 20 years at the same job without fear of layoff, you did not have to worry about getting shot in the street by a stray bullet and the King of Rock’in Roll never was in court for a DUi or drug possession.