The younger people have come and go as you please "car meets", much like you old timers had in the glory days of high school in the 70's.
Car shows with trophies have always been for old people.
I agree. I see the younger generation all the time in BMW groups and Honda groups and such. I see them fill an entire mall parking lot in the snap of a finger, then off they go to another location.
You would not go to a rap concert to see a country singer just as they go to their import meets on the weekends rather than cars and coffee type locations that we hangout at.
Cobra Make, Engine: Shelby American CSX 8000 Slab Side series, 289 High Pro , Eight Stack EFI system ,TKO500
Posts: 275
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Young and a number of middle age folks today have no clue as to how to work on them, let alone keeping them running. As the great mechanics leave the field, the cars will , sadly, solely die.
__________________
Participating in a gun buy back program because
you think that criminals have too many guns
is like having yourself castrated because you
think your neighbors have too many kids.
As an example of a company that is moving into the future, take Factory Five Racing. They made their mark in the kit car business exclusively with the cobra and Daytona replica. However, they saw the writing on the wall and now offer the 818 kit built with Subaru parts (as opposed to mustang parts for the cobra). This car appeals to a more youthful builder and even is being built with all electric power. And FFR has already built 200 of these kits since they were introduced one year ago. I think the hobby is alive and well, but is moving in a more relevant direction.
There has been a huge decline in Cobras and other of those type cars around this area. We used to have 15 Cobras and a lot of T-Buckets and other type of kits and street rods. Now there are just one or two Cobras and I never see them any more even at the big car show. I see a couple of the guys who still have their 32 Fords and a few street rods and that is it.
Well here are my 2cents:
As to the affordability of our cars, in this economy, unless you have a solid $$ background it would be very difficult for any of the younger generation to be able to sustain the expense. As to being able to work the mechanics of these cars, very little they know about how they operate (the younger generation that is) I agree that many are going the route of Coyote engines and 18" rims without regards to originality.
I am confident that my son can take care of the car and perhaps afford the upkeep when I am gone, that is if he does not choose to sell it.
__________________ Basque1 "Cobra--Because life is too short to drive a boring car"
I think the Cobra makers have done a poor job at marketing the car for younger buyers. I looked at the websites of JBL, ERA, SHell, Hurricane, Kirkham, FFR, BDR, SPE and they all suck. The websites feel and look old as the cars they are selling. Use social media sites! Young people are over these sites and they have money to spend! The cars need to be in movies, music videos, sporting events, video games. Celebrities need to be seen driving them, get arrested in them. The cars need a makeover, pimped out with modern comforts- auto trans, AC, Heat, Nav system, traction control, bigger wheels, and engine choice, whether it is a Chevy, Ford, Electric, turbo, etc. These cars can be hip again. History has proven that everything old is new. Sell/Market/promote Cobras like fashion accessories. Look at Apple tablets and Dr Dre headphones as examples. These two companies took old inventions, promoted them as the must have accessory and young people bought it!
These two companies took old inventions, promoted them as the must have accessory and young people bought it!
But there are not CLASSICS, nobody remembers these gadgets in 50 years.
__________________
Scratch build 289 FIA see the Scratch builder forum on CC - sold
DRB GT40 MK1 red #49- sold
FF5 Mk4 #7733 302/T5/IRS - dark blue - sold
FF5 MK4 #7812 427/TKO/IRS - Guardsman Blue - sold
FF5 MK4 #8414 501/TKO600/48IDA Ollie the Dragon #91 - sold
FF5 Daytona Coupe 347/TKO/IRS Homage CSX2299 Viking Blue - sold
SPF 2063
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA Street Roadster #782 with 459 cu in FE KC engine, toploader, 3.31
Posts: 4,527
Not Ranked
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewYorkGuy
I think the Cobra makers have done a poor job at marketing the car for younger buyers. I looked at the websites of JBL, ERA, SHell, Hurricane, Kirkham, FFR, BDR, SPE and they all suck. The websites feel and look old as the cars they are selling.
Wow - not sure how Bob at ERA is going to feel about this commentary on his website? Peter won't care - apparently he can't start a computer.
Lot of good points. New York Guy do you have the Duracell car because of your guilty pleasure Cobra? In your post you sound a lot like Wyclef Jean. Many of the car guys have scattered in Manhattan but a bunch use to get together on the east side in the 60's right off of 5th Ave. Wyclef would roll in with one of his muscle cars with pink mink trim on the seats. He always made me laugh. Fellow Ferrari collector Pete Kalikow and myself would get into a heated debate but I always had the Chinetti wild card on my side. East Coast sliders was the group but that was before sliding became popular. Slide that piece of junk outta here is where the name came from.
I think the people of whatever generation you speak of need to teach or mentor those younger. If you are in a position to mentor I would say do it. Believe me it will become a two way street in exchange of ideas and tech. My twin daughters are 10 years old and before we shipped a load of autos to the west cost they wanted to drive each one to school wearing period clothing. They know more about Bugatti, Maybach Zeppelin, and Ferrari than most men under 40.
So the knowledge needs to passed down to those interested.
Interesting about the different car shows. I rarely attend but usually try to go to family oriented ones. The Hollywood and Movie Car club has an interesting mix. Vehicles for young and old. My girls enjoyed the Scooby Doo-Van and various KITT cars. I finally brought a Bullitt Charger and Dodge M4S from the movie Wraith and it was a hit. Interesting cars will attract car guys no matter what age. Recently I stopped by a hole in the wall place in LA to pick up some Italian pastries and order a special cake. It was a late Friday afternoon/evening and outside were 3 men with modern Challengers. My mom was with me and I had to stop to talk for a few minutes. I told the guys my mom let my 18 year old sister drive a '70 Challenger Plum Crazy back in the day. It was stolen on the east coast and eventually used in a bank robbery on the west coast. My mom actually took a few minutes to look at the modern versions and told the guys the few times she drove the car the police would always follow her. I asked and these guys get together on a weekly basis. A month later I brought over a '70 Hemi Cuda and my friend a '70 Challenger. Nice to see the two side by side. The guys were interested in both the old and new. I would say age range from 28-30.
Anything different or rare will always attract. How many TVR's do you see in southern cali? That one attract no matter what just based on you hear it coming before you see it.
Funny how things change over the years. When I loved the Ferrari Daytonas and BB512 I always looked down on the Dino's, never cared for them and still don't. But look at the prices now OMG I still shake my head.
As far as investor vs collecting I don't know how the investors do it. I always say if you like the car and can afford it...go for it. Frightening the value of a collection of 8 figure Ferrari's... make you think about selling them.
Maroon 5 is a start. Put them with bigger younger stars and power. Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, One Direction, Miley Cyrus
I've seen Ironman and the Kirkham wasnt the hero car. It was the Audi.
IMO, Adam Levine, the lead singer of Maroon 5, is on a successful TV show called "The Voice" and appeals to a younger audience just like the others you listed. At any rate, there are alot of exotic cars available to the music & video industry, and every video doesn't feature a car.
As for the "hero car" in Ironman, I don't think the consolidated marketing budgets of FFR, BDR, KMP, CSX, SPF and ERA is even a fraction of the marketing budget of VW/Audi/Porsche. That's why the Audi is the "hero car" in alot of today's movies.
And one more movie, "Fast 5," used both a Mongoose '63 Grand Sport replica and a RCR GT40 replica, both considered "hobby cars."
I will throw my hat in the ring on this one and just give you my thought. I'm 29 years old and 50% of my friends I've asked love the cobras and 50% think they are stupid and way to expensive for a "fake" and would rather have a 68 Camaro or newer Z06, GT500 ect. Personally I really like them.....so yesterday I was lucky enough to catch a ride for about 20 miles of freeway riding in a SPF with a 427 stroker. My initial impression is that I want the car because it is identical to what I would build and just looks absolutely stunning. I'm just not sure about the drive train.....I like the SBF for the single point of they cam and how it sounds at idle. While cruising unless you were at 3000RPM the exhaust seemed to chop and gave me quite a bit of ear fatigue kinda a headache actually. On the other side I'm a roll on speed guy and I really couldn't tell if the 427 had enough power for me......don't get me wrong it was dangerous and fast but you know what I'm saying. It was very raw and felt seat of the pants fast but after a pull or 2 up to 100mph I'm not sure if it was much faster than my mustang but we are talking passenger seat not driving seat which is a whole other ball game when you have to be focused on driving one of these things. These are just all things that were going through my head. Your gut is telling you get a fuel injected coyote car and strap a blower on it if you want...make a 100rwhp more and get double the gas mileage.....then when the SBF fires up you go no way I have to have that idle! I think the only way to do it is almost get the car with the SBF first and then you will either love it or hate It and wish you had a modern powertrain. There will always be classics and period correct importance laid upon these cars.....the growth lies in what Vintage is doing with all the mod motors and fuel injected setups, custom options, non traditional colors.....that is what the majority of new purchases will be. I only think this because if you want a younger demographic we want superchargers, good gas mileage, outstanding performance, and we don't want to work on stuff. There aren't any big power N/A cars anymore on the market besides maybe the viper. If your a 60 year old right now pretend you grew up driving the cars of the late 90's and then turn around and see besides the "cam sound" what is appealing about a SBF that gets 10mpg. I will more than likely end up with the SBF but long term I could see myself doing something else and this will factor into my decision. Either way I have appreciation for these cars but the modern powertrains and options are something that cant be avoided with these cars. Nothing like riding in a cobra though and that alone will hopefully keep them alive. What other 2300lb roadster can you put 600hp into and go make a bunch of racket At the end of the day younger people go what do I get for 60K so options matter more than ever....and then buying a 4K trailer and hauling it to a road course in your 65K ford F250 days are getting farther and few between. The younger people want street cars. Went to the Goodguys national show in Nashville over the weekend.....AMAZING the amount of hot rods, rat rods and just absolutely sick cars were there. The sad part was the majority of the spectating show was middle age and older people. To be fair though it all boils down to $$. I'm extremely blessed and can purchase the car that I want at this point in life.....I still have a hard time justifying the $$ thinking I could be going out and finding a built Z06 with a blower on it making 700rwhp. Just to many options these days!
Lot of good points. New York Guy do you have the Duracell car because of your guilty pleasure Cobra? In your post you sound a lot like Wyclef Jean. Many of the car guys have scattered in Manhattan but a bunch use to get together on the east side in the 60's right off of 5th Ave. Wyclef would roll in with one of his muscle cars with pink mink trim on the seats. He always made me laugh. Fellow Ferrari collector Pete Kalikow and myself would get into a heated debate but I always had the Chinetti wild card on my side. East Coast sliders was the group but that was before sliding became popular. Slide that piece of junk outta here is where the name came from.
I think the people of whatever generation you speak of need to teach or mentor those younger. If you are in a position to mentor I would say do it. Believe me it will become a two way street in exchange of ideas and tech. My twin daughters are 10 years old and before we shipped a load of autos to the west cost they wanted to drive each one to school wearing period clothing. They know more about Bugatti, Maybach Zeppelin, and Ferrari than most men under 40.
So the knowledge needs to passed down to those interested.
Interesting about the different car shows. I rarely attend but usually try to go to family oriented ones. The Hollywood and Movie Car club has an interesting mix. Vehicles for young and old. My girls enjoyed the Scooby Doo-Van and various KITT cars. I finally brought a Bullitt Charger and Dodge M4S from the movie Wraith and it was a hit. Interesting cars will attract car guys no matter what age. Recently I stopped by a hole in the wall place in LA to pick up some Italian pastries and order a special cake. It was a late Friday afternoon/evening and outside were 3 men with modern Challengers. My mom was with me and I had to stop to talk for a few minutes. I told the guys my mom let my 18 year old sister drive a '70 Challenger Plum Crazy back in the day. It was stolen on the east coast and eventually used in a bank robbery on the west coast. My mom actually took a few minutes to look at the modern versions and told the guys the few times she drove the car the police would always follow her. I asked and these guys get together on a weekly basis. A month later I brought over a '70 Hemi Cuda and my friend a '70 Challenger. Nice to see the two side by side. The guys were interested in both the old and new. I would say age range from 28-30.
Anything different or rare will always attract. How many TVR's do you see in southern cali? That one attract no matter what just based on you hear it coming before you see it.
Funny how things change over the years. When I loved the Ferrari Daytonas and BB512 I always looked down on the Dino's, never cared for them and still don't. But look at the prices now OMG I still shake my head.
As far as investor vs collecting I don't know how the investors do it. I always say if you like the car and can afford it...go for it. Frightening the value of a collection of 8 figure Ferrari's... make you think about selling them.
Yes, u love cars and I guess, u can buy the real deals, not fake Cobras like most here on this forum. We are discussing hobby kit cars.
You're sipping wine and eating caviar while the rest of us drink beer and eat hotdogs. Same passion for cars but two different worlds.
IMO, Adam Levine, the lead singer of Maroon 5, is on a successful TV show called "The Voice" and appeals to a younger audience just like the others you listed. At any rate, there are alot of exotic cars available to the music & video industry, and every video doesn't feature a car.
As for the "hero car" in Ironman, I don't think the consolidated marketing budgets of FFR, BDR, KMP, CSX, SPF and ERA is even a fraction of the marketing budget of VW/Audi/Porsche. That's why the Audi is the "hero car" in alot of today's movies.
And one more movie, "Fast 5," used both a Mongoose '63 Grand Sport replica and a RCR GT40 replica, both considered "hobby cars."
Audi is a real production car and company. These Cobras are fakes and recreated all over the world.
In Fast 5, the cars were supposed to represent the real cars. That's why they were stealing them. I missed the scene where Dom tell Brian, "Hey, those are kit cars. Be careful."
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At the end of the day younger people go what do I get for 60K so options matter more than ever....and then buying a 4K trailer and hauling it to a road course in your 65K ford F250 days are getting farther and few between. The younger people want street cars. Went to the Goodguys national show in Nashville over the weekend.....AMAZING the amount of hot rods, rat rods and just absolutely sick cars were there. The sad part was the majority of the spectating show was middle age and older people. To be fair though it all boils down to $$. I'm extremely blessed and can purchase the car that I want at this point in life.....I still have a hard time justifying the $$ thinking I could be going out and finding a built Z06 with a blower on it making 700rwhp. Just to many options these days!
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