I just got back from sitting in a McParking lot waiting to pick up my daughter from her McJob. I was about 45 minutes early and started looking at the cars driving by. Man oh man, are new cars ever fugly! Just about all of them are some shade of grey or reddish. Every one looks just like the other one.
In the 45 minutes I was there, there were only about 5 or 6 cars that were better than a "1". I actually started to appreciate ricers..at least those guys created something with some individuality and personality! The only other cars that had any character at all were Magnums, Mustangs and those weird boxes like the Scion or the Soul. A Bently drove by...pretty cool but still grey and not really a styling masterpiece. An older Ferarri (red of course) shreiked past - woke me up a bit. Then......a 61 T'Bird. At last, something with character! Got me thinking.
I remember every September waiting with excitement for the new cars to be unveiled. The first day my Dad and I would head to the dealerships as soon as he got home from work. I even got a promo model kit of the 64 1/2 Mustang. (I wish I still had that!) It was exciting and made you really really want a new car. Each year every manufacturer produced a new design that had very little to do with the previous year. Not the "refresh" that cars today get. Look at the fins, lights, colours, big chrome bumpers that changed each year! Totally new styling (57 to 58 Chevy for example) Cars used for racing that actually looked like cars you could own.
"All new bumpers!!" or "Rearranged heating and airconditioning controls" or News Flash....."Three new exciting colours!" One of my favourites is the statement "There is not a part on the new model that is carried over from last year, but unless you put them side by side you couldn't tell the difference." Where the heck is the excitement?
And back then there were options, endless options. Oh my, the options!
Now, we can choose "option packages" which usually means moving up to much more expensive models just to get the one option you really want. I hate sunroofs but they seem to be compulsory with the leather seats or whatever. Where is the choice?
Sure, the new cars can run circles around the old ones in every way, but where is the passion? No wonder Detroit is crumbling under the wave of Japanese and Korean cars (even if they are "made in the USA")
