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Chevrolet Camaro. Dodge Challenger. Ford Mustang. A line-up like that is more like something from a parking lot in the early 1970s, than a list of three modern vehicles. After all, all are classic muscle cars, loaded with attitude and primed for performance. Or are they?
Since the beginning of the
decade, when more and more baby boomers reached their peak earnings,
and began to realize that the cars of their youth were not only cool
collectibles but also valuable investments, the price of original muscle
cars has been on the rise. Classic 'Cudas were selling for prices upwards
of the $2,000,000 mark, with vintage Mustangs and Camaros not far behind,
with price-tags previously seen only on ultra-high-end (and usually
Italian) makes like Ferrari. Whether it was an attempt to recapture
their teen years, or an expensive manifestation of the mid-life crisis,
muscle cars were on the move.
So, why the re-imagining of muscle cars? Nostalgia is part of it. In an article from the July, 2007 Architectural Digest, Ford's vice president and chief creative officer J Mays said, "These cars have swagger." The article went on to remind us that muscle cars are part of America's collective memory - they are as much a part of our culture as the stereotypical baseball and apple pie, and remind us of the most economically stable, even powerful, times in our country's history. After all, when the Ford Mustang made its debut in New York at the 1964 World's Fair, the average baby boomer was just becoming a legal driver. As early as 2002, car shows were seeing increased traffic from automotive enthusiasts who wanted to see the latest spin on the classics they remembered. Today, those same shows are attended by enthusiasts and celebrities, as well as average citizens, eager to find the break-out designs in a sea of SUVs, hatchbacks, and light trucks, and if those designs bear familiar names, so much the better. People find comfort in the familiar, and buy what they know. Purists in the collector crowd would argue that these retro-inspired "neo classics" are anything but classic, and not just because of their fuel injected V-6 and V-8 engines, but because they're driven by microchip and not manual dexterity, but these are likely the same people who raid junk yards and patronize websites specializing in aftermarket parts sold with the express purpose of refitting an original vehicle, as well they should, because vintage muscle cars will continue to become rarer and more expensive. More casual enthusiasts, however, are torn. A modern version of a Camaro or Mustang as much-wanted power, and still comes with all the geeky bells and whistles that appeal to new-age gearheads: mp3 player jacks, GPS, and even (in the Dodge Challenger) chilled glove boxes, but at a price. These cars cannot compete in a green-thinking market that prizes fuel economy over speed, style, and flair. 2007 numbers that are already showing that cars are selling better than light trucks at Ford, and even the German makers known for performance are adding alternative fuel capability and hybrid technology to their line-ups for 2008 and beyond. Movies like this summer's Transformers have put modern muscle cars in the spotlight for the masses, but real enthusiasts sum up their perspective rather neatly, stating that modern versions of the Camaro, Mustang, and Challenger are nice to look at, but all things considered, they'd prefer an original. |
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