AFTER having missed the entire Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale event, I have to admit that the whole thing pisses me off. We used to be able to watch hours of coverage on television. Seems that no network was willing to pony up the cash to cover the show- BUT, we can live-stream it on our computers or phones. Let’s see: tiny assed screens, and even my office chair kills my ass after a few hours. SO, thanks for nothing, you corporate jackasses!
Naturally, comes the post B-J hike in expectations and asking prices. Just add another zero to your asking price. Whatever. Based on some of the postings that B-J put out on FakeBook, there was a lot of money being paid for some odd-ball stuff. You just have to assume that the build quality is right up there as well.
AS the title lets on, what is going to be ‘The Next Big Thing’? I doubt that it will be a re-resurgence of common sense. Aside from plain ol’ greed, what will drive the market in the near future? That other thing- nostalgia. Which, is nothing new because we have always wanted to buy back something which is gone forever- our youth. Most of the time, a vehicle represents that lost youth. Deep,huh?
To put an end to the suspense, the next big thing will be the ’70’s- and NOT the early part of the decade. Think smogger bumper cars and VANS. Yep, disco, and not acid rock. Go grab yourself some copies of ‘Car Craft’ from that time period and study up. Go out and find some ‘survivor’ cars and vans. You can then restore them to their former glory, or try to replicate the groove, dig it?
Case in point, the lowly Vega/ Monza. Look at some of the Monza and SkyHawk postings elsewhere on this website. The ’75 Monza 2+2 was packing an LT-1 350 (North of 360 horsepower) with its original 13″ alloy wheels and BFG T/A 60 series radial tires. Can you say sleeper?
Let’s take it up a notch, shall we? Change out that blown original rear end for a 9″ Ford or an 8 3/4 Dodge. 5 bolt, 8″wide ‘mag’ wheels and some wide boots. Stylin’. If you were bucks-up, you might have bought some Centerline Auto-Drag wheels, maybe some skinny (4″wide) four bolt 15″ front runners. Most guys without the bucks for Centerlines instead bought Cragar Street Super Tricks, which looked like a chromed version of the competition wheels- except for the fact that they weighed like manhole covers. Actually making your car run slower. You can then pile on stuff for the racecar look like a hood scoop, gauges, and even a bolt-in roll bar. Maybe some trick paint that screams ‘pull me over’?
The next step might be a tunnel ram intake with a couple of Holleys. If you didn’t want the engine getting wet (or stolen), you could cover that massive hole in the hood with a Pro-stock snorkel hood scoop. More power means more traction is needed. Maybe some traction bars for under those rear leaf springs, or some ladder bars for the race ready look.
I could go on- just get you some of that Car Craft. But then, there was also the IMSA look. Road racing on the ‘circuit’. IROC…
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