Car Museum Rant.

[DMCVegas]

While on a business trip, I had time for a quick detour to a (somewhat) local museum. It was closed down so I visited the one that took it's place and wound up at a place called Dick's Classic Garage. Now while the car museum did have a few VERY nice cars that I was impressed with and would absolutely buy if I had the means, there was also something that bothered me quite a bit. And it's this right here:


http://www.angeleentshirt.com/Ds031.jpg

What in the hell is with this ridiculous obsession with the 1950's? Especially when it comes to car culture. The 50's was NOT the pinnacle of automotive engineering nor excellence. And I especially don't relate to in any way. Who in the hell is buying all of this Marilyn Monroe and James Dean shit? Marilyn Monroe ain't even that good lookin. And the stupid act is really annoying. She makes Paris Hilton look like Socrates. And I say "makes" because people just won't let this shit die even though she did decades ago. The only modern connection that anyone has to her is only because of Elton John's song, Candle in the Wind. And hell, how many times has he rededicated or even rewritten it because he found someone else more interesting/deserving of attention?

And while we're on the subject, let's talk about James Dean. Here is all I've ever seen of James Dean any time some TV show wants to talk about him:


http://www.pictureshowman.com/images/articles/Articles_graphics/James_Dean/Rebel_2.jpg

And all I ever see is a whiny little pussy. People idolized this looser crying and sucking snot while whining "You're tearing me apart!", and all I can ask is "Why?". As in "Why in the hell is this wimp so fascinating?" Certainly pop stars and idols will change from generation to generation, I get that. But what I don't get is why in the hell people keep on buying into this bullshit as much as they keep on buying the copypasta-eqsue swag that some dude in China keeps cranking out. Who wants to actually be like this guy? He's just the Jersey Shore of his era. And if you're gonna look down on those losers, you really have to lump this dude in with them as well.

And don't even get me started on Lucile Ball. She wasn't the funniest female comedian, and she definitely wasn't the first woman to ever write and produce her own show. If anything she's simply better marketed, sure. But that's about it. "I Love Lucy" really wasn't that great of a show in terms of story writing, plausibility, or intelligence. I guess since it was the only thing on at the time, that's why so many people watched it.

I seriously don't understand why in the hell people who put events or other functions that relate to car culture consistantly want to shove this 1950's crap down our throats. Some people hate George Lucas for ruining Star Wars by editing. I don't. If I were to be pissed at him for anything, it would be for making American Graffitti and trying to further create this fake obsession with the 50's. It wasn't a great era. Things were not better back then.

Other eras have just as, if not more so, iconic cars and automotive culture. I dunno, is it because the 50's are just a watered-down form of political correctness? A bland, plain-yogurt of non-offensive tschotskes that while alienates everyone, offends none? Can we not mention the 60's because of hippies? Was disco, bad hair, and general excess that taboo that we don't want to risk showing off some rare and awesome cars from the 70's, 80's, and even the 90's and their accompanying themes and cultures?

Is it possibly because of racism? Not just the bygone era of *allowing* black and other non-white performers entertain us while not having to let them sleep in the same hotel that we did. No. With these car museums we only need to look at white-folks cars and never have to be threatened by a Pimp Cadillac, or a low rider with a Chicano mural airbrushed on it. Sure, I always get to see white Hot Rods where some bald-headed, fat bastard in a Tommy Bahama shirt, chowing down on another wad of Freshen Up gum with a fist full of credit cars went and had someone just assemble him a turn-key Ford Coupe from SoCal Speed Shop's catalog, but never a hand crafted low rider with rubbed lacquer, and REAL tuck and roll interiors rather than vinyl door cards. And I'm not even talking about Impalas, Monte Carlos, or other more modern cars. There are even classic 50's cars and trucks that have been made into low riders, but you'll never see them in a museum, let alone replica toys for sale in a gift shop.

http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/valadez%20procession%20lowrider%20soqui.JPG
http://www.originalbombers.com/ob/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/100_9074.jpg

Why the fuck is all of this?!? It's not that I have anything against the 1950's itself, but I do have a problem with the never-ending circle jerk of people celebrating this crap as if it's the only thing ever. Wanna know why people fawn over "Dukes of Hazzard" Chargers, "Knight Rider" Trans Ams, and even "Herbie the Love Bug" VW clones? It's not always the movies and shows, it's just the fact that we're finally getting a breather from Doo Wop and friggin' poodle skirts! My own father who was born in '32 and got to see the 1950's himself wasn't even all that impressed by it. And he was someone who actually lived through that time, not a baby-boomer with fake nostalgia.

If I ever get the money, I'm gonna build and curate my own museum MY WAY with what cars I want, displayed in what ways I want, and it'll be a helluva lot better than this other crap that everyone else has. I'm gonna truly celebrate actual car culture, and not just put up a shitload of fake-ass replica signs and gas pumps like everyone else. I've walked through these museums time and time again and have seen so many others, including myself just get bored. I love cars, and as someone who does, that is just inherently wrong. And if someone beats me to it, fine. Just so long as we stop it with the goddamned 1950's!

[Michael]

:eek7:

I don't think I have ever seen someone get that worked up over something so irrelevant.

I personally like 50's styling, it is my favorite era of cars(as far as design goes). I love to look in a bone stock 58 Impala or a 55 Thunderbird and see how "futuristic" the interiors were then. For me, it's just a fun to look at cars from any era. Even the 80's are now coming on the scene with J-tin or nostalgic Japanese cars.

Maybe you should go to bed, if you're still in Vegas it's like 2:30am for you right now isn't it? :cool:

[stevedmc]

Why on earth are people so obsessed with the 80s?

[Mike C.]

http://www.angeleentshirt.com/Ds031.jpg

What in the hell is with this ridiculous obsession with the 1950's? Especially when it comes to car culture. The 50's was NOT the pinnacle of automotive engineering nor excellence. And I especially don't relate to in any way. Who in the hell is buying all of this Marilyn Monroe and James Dean shit? Marilyn Monroe ain't even that good lookin.

It's kinda hard to understand now, but I grew up with greasers and had alot of the same questions. Ultimately I grew to see what it was about, because being a kid in the 80s wasn't that far off at that time. A matter of 30 years... like looking back on 1982 now.

Picture this: The US was getting back to normal after WW2. Troops were home, industries could stop building war parts, stop collecting scrap metals, etc.. and go back to making life normal. Americans had seen the worst of the worst, and they had money. It was the decade for glamorizing boring automobiles from the 40s, which for the main part were turtle shelled sedans. Enter the 50's, we get aero-everything. Streamlining becomes a major influence in every day design, from cars to refrigerators, to even stoves.

We now have TELEVISION. Television was available right after the war, but was hugely expensive. We have the ability to see things that we could only have seen down the road at the cinema. You no longer had to tune into radio, you could get PICTURES along with it. This is big stuff! Remember that there are no home computers, no cellular phones, etc. People for the most part are still listening to big band music.

When men came home from war, they wanted their families, and they wanted their new cars. The 1950s opened the era when cars became bigger, faster, flashier. We didn't have to go around town in a bubble anymore... we got FINS! We've got tons and tons of families trying to forget the war era, and wanting NEW innovation. This was a wake up call for the automakers.

As for James and Marilyn, you are looking at your two first teen idols. As lame as they may seem now, these were the two first mass marketed celebrities that kids could relate to. Instead of the stuffy shirt "leave it to beaver" type goodie goodie, you get a kid with a t-shirt and a rebellious attitude that makes kids want to imitate.

The same with Marilyn. By today's standards, she's a Snooki. But, take a hot by those standards girl, stick her on top of an air grate, let people's imagination run wild, you have a major sex symbol. It's not because there was anything so special about them, it's because they were the first. People always remember the first. When something is so wild and different, it gets remembered. They didn't call him Elvis the Pelvis for nothing ;)



And while we're on the subject, let's talk about James Dean. Here is all I've ever seen of James Dean any time some TV show wants to talk about him:


http://www.pictureshowman.com/images/articles/Articles_graphics/James_Dean/Rebel_2.jpg

And all I ever see is a whiny little pussy. People idolized this looser crying and sucking snot while whining "You're tearing me apart!", and all I can ask is "Why?". As in "Why in the hell is this wimp so fascinating?" Certainly pop stars and idols will change from generation to generation, I get that. But what I don't get is why in the hell people keep on buying into this bullshit as much as they keep on buying the copypasta-eqsue swag that some dude in China keeps cranking out. Who wants to actually be like this guy? He's just the Jersey Shore of his era. And if you're gonna look down on those losers, you really have to lump this dude in with them as well.



James dean is pop culture. For an era that has never really had anything stand out, he was different, thus securing his place in history. For decades, there will be James Dean look alikes (ahem... original 90210 Luke Perry's character) and impersonators because it still stands true to this day... youthful rebellion.. except NOW it has a face. And yes, i mean rebellion by THOSE standards. These days, he'd get his balls handed to him for being a bitch.


And don't even get me started on Lucile Ball. She wasn't the funniest female comedian, and she definitely wasn't the first woman to ever write and produce her own show. If anything she's simply better marketed, sure. But that's about it. "I Love Lucy" really wasn't that great of a show in terms of story writing, plausibility, or intelligence. I guess since it was the only thing on at the time, that's why so many people watched it.

Again, you are thinking in today's time frame looking back. Look at it from what was offered on television at that time. It WAS groundbreaking, and it WAS actually very funny stuff. Yes, very sitcom'esque, but you could still pull that off because it was FRESH and original. Your other options were static, static, and fuzzy static.


I seriously don't understand why in the hell people who put events or other functions that relate to car culture consistantly want to shove this 1950's crap down our throats. Some people hate George Lucas for ruining Star Wars by editing. I don't. If I were to be pissed at him for anything, it would be for making American Graffitti and trying to further create this fake obsession with the 50's. It wasn't a great era. Things were not better back then.

We can say it now, but to be clear, American Graffitti took place in the summer of 1962. In fact, I get this alot, when i go to 50s retro type things, alot of the music they play comes from the groups of the early 60's. But that's off the point. The 50's introduced us to the open roads of the US. "See the USA in your Chevrolet..." while you "Get your kicks...on route 66". It was freedom, and it WAS a better time, considering 10 years before we were all overseas.



Other eras have just as, if not more so, iconic cars and automotive culture. I dunno, is it because the 50's are just a watered-down form of political correctness? A bland, plain-yogurt of non-offensive tschotskes that while alienates everyone, offends none? Can we not mention the 60's because of hippies? Was disco, bad hair, and general excess that taboo that we don't want to risk showing off some rare and awesome cars from the 70's, 80's, and even the 90's and their accompanying themes and cultures?

Other eras don't really have the flair of the 'rebirth' of America. At the end of WW1, we had depression. At the end of WW2 and Korea, we had the tri-five chevy's, television, the birth of rock and roll, etc... Sure you can look at other eras, but to be honest, none of them had the major impact of automotive design, American culture, and the American way of life as the 1950's. Why is it that when people think back to retro America, it's always an image of a clean cut family in the 50's? We created that entire image of what was deemed 'perfection'.
Take a look at the 60's. The kids born out of the return of the soldiers from WW2 start protesting. The Hippies come out of the woodwork, etc. You are not going to have the same following of Vietnam because it was controversial. When Japan struck Pearl Harbor, there was no indecision...we were going to war. Yes, amazing cars were born, but the whole ERA of the 1960s didn't come with the same stigma of the 1950's. It, in fact was the unraveling of what was built, as people didnt want the cookie cutter lifestyle.


Is it possibly because of racism? Not just the bygone era of *allowing* black and other non-white performers entertain us while not having to let them sleep in the same hotel that we did. No. With these car museums we only need to look at white-folks cars and never have to be threatened by a Pimp Cadillac, or a low rider with a Chicano mural airbrushed on it. Sure, I always get to see white Hot Rods where some bald-headed, fat bastard in a Tommy Bahama shirt, chowing down on another wad of Freshen Up gum with a fist full of credit cars went and had someone just assemble him a turn-key Ford Coupe from SoCal Speed Shop's catalog, but never a hand crafted low rider with rubbed lacquer, and REAL tuck and roll interiors rather than vinyl door cards. And I'm not even talking about Impalas, Monte Carlos, or other more modern cars. There are even classic 50's cars and trucks that have been made into low riders, but you'll never see them in a museum, let alone replica toys for sale in a gift shop.

There ARE museums that have customized cars on display, but for the most part, most car museums are...well... museums showing preserved cars. The reason you don't see ALOT of custom cars in museums is BECAUSE they are custom. They are one person's view on what they think looks good. I see custom cars all the time that look like shit. Not because hard work was done, but i don't think hydraulics and a chain steering wheel make a car look good, nor does alot of what passes for airbrushing.



http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/valadez%20procession%20lowrider%20soqui.JPG
http://www.originalbombers.com/ob/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/100_9074.jpg

....

[Jimmyvonviggle]

While on a business trip, I had time for a quick detour to a (somewhat) local museum. It was closed down so I visited the one that took it's place and wound up at a place called Dick's Classic Garage. Now while the car museum did have a few VERY nice cars that I was impressed with and would absolutely buy if I had the means, there was also something that bothered me quite a bit. And it's this right here:


http://www.angeleentshirt.com/Ds031.jpg

What in the hell is with this ridiculous obsession with the 1950's? Especially when it comes to car culture. The 50's was NOT the pinnacle of automotive engineering nor excellence. And I especially don't relate to in any way. Who in the hell is buying all of this Marilyn Monroe and James Dean shit? Marilyn Monroe ain't even that good lookin. And the stupid act is really annoying. She makes Paris Hilton look like Socrates. And I say "makes" because people just won't let this shit die even though she did decades ago. The only modern connection that anyone has to her is only because of Elton John's song, Candle in the Wind. And hell, how many times has he rededicated or even rewritten it because he found someone else more interesting/deserving of attention?

And while we're on the subject, let's talk about James Dean. Here is all I've ever seen of James Dean any time some TV show wants to talk about him:


http://www.pictureshowman.com/images/articles/Articles_graphics/James_Dean/Rebel_2.jpg

And all I ever see is a whiny little pussy. People idolized this looser crying and sucking snot while whining "You're tearing me apart!", and all I can ask is "Why?". As in "Why in the hell is this wimp so fascinating?" Certainly pop stars and idols will change from generation to generation, I get that. But what I don't get is why in the hell people keep on buying into this bullshit as much as they keep on buying the copypasta-eqsue swag that some dude in China keeps cranking out. Who wants to actually be like this guy? He's just the Jersey Shore of his era. And if you're gonna look down on those losers, you really have to lump this dude in with them as well.

And don't even get me started on Lucile Ball. She wasn't the funniest female comedian, and she definitely wasn't the first woman to ever write and produce her own show. If anything she's simply better marketed, sure. But that's about it. "I Love Lucy" really wasn't that great of a show in terms of story writing, plausibility, or intelligence. I guess since it was the only thing on at the time, that's why so many people watched it.

I seriously don't understand why in the hell people who put events or other functions that relate to car culture consistantly want to shove this 1950's crap down our throats. Some people hate George Lucas for ruining Star Wars by editing. I don't. If I were to be pissed at him for anything, it would be for making American Graffitti and trying to further create this fake obsession with the 50's. It wasn't a great era. Things were not better back then.

Other eras have just as, if not more so, iconic cars and automotive culture. I dunno, is it because the 50's are just a watered-down form of political correctness? A bland, plain-yogurt of non-offensive tschotskes that while alienates everyone, offends none? Can we not mention the 60's because of hippies? Was disco, bad hair, and general excess that taboo that we don't want to risk showing off some rare and awesome cars from the 70's, 80's, and even the 90's and their accompanying themes and cultures?

Is it possibly because of racism? Not just the bygone era of *allowing* black and other non-white performers entertain us while not having to let them sleep in the same hotel that we did. No. With these car museums we only need to look at white-folks cars and never have to be threatened by a Pimp Cadillac, or a low rider with a Chicano mural airbrushed on it. Sure, I always get to see white Hot Rods where some bald-headed, fat bastard in a Tommy Bahama shirt, chowing down on another wad of Freshen Up gum with a fist full of credit cars went and had someone just assemble him a turn-key Ford Coupe from SoCal Speed Shop's catalog, but never a hand crafted low rider with rubbed lacquer, and REAL tuck and roll interiors rather than vinyl door cards. And I'm not even talking about Impalas, Monte Carlos, or other more modern cars. There are even classic 50's cars and trucks that have been made into low riders, but you'll never see them in a museum, let alone replica toys for sale in a gift shop.

http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/valadez%20procession%20lowrider%20soqui.JPG
http://www.originalbombers.com/ob/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/100_9074.jpg

Why the fuck is all of this?!? It's not that I have anything against the 1950's itself, but I do have a problem with the never-ending circle jerk of people celebrating this crap as if it's the only thing ever. Wanna know why people fawn over "Dukes of Hazzard" Chargers, "Knight Rider" Trans Ams, and even "Herbie the Love Bug" VW clones? It's not always the movies and shows, it's just the fact that we're finally getting a breather from Doo Wop and friggin' poodle skirts! My own father who was born in '32 and got to see the 1950's himself wasn't even all that impressed by it. And he was someone who actually lived through that time, not a baby-boomer with fake nostalgia.

If I ever get the money, I'm gonna build and curate my own museum MY WAY with what cars I want, displayed in what ways I want, and it'll be a helluva lot better than this other crap that everyone else has. I'm gonna truly celebrate actual car culture, and not just put up a shitload of fake-ass replica signs and gas pumps like everyone else. I've walked through these museums time and time again and have seen so many others, including myself just get bored. I love cars, and as someone who does, that is just inherently wrong. And if someone beats me to it, fine. Just so long as we stop it with the goddamned 1950's!

I think someone needs a hug.

But seriously those 50's cars (like that brown one in your photo) are sweet. I am currently looking for something in this era, maybe an early 40's Ford Hot Rod. I think it will compliment the D rather nicely.

[dvonk]

just my opinion, but i love '50s cars (like my '58 Buick in my avatar), and i really appreciate any vehicle from the '20s to the '70s.

ironically, however, my favorite vehicle (the DeLorean :wink: ) is from my least favorite automotive decade. i find most cars from the '80s to be rather hideous (with a few exceptions of course)... as were a lot of other things. :lol:

[pezzonovante88]

Well, I think the topic has been covered by some of the responses to this thread, so I won't go there. But, the '50s was the good-old economic boom just after the war when spirits were high and things were good. It was kind of the beginning, in many ways, of the modern western way of life (TV, cars, gadgets, suburbs, etc.) I can definitely understand the nostalgia for those from the era. Even, I, being only in my twenties have a bit of a "thing" for the '50s.
As for the museums, though, I agree that the '50s posters and gas pumps are overplayed and are now boring. The same old cars, the same old people. Seeing some museums with themes focused on other eras or types of cars would be nice.

[Farrar]

The 1950s was also the birth of the teenager, from an identity/marketing standpoint. Prior to the 1950s, there weren't a lot of products designed for and marketed towards towards teenagers. All of that changed after the war.

[BTTF-1]

I am sure there are support groups out their that can deal with your issues.

Ed:mallet:

[congerz83]

:nutkick: I appreciate your passion http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/file.php?40,file=31766,filename=Mad.jpg?

[Dracula]

As a proud cynic, I can honestly say that I hate a lot of things for what many consider to be no reason. So, consider that when reading my reply.

First point: The 1950s Car Museums.

I love the cars from the '50s. They have so much personality and style. The fins on cars were varied each year and let you tell the cars apart from a block away. That's what I love. You don't have to look for subtle changes in marker light locations or the mounting of seatbelts to tell what year the car is. They were changed and visibly different, by-and-large, across the years. That suits my difficulty in choosing a car that I believe truly represents "me" and who I am.

Other people, however, are nostalgic for the cars they had back when they were kids. The "Baby Boomer" generation learned to drive on these cars and had them as their first vehicles and symbols of independence. Typically, for the average-income family, the car you first buy yourself is usually built a few years after you were born. How many high school parking lots in the US are filled with 16 and 17 year-old cars? 1995 and 1996-ish cars are what many of today's teens drive. For someone born in 1946, they would have been learning to drive in 1962. As a result, how many of them had a brand-new car then? Very few. So, the museums focus on the cars that the war veterans bought after coming back and their kids grew up with. From a business standpoint, it attracts a good number of people. To cater to these people, they line the walls with nostalgic items and images that remind the admittees of when they were young and driving these cars.

Point Two: The Pop Culture.

People are stupid as teenagers. Subsequently, it's no surprise that they find themselves drawn to icons of stupidity in the media. That won't change, regardless of generation, and will always give those of us who like to yell at them to keep off of our lawn, new material.

That said, I don't get the obsession with James Dean. He wasn't a stellar actor; he just died young and was someone the generation could relate to at the time. Why he's still famous today is like asking why people still go to see shows of "Lynyrd Skynyrd" today when the original band is long gone. They feel it embodies a part of their lifestyle. While we're at it, I also think that the Beatles are highly over-rated and are just another example of being a black mark on a white canvas.

I think that Monroe was fairly attractive; that is, I would date someone who looks like her, but would never have dated her for the same reason that I despise porn: I can't respect anyone who makes a living in a form of prostitution. I mean that in the literal sense and don't want this to turn into a debate of whether or not all work is prostitution; it is because you're selling part of the finite life that you have with your body to another person and there are so many gray areas and sub-points that would be enough to write a B.S. college thesis on.

Lucille Ball annoys me. Plain and simple. I don't like her voice or her mannerisms on TV.

Point Three: Customization.

I think that many forms of customization truly ruin what was a good car. Would you like to see a museum full of cars like Curtis' DeLorean? I know that I would never pay to do so, nor would a lot of other people. Customization is the attempt to make a cookie-cutter car different from the mold it came from. As such, it will ALWAYS be open to personal taste. I could rattle off things I hate with cars; making the wheels flush, hydraulics, oversized wheels, BTTF DeLoreans, Ghostbusters Ambulances, digital gauges, chop-tops, etc. yet, there are people out there that love those things. Are they wrong? In my eyes, yes, but that and 5 nickels will get you a quarter. Since customization is so polarizing and has such an unpredictable effect on the value of the car, it doesn't make sense to open such a museum in an area where there isn't the culture to support it.

Personal Interjections:

I'd love to take my car collection and turn it into a museum when I'm not driving them. That way, the displays could be what I want and it would be nothing but a collection of things that catch my fancy. Then I'd be free to make the display I've always wanted: The origin of Volkswagen and the Nazis: Hitler's car for the masses - The Beetle. I get annoyed when I have to deal with people who describe the Beetle and van as the ultimate symbols of "Free Spirits" and carry around several pictures of the origin of Volkswagen to correct people who believe that it has no affiliation with Hitler.

[DMCVegas]

My point here was not at all to bash cars from the 1950's. They are indeed beautiful as both functional pieces as well as works of art. One doesn't need dayglo colors to have an exotic paint job. The palates of yesteryear are far better than most of what we see today, as is the intricate if not complementary brightwork. Which are my favorite things to observe in museums.

No, my rant is specifically about why 1950's culture constantly is what gets rammed down everyone's throat like Shakespeare in a literary class as the only constant example. Perhaps it's just me, but I don't look upon the 1950's as being the peak of Western Civilization, let alone American. The only thing that has kept up it's appearance was the high level of censorship that controlled the media of the time that archived it. The 1950's was a great facade if anything. What with the slow unraveling of society at the end, the portrayal of unattainable and unrealistic lifestyles, segregation, the roots of our drug abuse problem as diet pills chocked with amphetamine were peddled to housewives, and more. Most importantly was our first fuel crisis in this nation. Short lived enough, yes. But it's what helped create this famous icon of the 50's. After all, why do you think they created such a small car?

http://images.carpictures.cc/photo/m/Show_Nash_Metropolitan_00015299.jpg

I totally understand how growing up, or at least being directly influenced by this era does indeed allow people to look back with rose-colored glasses. And I can certainly understand how so many grew up isolated and shielded from the problems of the day. At the same time something to understand is the Information Age. People don't just get to hear stories about what happened, they also are subjected to raw data. Such information without the advantage of perspective certainly does skewer things by removing the student farther away from the experience. In other words you can see the How?, but never understand the Why?. I get that, believe me I do.

But still I don't see the 50's as being representative of car culture in it's entirely at all, and that's what I don't like. Another thing is also the double standard. Customs take all shapes and forms. As everyone has pointed out customs are subject to individual tastes and therefore don't necessarily have a place in a museum that's trying to preserve history. Ok, fine. But tell me, under those standards why is THIS acceptable:

http://icons-ak.wunderground.com/data/wximagenew/j/Jay0Byrd/143.jpg


But THIS is not:

http://www.fastcoolcars.com/images/lowriders/chevy-lowrider.jpg

Museums will always have custom cars, be them Hot Rods, Lead Sleds, or something else. Why no Lowriders? I'm calling this out because I seriously believe this to be a double-standard.

There are plenty of other decades with great examples to be had. The only inspirational car collection I've ever seen was at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. And I do mean inspirational. It was really a trip through time to understand car culture. There were displays of the create and eventual evolution of the Fifth-Wheel trailer assembly, and the list when on. But the two most interesting cars were both a Lowrider, and a 1980's Corvette. They weren't the most expensive cars ever. By many standards they weren't the flashiest any more either. In fact the Corvette was a high-mileage car with a few paint imperfections. The reason was that the previous owner and his wife had driven the car through ALL 50 states. What was impressive about these cars was the passion in which the owners of these vehicles built, maintained, and drove them. The world is full of artists, many of whom just churn out artwork with no passion. That's the difference between Van Gough's Starry Night and a "Velvet Elvis" or "Dogs Playing Poker" you get in Tijuana. Why do people not just buy these cars, but continue to own them and make them their own? Most car museums, especially ones from the 50's have some great examples, but also have some seriously boring entry level cars from their day. Spend enough time around them and you begin to notice it too, and they can start to get boring. I want to know more about why people bought these cars other than it was the only choice at the time.

I suppose though John Huston said it best in Chinatown: "Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough." I think that too should apply to nostalgia as well. Speaking of which there is that nostalgia aspect of it all again. I understand why so many people are just enamored with the 1950's. But at the same time, also understand why so many such as myself simply are not. I don't relate at all, and nor do many other people. Perhaps that's how I should have worded my post to begin with. But in any case, please. Enough with the damn James Dean. If we're gonna need a classic figure to subject to hero worship in relation to automobilia, can we at least get Steve McQueen or Paul Newman? I'd rather see standup cutouts of Burt Reynolds or Vin Diesel, just no more James Dean. Which is the other problem I have here. If you're nostalgic, fine. But the constant reproduction service signs with faux patina, as well as cheap plastic brick-a-brac and fake memorabilia just cheapen things and further sour the experience for those whom such preservers of 50's culture are trying to reach.

Granted with the twilight of the baby boomer generation bearing down upon us, things are sure to change. But that's a whole other story.

[Dracula]

That post reminded me of something else I hate; artificially-aged reproduction pieces. I can find dozens of reproduction signs that have artificial age, but the reason I like the sign is the subject matter. I don't want it obscured by fake aging.

Also, Burt Reynolds is worthy of a museum himself. With films like Gator, White Lightning, and Smokey and the Bandit, I learned everything I know about driving from him and Dan Aykroyd.

[dvonk]

That post reminded me of something else I hate; artificially-aged reproduction pieces. I can find dozens of reproduction signs that have artificial age, but the reason I like the sign is the subject matter. I don't want it obscured by fake aging.

+1. fake & repro stuff is lame. :frown:

[Dracula]

+1. fake & repro stuff is lame. :frown:

I'm not saying its LAME; I'd be content with a reproduction of some of the 1920s Cadillac signs, just not with fake rust holes and intentional details missing.

If it's a reproduction anyway, why not make it a showroom-fresh one?

[dvonk]

true, if made well, repros can still be neat... however, i usually find reproduction stuff is often mass produced in china with parts made out of cheap plastic. its a shame, especially considering the quality the originals usually had.

[Dracula]

true, if made well, repros can still be neat... however, i usually find reproduction stuff is often mass produced in china with parts made out of cheap plastic. its a shame, especially considering the quality the originals usually had.

An extremely valid point, too. By-and-large, I do hate reproduction things, but there are some items that I'd never be able to rationalize purchasing otherwise.

[Shep]

The only places I've ever seen "wish it were the 50's" or similar are around 50's cars (tri-year Chevy's in particular) and in the houses and/or shirts of those that grew up in the 50's. Most of the latter are senior citizens now (no offense if that applies to anyone here), and I generally don't mind older folks hanging on memories to their youth, even if only for nostalgic reasons. Maybe I don't hang around the right places to see these, but in car museums it's just an item of that era. Remember, these cars were used in the 60's as used cars, especially by those that grew up in the 50's. I'm 21 and still find myself reminiscing about my younger days from time to time. Nothing terribly out of place about that. I'd do that too if "wish it were the 00's" made any sense.

That being said, anyone born in 1960 or later displaying these signs without it being part of some memorabilia from that era needs a reality check. But in a car museum, I'd expect to see "wish it were the xx's" regardless of what number was portrayed. Just part of the exhibit I guess.