I don't know what it is, but cars nowadays just don't have the same soul and style as the all-metal-machines of yesteryear. And no, I'm not some nostalgic old guy complaining about whipper-snappers and their new-fangled fuel injection and touch-screen navigation. All those things are great. And the interiors in cars have come a long way. But the exteriors have become (for the most part) featureless aerodynamic plastic blobs of neutrality. I'm 21. I was born in the 90's, the decade that brought us, perhaps, some of the most vanilla cars of all time. I just, am not drawn to them. I can drive them. My daily driver is a Mazda 3, and I love it. Great sound system. Excellent, sharp interior. Good fuel economy. But it doesn't do anything for me visually, you know? When I see one going down the road, I barely even recognize it. Not like old cars. Classic, vintage cars, they just get me going. My wife made fun of my yesterday because we passed a transmission shop that had a late-sixties Camaro (maroon, with an off-white stripe around the front end), a '70 Torino (jet black), and a 50's or so chevy parked outside; and I was immediately all over the window, pointing at them like a little child.
But I just can help it! There's something about those cars, (even if they don't get great mileage, even if they don't have all the modern creature comforts, and even if they break down from time to time) that I cannot resist.
Which is why, almost a year ago now, I bought my first classic car. Me and my wife bought a '74 Plymouth Duster. Nothing special. 225 /6 engine. Reliable, and still sounds better than most of today's engines, but not a power-house by any means. I am making this thread because today I'm going to put the final coat of paint on! And this weekend, I'll be finishing up the interior for Cruise the Coast, an annual classic car show on the coast of Mississippi that has literally /thousands/ of patrons. I'm so excited, and I just have to talk about it with someone.
So, does anyone else here have the same old car fetish I do? Anyone else restore/own old vehicles? Care to share or include pictures?
Here's a picture of mine from last weekend's painting session:
Soon she'll be back to her former glory.
EDIT: That's not me in the background. That's my father, who has taught me everything I now know over the course of working on this car. It's been great bonding, really.