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Unfettered greed.

Glad you're back, sorry about that heat. But fall is almost here so we can rejoice in that. Some leaves already turning color here in Maine. Unbridled, unchecked greed for money has destroyed all it touches. I am a capitalist, but what we have now is not capitalism with market forces that used to balance the equation between price and value, especially where compensation is concerned. I read an article a long time ago where a Mobil Oil president from the 1970's criticized the tremendous bonuses handed out to then current oil company CEOs due to market price spikes that occurred on their watch. Back in the '70s when the first oil embargo spiked oil prices and Mobil Oil profits, the board called him into a meeting at the end of the year to explain to him that they were not issuing him a bonus for the higher profits as these had nothing to do with his performance that year. The exec wrote that he had never been so insulted in his career for the board even thinking that he would have expected a bonus. Now here we are today where execs who wreck companies, who are caught in malfeasance, lies, etc. demand and are given millions of dollars to go away.

DG
Berwick, Maine



Same ol' same ol'.

My wife, who hosted events for Prowler owners for seventeen years, expressed the same feelings for Dream Cruise after taking a pass Friday. And this from someone that convinced the Royal Oak police to shut down all pedestrian and vehicle traffic on Dream Cruise Saturday at 4:00 PM using eighteen motorcycle officers so her 150 Prowlers could make an illegal left-hand turn onto Woodward. Check out “Prowlers tear up Woodward” on YouTube to see it. Her comment Friday was “blah-blah-blah, all the same”

Bob Longstreth
Rochester Hills, Michigan



There's always hope.

Rational thought has always been an endangered species among car and motorsports enthusiasts of any age or stripe. The auctions certainly haven’t helped. Today, ownership of even a single vehicle that serves for purely emotional pleasure and enjoyment can instantly brand someone as irredeemably irrational, perhaps even a sociopath or an object of class envy. That’s what makes it fun. Reinforce that with the relentless persecution of the automobile as an existential threat to humanity by the safety and environmental alarmist media and politicians, and you have a portion of the consuming population turned against itself. Add to that a disproportionate or even unaffordable price point for entry to today’s mass market, and you have nearly extinguished automotive enthusiasm as a significant cultural element for future generations of Americans.

There is another infrequently mentioned but real threat to the future of the DIY car culture, much of which is centered around nostalgic affection, restoration, worship and real love of their vintage vehicles. The most desirable category of vintage autos is the “survivors”, and they are the most cherished and coveted among us. For the enthusiast, the better preserved as close to new, the better regardless of a vehicle brand or type. Valuations consistently reflect this. Problem is that many of today’s vehicles are not survivable, much less restorable or affordably maintainable in the way of those manufactured even as recently as 20 years ago. There, I said it. Values take a real hit. Look for an LCD instrument cluster to service an early C4 Corvette.

Early brain damage is the nemesis of today’s vehicles and is often not survivable or restorable due to the rapid obsolescence of their onboard electronic systems and a lack of DIY OEM or otherwise replacement components to service them, not to mention the few service technicians still capable of diagnosing and curing them. It doesn’t take much to “total” a car today even without significant collision or rust damage. Can you imagine strolling through a salvage yard ten years from now and seeing a ‘25 Escalade with its wall-to-wall dash display sitting dark and now lifeless forever? That was nearly a $100K vehicle when new. The true enthusiast of today has to be his vehicle’s personal and dedicated geek. Finally, interior high touch features such as upholstery, trim panels, headliners and flooring are now very fragile and non-fungible. Their synthetic polymer chemistry renders them very susceptible to rapid UV decay well ahead of usual soiling and friction. Notrestorable.com

This could all be distressing for the future of car culture as we know and love it. Or maybe it could be looked at as a marvelous opportunity for entrepreneurial gusto with a heavy dose of 3D printing and AI.

Car guys and girls will never confuse artificial intelligence for the real thing. Maybe they will bring both to the rescue. There’s always hope.

Dr. John
Phoenix, Arizona