An Interesting Era For Sure

[patrick66]

I think there are more Stage I today than when they were built... if you believe sellers

Same with Hemi anythings, Challenger and Charger R/Ts, 'Cudas, big block Darts and '69 'Cudas, ad nauseam.

 

[Wollfen]

The sad thing is the golden era of cars from the mid fifties through to the early seventies is over and will never be repeated. Cars designed with passion in mind for the average consumer is dead and buried.

 

[commando1]

The Naderites who didn't drive cars were screaming that too much of the engineering was focused on design and not enough on keeping actual drivers from killing them.

 

[cantflip]

The Naderites who didn't drive cars were screaming that too much of the engineering was focused on design and not enough on keeping actual drivers from killing them.

Can't say I have any fondness for Ralph... always thought he was a bit of a nut job himself. He wasn't the only one who brought up safety issues... he was just the a#$hole who turned it into a political career.

I believe it was the bean counters of the world who killed it all. In the 1950s and into the 1960's no other country could touch the American auto industry... of course their factories were pretty well bombed to hell and their economies were way different. By the current concept of the muscle car era... at least according to the automotive journalists I've read (I don't mean that as if I have much regard for many of them)... the bean counters had taken hold. 1st generation Hemi too expensive to produce, 2nd generation much cheaper... disc brakes too expensive to be standard equipment... not fully painted under vinyl tops. Other decisions probably balanced cost with politics... suppliers and materials... seatbelts... insurance carriers and financers. No dig here Stan, but union workers and pensions are expensive and don't allow the 'sweat shop" that lets top management buy islands after retirement.

My father, who has a pensioned retirement, talks about the "service economy" BS from the 70s or before as one of the big downfalls of USA industry... not much manufacturing exists within our borders, and much that does is foreign owned. He spent more than 20 years sweating out layoffs every couple years and had to change job titles numerous times to survive as long as he did. It shaped my decisions not to want to live in that crap. I now think a lot of folks, like Stan, who had the foresight and fortitude to make it through all that. The more money that goes to the top, the farther down everyone else is pushed... greed and bean counters have caused us a lot of damage, and I don't see it reversing.

Lots of crap changed to kill these cars and USA dominance within the USA... here is an interesting example of safety improvement... even if it is that POS X-frame design for 59.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_ptUrQOMPs

 

[commando1]

Absolutely the best way to sum up our country's sad state of affairs.
Baruth is one on the most brilliant auto bloggers out there.
Please read to the end where it becomes extremely profound.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/12/comes-chinese-buicks-im-not-ready-deal/

I know I should “get over it”. I should “get over” the fact that the first volume distribution of Chinese automobiles in this country will be by the hands of a corporate-welfare recipient reanimated with American tax dollars. (Or, if you want to be picky, Chinese money loaned to America in expectation of future tax receipts.) When the next Chinese car arrives, and the one after that, I’ll be told to “deal with it.” When the majority of cars sold in this country come from China, I’ll be told to “calm down” about it. When even Honda and Toyota close their American facilities because car manufacturing has become the classic race to the bottom, I’ll be told that the Chinese cars are “just as good” as their predecessors.

 

[cantflip]

Absolutely the best way to sum up our country's sad state of affairs.
Baruth is one on the most brilliant auto bloggers out there.
Please read to the end where it becomes extremely profound.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/12/comes-chinese-buicks-im-not-ready-deal/

Thanks... nice read... I might have to find more from him. They started playing the generation game with all of us long ago... this generation wants this, believes that... problems seem to always come down to beaten too much or too little... sad part is many of the youngsters I deal with only believe youtube and haven't been beaten at all... they will love Chinese cars and whatever idiot takes vindiesel's place as the dumbass spokes person for all things automotive. I can't imagine being their manager, I would have to tell a lot more mommies to f#$k themselves and junior is fired than I used to... but now I would probably be overruled by sissified corporate management afraid of the lawsuits. I probably wouldn't survive that scenario myself, as I am just not PC enough to hold a management role anymore... besides I have a overdeveloped gag reflex and a horrific tooth drag, not the right qualifications. Everything I see seems to be working us closer to uselessness... so yea, I think he got a little bit profound... but want to add the young people I see who are really able to work and function on their own are mostly from poorer families or immigrants and are trying to make something for their selves... too many from "good homes" didn't get the right number of beatings and don't have any capacity to live in reality. I see too many employers trying to figure out how to get bodies hiring these ones and still get productivity. My industry (auto repair) has become much more diverse than it once was. I don't share exactly the same politics as some others and am very open minded to other cultures who want to work hard and be productive. Sorry to say in many cases, the "good homes" kids aren't the ones. Skin color and cultural background doesn't separate the scumbags. I am not overly religious, basic barely practicing Christian I suppose, I couldn't tell you about religious backgrounds... I suspect few of the hard workers are planning mass slayings though.