I’m an old-school gearhead who loves American muscle cars, and nothing beats a cold start in the morning, and a great V8 rumble when you punch it. So why all the fuss lately about electric cars? Some people say that electric cars are the automotive wave of the future, while others claim that they will never catch on. First, let’s take a look at the facts, and then I’ll tell you what I think.
The Electric Revolution: More Than Just a Spark
Despite myself, EVs have been getting better and better with each passing year. Who in their right mind can blame a gearhead for hopping on board?
Green in More Ways Than One
The prospect of savings is a prominent selling point for electric vehicles. The federal government offers a tax credit of up to $7,500 for qualifying EVs, and some states are providing further enticements, such as rebates and exemptions from registration fees and sales taxes. Add currently elevated gasoline prices to the equation, and we’re talking thousands of dollars in savings.
Prices Coming Down to Earth
As for Tesla, the epitome of the electric vehicle boom, the company has been cutting prices on its Model 3 and Model Y to broaden its market, meaning that these high-tech rides are more affordable than ever.
Customization Nation
And most importantly, don’t be afraid of giving up the ability to tinker and modify – the electric vehicle aftermarket is growing. Teslas, in particular, has quickly become an array of bolt-ons: tucking lowering springs, carbon-fiber extravaganzas, and all kinds of outlandish custom wheels, not to mention the ability to create full body-kits if you are so inclined – which, of course, you are, because, like the gas-guzzler that came before it, you can now soup up your EV to your heart’s content.
Classic Cars: More Than Just Metal and Chrome
Let’s shift gears and talk about our American classics—not just cars but time machines that transport us to an era when automobiles were big, loud, and brazenly influential.
Style for Miles
Classic cars have a style all their own. I mean, look at one—an old Chevy Impala with its long, sleek lines, a second-generation Dodge Charger with that aggressive stance, or an early Mustang with its sporty profile.
Expressing Yourself, One Quarter-Mile at a Time
An American hot rod is not a tool for functional transportation; it’s an extension of the owner. It’s not about going from A to B; it’s about announcing to the world who you are and what you care about, cruising down the strip at a leisurely speed.
A Tangible Connection to the Past
With a classic, you buy history for your garage, a reminder of when cars were made to last and when driving used to mean something. You’re not an owner; you’re a keeper of the automotive flame.
The Brotherhood of Gear Heads
One of the best perks of owning a classic ride is the camaraderie. Few things are more fun than getting your wheels on track for a car show, cruise night, or drag racing action. A bond among gearheads grows over swapping parts, stories, and shared man-time—and it never gets old.
Where the Rubber Meets the Road?
Where do I fall on the electric vs. classic spectrum? Well, while I can locate both forms of cars on the spectrum, I also appreciate modern advances in electric car tech that provide acceleration and handling far greater than anything our fathers mastered. classic American muscle somehow has a quintessential air that’s hard to quantify.
The good news for classic car lovers is that our hot rods are here to stay. Although emissions control and fuel efficiency standards might annoy us, there’s no reason to think that our rides will be banned from the streets any time soon.
And rest easy, proud owner of an oldster automobile, because you’ll get plenty of value for that aging beast. The latest millennials are up for consideration: buy your hot rods now, with rejoicing. There is nothing that compares.
In the end, whether you are on Team Electric or Team Classic, what is so important is the love of cars. The exhilaration of driving, the satisfaction of ownership, the companionship of a community united by this love affair between human and machine.
But all that we ask is that you keep the exhausts rumbling (or the electric motors humming, for our EV fans) and realize it’s the gearhead’s spirit, not the car maker’s, that’s important. I’m off to meet my ’69 Camaro and some blacktop.
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