Cars

My posts on BMW 2002 Turbo and Edge's Defender made me dig deeper into my interest in cars as extensions of lifestyles

Like horses and buggies before them, the internal combustion car will give way to a newer, more efficient means of transportation. The recent demise of the U.S. automakers indicates the inevitability of this shift. No longer will cars be the vehicle of the masses, but the luxury of a few. This shift from a transportation vehicle for everyone to a toy for the wealthy is merely a return to a way things were. At the dawn of the automobile age, cars were a play toy for the supper wealthy. Oil prices will dictate the duration of this transition, but the gears of change are already in motion.

Over time the allure of cars and the accompanying culture will gain relevancy similarly to how cowboy and horse riding are popular today. Soon automobile culture will be such a novelty that people will flock to it.

In the not too distant future, leading designers will create romanticized renditions of driving attire and automobile inspired clothing. These designers will look back to classic automobiles and the accompanying culture in the same way that designers like Alex Carelton look to nineteenth century sailing culture for brand inspiration.

So could NASCAR ever be chic? Its too early to tell. However the ability to go faster and farther than ever before and for intimidate independence has enduring appeal to men regardless of time or place.