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[Swift]

Was going through old issues of my SCC collection. Came upon thier very last issuse. One article discussed the future of tuning. Besides the parts of the article about them going down. The article was written around 4 years ago. The things that were covered in this article I see happening. The tuning culture has left my state long ago. And now I see it only in the bigger cities. Even in the video game scene. There hasnt been much coming out in the past couple of years. Unlike the late 90's and early 2000's, where the racing games were coming out like crazy.

Heres a copy of the article:

Here's the good news: If you're reading this it means that you are a true car geek and a survivor. Those left standing are true intelligent discerning enthusiasts in search of speed and automotive knowledge, regardless of your car preference. But times are tough and sport compact tuning has been whittled down to nothing but hard-core enthusiasts. The fast and the furious era of cheap wheels and body kits is over and those who flocked to it have now moved onto playing with video games, computers, and digital widgets. If you're still driving your tuned import, it means you're not just some kid out to chase tail and look cool. Best of all, the know-nothing, cash-grubbing crap manufacturers and tuners are falling to the wayside.

The bad news is that import tuning will never be the same again. Say goodbye to big drag races, car shows, and being part of the mainstream. Like old muscle car farts and eclectic air-cooled Volkswagen fans, the sport compact market will only be niche in nature, far from the fad it once was. Many ex-readers have grown up, made money, and moved onto smoother, more refined, expensive European rides. On the other side, the market is flooded by cheap China-made copies sold through eBay. Knock-off parts, stingy buyers, and the shift of parts sales to the Internet have caused the demise of many manufacturers and magazines, good and bad.

Here's what I see coming in the future for the hard core. With worldwide economic hardships, the automakers will drop their performance platforms for smaller, cheaper econoboxes that appeal to the masses with functionality and fuel economy. Don't expect new Evos or STIs every two years anymore. There's just no margin in those cars. The few performance platforms that will still continue will be the ultra-priced, six-figure Porsches and GT-Rs that are only affordable as a luxury item for the wealthy. It's already happened in Japan with the proliferation of minivans and K-cars.

Don't expect the next age of econoboxs to inspire either. Even though our very roots were born from a similar economic outlook like we have now, inexpensive budget get-around platforms of the future won't be the sport compacts of yesteryears. Modern cars are simply too heavy and big (for safety reasons) and digitally integrated to be tuned on a budget. Future cars will also be hard to extract power and performance from. Tuning might soon be relegated to wheels and tires, highly technical suspension products, and the cosmetic cat-back exhaust system that will provide minimal power gains. We're all older now and less willing to deal with driveability issues and uncomfortable rides, let alone being hassled by the man for that matter. For those who are still into uncompromised hard-core tuning, the racetrack and dedicated track cars will fill the needs for our speed yayas.

If you want to see where we're all headed, just look at the muscle car market. It's filled with knowledgeable hard-core gearheads who might drive a bone-stock workhorse Camry as everyday transportation, but still have their pride and passion for the weekends. And price is no longer the issue. They are all older with disposable income and knowledge of the products, demanding only top-notch parts. EBay will only exist for finding rare, out-of-production OEM restoration parts and a huge restoration market will spring up for fenders, water pumps, dashboards, and gears. Like the pro street pushrods of today, we might eventually see an entire industry of future technology retrofitted for our favorite compacts. The big difference is that unlike muscle cars of the '60s, the emissions man won't likely go away. With the burden of environmental consciousness and emissions controls, it's unlikely for these soon-to-be old sport compacts to be grandfathered into the smog exemptions of older muscle cars. One day your kids will look at you as we once looked at hot-rodders, old men, and women obsessed with a bygone era fixated with antiquated technology.

So what's a hard-core SCC geek to do? Go out and pick up the sport compact of your dreams. Hide it in your garage (much to your wife's displeasure) and spend your weekends dreaming and restoring it to its former glory. Do your research and buy quality parts to support the industry that can only exist with your support. And one day, when you're older and wealthier, roll your baby out from its mothballs and drive it like you did when these cars first caught your imagination. Build it, show it off to your fellow geezers, be proud, and, most importantly, turn your spawn into future geeks.

As for SCC, rumors of our demise are true. This is our final issue, another sign of the times. For the last 15 years, we've been the go-to source for the common geek's no-nonsense tech and automotive knowledge. I'm sure it is a loss for geeks everywhere and it pains me to see such an end for something that so many have poured their heart and soul into. But if I have my way, there will still be hope. Appendix J will pop up somewhere else to continue my train of brain dumps and dry nerd humor. Until then, thank you for making SCC the leading no-BS technical publication of the past decade for the common man


Read more: http://www.modified.com/editors/sccp_0903_...l#ixzz1zTnMHwsM
What have you all noticed?

This post has been edited by Swift: Jul 2 2012, 03:46 PM

[Zwaag]

I dunno, I think it depends on who was doing the tuning in the first place. Like here in the pixel world. The pixelers who were just doing this for something to do, are dieing out, or just doing silly things now. Where as the people who are "Car Guys" (this term alppies to both men and women, not meant to be sexist), are still coming up with new stuff.

My point, a true car guy never gets bored, we may hate what companies are pushing out these days, but the love for the automobile will never die.

This post has been edited by Zwaag: Jul 2 2012, 04:11 PM

[N.Ozols]

Not a fan of that article, simply because the guy was blabbering only about those 'sports compacts' (he really didnt say ANYTHING about the possible future). only the 'SCC' readers and easy-influence-able people can like that

there are already YOUNG people who are into, for example, traditional, period-specific hot rods. the contemporary-ness of that era is long gone, twice-their-age-old, but they still do it. its called history. that guy has forgot that term


about the future: already now the cars are too complicated to work on in ones own garage, this stuff will get even more limited, and tuning wise - chasing the perfect aerodynamic body might be a key, i mean, for a certain car and the way it gets used. bodykits and that stuff shouldnt be getting too bad, those things still have to be left simple because of the same stupid safety concerns

[Swift]

Yeah. He was just upset about losing his job and the Mag going down. Its a sad thing too. You dont see too many true technical tuning magazines out there any more. All thats left are a few panty loving mags aimed towards the horny teenage youth. Anything technical is online. Would much rather pay $12.99 a year for a subscription than $480 for internet. But the times are changing. Car manufacturers are focused on safety and fuel economy.
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/autos...33-9d0925cb303b
^Article about todays safety features.
And like the author said. Unlike the econoboxes of the past that inspired the tuning scene, these of today wont inspire much. And because of that and todays stringent safety requirements, its going to create many difficulties for tuners. Yes there are a majority of the youth thats still into tuning. But I see thats its more visual than performance. Although, I still see a decent following for classic muscle cars. Hopefully the same will happen to other types of vehicles that are tuned.

This post has been edited by Swift: Jul 2 2012, 06:34 PM

[N.Ozols]

oh, the situation about mags is sad indeed, and yes, that same audience is killing lots of other (basically, mainstream) things too

we dont have any left here in latvia. the only ones in latvian are AutoBild and TopGear, both have no freaking thing to do with my country. read: the same audience problem again

[Victor.]

At least it was right about the market changing from speed to wheels tho.