What is a "car enthusiast"??
Discussion
Just perusing the usual EV versus ICE warfare/nonsense on here in a few topics. Now, not wanting to pick at that scab any further, I did however spot a couple of comments that got me thinking...
Some people seem to suggest that unless you embrace the car's electric future, you're not an enthusiast. Countering that, there is also the opinion that if you're not a piston head and don't get your enjoyment from the oily bits, then you're not an enthusiast either.
So that leads me to the question, what defines a "car enthusiast"? Further to that, where do people see car culture going in the future?
When I was a fresh faced apprentice mechanic, I used to head home from work hurriedly, full of sp*nk and vigour, eager to finish welding new sills to my mk1 Escort project, or start stripping the Crossflow down to install my new cam etc. A few years later, me and a few colleagues used to stay behind after work, all lending a hand on each others' cars; fitting coilovers, front mount intercoolers, bigger turbos, installing exhausts and all sorts of other highly important things we blew our wages on frivolously. The radio would be on, we'd order some pizzas and be at it until 21:00 or 22:00 at night, then head to town to enjoy the fruits of our labour. Nothing too antisocial of course, just sitting around chatting b*lls
t about how many hundreds of horsepower our new Blitz air filter or Nismo sticker had added!
With engine and drivetrain modifications obviously destined to become a thing of the past over the next couple of decades, and it not being unthinkable that any kind of vehicle mods will become illegal eventually, where does that leave car culture in general? There's a new generation that will never have that experience of tinkering around with their car with their mates, maybe barring software tweaks or something similar. No excitement of awaiting the latest issue of their favourite car mag to land, and possibly the traditional social scene around cars becoming a thing of the past too; what with all the clampdowns on "cruises" and meetings, camera enforcement everywhere, and general disdain towards the motorist. Traditional car shows don't seem to be as well subscribed as they used to either, certainly not compared to a couple of decades ago. Interest in cars in general definitely seems to have peaked in the past now, and on a downward trajectory.
Will being a "car enthusiast" fall by the wayside eventually do we think?
Some people seem to suggest that unless you embrace the car's electric future, you're not an enthusiast. Countering that, there is also the opinion that if you're not a piston head and don't get your enjoyment from the oily bits, then you're not an enthusiast either.
So that leads me to the question, what defines a "car enthusiast"? Further to that, where do people see car culture going in the future?
When I was a fresh faced apprentice mechanic, I used to head home from work hurriedly, full of sp*nk and vigour, eager to finish welding new sills to my mk1 Escort project, or start stripping the Crossflow down to install my new cam etc. A few years later, me and a few colleagues used to stay behind after work, all lending a hand on each others' cars; fitting coilovers, front mount intercoolers, bigger turbos, installing exhausts and all sorts of other highly important things we blew our wages on frivolously. The radio would be on, we'd order some pizzas and be at it until 21:00 or 22:00 at night, then head to town to enjoy the fruits of our labour. Nothing too antisocial of course, just sitting around chatting b*lls
t about how many hundreds of horsepower our new Blitz air filter or Nismo sticker had added! With engine and drivetrain modifications obviously destined to become a thing of the past over the next couple of decades, and it not being unthinkable that any kind of vehicle mods will become illegal eventually, where does that leave car culture in general? There's a new generation that will never have that experience of tinkering around with their car with their mates, maybe barring software tweaks or something similar. No excitement of awaiting the latest issue of their favourite car mag to land, and possibly the traditional social scene around cars becoming a thing of the past too; what with all the clampdowns on "cruises" and meetings, camera enforcement everywhere, and general disdain towards the motorist. Traditional car shows don't seem to be as well subscribed as they used to either, certainly not compared to a couple of decades ago. Interest in cars in general definitely seems to have peaked in the past now, and on a downward trajectory.
Will being a "car enthusiast" fall by the wayside eventually do we think?
Pica-Pica said:
You will still be able to go down Halfords and adorn your EV with a load of tat.Manufacturers (or someone) needs to dream up something to keep owners of used EVs happy ( at least those that want upgrade paths). Otherwise there is unlikely to be a case for the main dealer workshop moving forward....
Year on year it seems fewer youngsters learn to drive. Apparently only around 1/3 of 17-24 y.o. have a licence.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/apr/05/numb...
For my age group (60 next year) driving at 17 was a right of passage. And as the OP said, our free time would be spent tinkering with and (he he) improving our cars. Not so youngsters today.
A full driving licence costs a fortune. Once you've paid that you'll be shafted for insurance. Cars are far too complicated for non experts, with lots of expensive kit to work on and so maintenance/modification/improvement is a shadow of it's former self.
Modern cars (even ICE) are white goods. And for most of us it's all about the monthlies (finance).
To be honest, I just have no interest in modern cars. And I claim to be a car enthusiast!
We have a 2023 Honda Jazz, which I prefer to our 2018 Mini Cooper! Go figure. (Easier, more comfortable, cheaper to drive)
But I also have a classic.
And you know what? At the right time and the right place it makes me feel alive.
So lets celebrate our car culture whilst we still can. And here endeth the lesson!
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/apr/05/numb...
For my age group (60 next year) driving at 17 was a right of passage. And as the OP said, our free time would be spent tinkering with and (he he) improving our cars. Not so youngsters today.
A full driving licence costs a fortune. Once you've paid that you'll be shafted for insurance. Cars are far too complicated for non experts, with lots of expensive kit to work on and so maintenance/modification/improvement is a shadow of it's former self.
Modern cars (even ICE) are white goods. And for most of us it's all about the monthlies (finance).
To be honest, I just have no interest in modern cars. And I claim to be a car enthusiast!
We have a 2023 Honda Jazz, which I prefer to our 2018 Mini Cooper! Go figure. (Easier, more comfortable, cheaper to drive)
But I also have a classic.
And you know what? At the right time and the right place it makes me feel alive.
So lets celebrate our car culture whilst we still can. And here endeth the lesson!
At risk of stating the obvious, there are a lot of aspects about which people can be enthusiastic. Some like the performance, some the image, some like tinkering with their classic, some like road trips, others like the owners clubs. People like driving on tracks, actively competing in motorsport, or just getting places safely and efficiently, some even just like cleaning them with toothbrushes and cotton buds. Some people like competition heritage and some find the engineering interesting. Some people like pub top trumps and others even spend time on the internet discussing them with strangers.
There is no right or wrong answer. Technology has always moved on, and there are enthusiasts who program their own ECUs, and those who cast their own bearings. The whole spectrum is already covered, there is no reason to think the future will be any different.
There is no right or wrong answer. Technology has always moved on, and there are enthusiasts who program their own ECUs, and those who cast their own bearings. The whole spectrum is already covered, there is no reason to think the future will be any different.
A car enthusiast is someone who enjoys something motor related. It's that simple. Doesn't matter if it is a futuristic EV or an old Land Rover. You don't even need to be able to drive, I was utterly car obsessed as a young lad, now I enjoy weird and wonderful and downright odd cars, supercars and exotica do nothing to me, I am interested in all types of powertrains, its how well a car meets it's brief that appeals.
fflump said:
To me a car enthusiast is just someone that regards cars as more than simply a way to get from A to B. It doesn't matter whether they like supercars or smoker barges, ICE or EV, anyone that looks past the functional on to the emotional side of driving is an enthusiast.
Silvanus said:
A car enthusiast is someone who enjoys something motor related. It's that simple. Doesn't matter if it is a futuristic EV or an old Land Rover. You don't even need to be able to drive, I was utterly car obsessed as a young lad, now I enjoy weird and wonderful and downright odd cars, supercars and exotica do nothing to me, I am interested in all types of powertrains, its how well a car meets it's brief that appeals.
I agree with these positions.
The Model T was the first white goods car introduced by Henry Ford back in 1908. The vast majority of cars manufactured since then are also white goods. For most people a car was a tool nothing more. Just a device of transportation for the driver and or family and the stuff they wished to move around. It is utterly fanciful to think otherwise.
So is an enthusiast someone who tinkers with, maintains or otherwise modifies cars or people that just have an interest in them? Like the OP many of us will have maintained / modified engines and cars. It maybe strange to some but not all mechanics are car enthusiasts and some see it as a job like a tiler, painter and decorator or other skilled trade job.
So why cannot some here accept that little has changed with the re-introduction of the electric motor as the motive power and be openminded? Can BEVs be modified. Yes of course they can and has already be done even in this early stage of the modern EV development.
How anyone cannot be impressed by the likes of the McMurtry or what Porsche have done with their first EV the Taycan which both show engineering excellence is rather disappointing. Other manufactures are now developing and introducing interesting BEVs outwith the normal day to day car from transport. Why not appreciate them?
So is an enthusiast someone who tinkers with, maintains or otherwise modifies cars or people that just have an interest in them? Like the OP many of us will have maintained / modified engines and cars. It maybe strange to some but not all mechanics are car enthusiasts and some see it as a job like a tiler, painter and decorator or other skilled trade job.
So why cannot some here accept that little has changed with the re-introduction of the electric motor as the motive power and be openminded? Can BEVs be modified. Yes of course they can and has already be done even in this early stage of the modern EV development.
How anyone cannot be impressed by the likes of the McMurtry or what Porsche have done with their first EV the Taycan which both show engineering excellence is rather disappointing. Other manufactures are now developing and introducing interesting BEVs outwith the normal day to day car from transport. Why not appreciate them?
InitialDave said:
fflump said:
To me a car enthusiast is just someone that regards cars as more than simply a way to get from A to B. It doesn't matter whether they like supercars or smoker barges, ICE or EV, anyone that looks past the functional on to the emotional side of driving is an enthusiast.
Silvanus said:
A car enthusiast is someone who enjoys something motor related. It's that simple. Doesn't matter if it is a futuristic EV or an old Land Rover. You don't even need to be able to drive, I was utterly car obsessed as a young lad, now I enjoy weird and wonderful and downright odd cars, supercars and exotica do nothing to me, I am interested in all types of powertrains, its how well a car meets it's brief that appeals.
I agree with these positions.As others have said, a car enthusiast is simply someone who is enthusiastic about cars. Trying to affix any criteria beyond that to the term is just snobbery, IMO.
You can be a car enthusiast without caring about brand, or whilst only having interest in one particular brand; you can be a car enthusiast while holding an FIA super-licence or not even having even driven a car; you can be a car enthusiast while being happy stripping cars down to the ground and rebuilding them, or not knowing how to open the bonnet or check the tyre pressures; you can be a car enthusiast while having no interest in cars produced after 1910 or having no interesting in cars produced before 2020... all that matters is that you are in some way enthusiastic about cars.
As long as there are cars, there will be car enthusiasts.
You can be a car enthusiast without caring about brand, or whilst only having interest in one particular brand; you can be a car enthusiast while holding an FIA super-licence or not even having even driven a car; you can be a car enthusiast while being happy stripping cars down to the ground and rebuilding them, or not knowing how to open the bonnet or check the tyre pressures; you can be a car enthusiast while having no interest in cars produced after 1910 or having no interesting in cars produced before 2020... all that matters is that you are in some way enthusiastic about cars.
As long as there are cars, there will be car enthusiasts.
Edited by kambites on Sunday 15th December 16:47
kambites said:
As others have said, a car enthusiast is simply someone who is enthusiastic about cars. Trying to affix any criteria beyond that to the term is just snobbery, IMO.
You can be a car enthusiast without caring about brand, or whilst only having interest in one particular brand; you can be a car enthusiast while holding an FIA super-licence or not even having even driven a car; you can be a car enthusiast while being happy stripping cars down to the ground and rebuilding them, or not knowing how to open the bonnet or check the tyre pressures; you can be a car enthusiast while having no interest in cars produced after 1910 or having no interesting in cars produced before 2020... all that matters is that you are in some way enthusiastic about cars.
As long as there are cars, there will be car enthusiasts.
Agreed.You can be a car enthusiast without caring about brand, or whilst only having interest in one particular brand; you can be a car enthusiast while holding an FIA super-licence or not even having even driven a car; you can be a car enthusiast while being happy stripping cars down to the ground and rebuilding them, or not knowing how to open the bonnet or check the tyre pressures; you can be a car enthusiast while having no interest in cars produced after 1910 or having no interesting in cars produced before 2020... all that matters is that you are in some way enthusiastic about cars.
As long as there are cars, there will be car enthusiasts.
Edited by kambites on Sunday 15th December 16:47
The greatest car enthusiast I know id a chap in his 40s who goes to every motoring museum, car event etc he can find, plus is always taking photos of interesting cars he sees on the street. He only learned to drive 2 years ago, and prefers to travel by train.
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