where did the boy racers go?
Discussion
I really think a lot of the "boy racers" used loans and credit cards to mod their cars... they can't get credit anymore so can't mod. They resort to cheap, even s
tter mods like Rat Look or JDM look with gay tow eye's or Track Look - Stripping it out and adding some harnesses to std seats.
Plus insurance has rocketed in recent years... for example, 6 years ago I had an S1 106 XSI as my first car, 110bhp, weighed nothing, lowered. Was like a go kart. £1400 a year to insure. My mates little brother is trying to get insured on a standard, 1.2 16v Clio and the cheapest quote he's got is nearly £3500!!!
Another note - Trends change and there's not as big a following to the "max power" look... I mean Fast Car mag and Max Power mag had a massive change and went a lot more down the "euro" theme choosing more subtle cars which IMO some do look good.
tter mods like Rat Look or JDM look with gay tow eye's or Track Look - Stripping it out and adding some harnesses to std seats. Plus insurance has rocketed in recent years... for example, 6 years ago I had an S1 106 XSI as my first car, 110bhp, weighed nothing, lowered. Was like a go kart. £1400 a year to insure. My mates little brother is trying to get insured on a standard, 1.2 16v Clio and the cheapest quote he's got is nearly £3500!!!
Another note - Trends change and there's not as big a following to the "max power" look... I mean Fast Car mag and Max Power mag had a massive change and went a lot more down the "euro" theme choosing more subtle cars which IMO some do look good.
I just had to post it 
:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsiLYIZADS8&fea...
:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsiLYIZADS8&fea...
Edited by rottie102 on Thursday 20th January 14:08
The fashion changed and they moved on.
Modified cars are still around but they're more subtle. Thankfully I think the days of having a PlayStation plumbed into the dashboard, scissor doors on a Corsa and neon lights under the body are over. I think the whole characterisation of the 'chav' put people off too. Suddenly no-one wanted to be labelled one.
The manufacturers resisted it too - more modern designs can't really be fitted with bodykits. Citroen cottoned on to this scene when they realised the Saxo was a favourite among the bodykit brigade, so offered the C2 effectively already chavved-up. I have a feeling the triangular exhaust fad is to prevent people fitting bolt-ons too.
What is good though is that I've noticed more modifyers taking things out of their cars rather than putting things on. They've obviously realised that it's actually more fun to have a lightweight fun car that won't be laughed at on a track day than it is to drive around in a mobile branch of Comet pounding out 'choons' (seems that particular branch of dance music's died a death too, although hip-hop's stepped into its shoes for antisocial moron-value).
Modified cars are still around but they're more subtle. Thankfully I think the days of having a PlayStation plumbed into the dashboard, scissor doors on a Corsa and neon lights under the body are over. I think the whole characterisation of the 'chav' put people off too. Suddenly no-one wanted to be labelled one.
The manufacturers resisted it too - more modern designs can't really be fitted with bodykits. Citroen cottoned on to this scene when they realised the Saxo was a favourite among the bodykit brigade, so offered the C2 effectively already chavved-up. I have a feeling the triangular exhaust fad is to prevent people fitting bolt-ons too.
What is good though is that I've noticed more modifyers taking things out of their cars rather than putting things on. They've obviously realised that it's actually more fun to have a lightweight fun car that won't be laughed at on a track day than it is to drive around in a mobile branch of Comet pounding out 'choons' (seems that particular branch of dance music's died a death too, although hip-hop's stepped into its shoes for antisocial moron-value).
aka_kerrly said:
They all grew up and now drive focus STs, Astra VXRs etc?
this, well almost. If i ever go to Mcdonalds on a night i can guarantee the car park will be full of VXR's, ST's Renault Sports etc but it doesn't seem like the crowd are any older or more affluent i just think it's that people aren't moving out of home so young and so 20 year old lads will spunk all their wages on a nice car as they know they won't be able to afford their own place any time soon. there are other factors too, one of the most obvious being that it's just out of fashion to 'Max' your car now
.EDLT said:
They've all got "slammed" DUBZ these days.
This. I remember going to an Edition 38 show years ago and it was a really good bunch of enthusiasts.
I've not been since but from what I've heard from mates it was a complete mix of chavs last year all with Golfs, cheap coilovers and replica BBS wheels...
As above,
The in your face style of bay racer had died out.
Maxpower and redline mags have gone bust.
They used to drive corsa's with lexarse lights, lambo doors, neons, bodykits that could swallow a small ostritch and bangin tooones.
Now my mates younger brothers drive things like Citroen C'2s with a nice subtle dark paintjob, £1000 deep dish split rims, lowered and smoothed door handles.
Or even push themselves to buy better cars and just leave them standard.
Much Much better nowdays!
The in your face style of bay racer had died out.
Maxpower and redline mags have gone bust.
They used to drive corsa's with lexarse lights, lambo doors, neons, bodykits that could swallow a small ostritch and bangin tooones.
Now my mates younger brothers drive things like Citroen C'2s with a nice subtle dark paintjob, £1000 deep dish split rims, lowered and smoothed door handles.
Or even push themselves to buy better cars and just leave them standard.
Much Much better nowdays!
There are fewer boy racers around here too, in fact the general interest in cars amongst teenagers is less than what it used to be. Even 5 years ago, when I first got my Elise, driving it through town would make about half of the kids point at it, or even shout out "nice car!" when I was at the lights. Nobody says anything anymore (which I actually prefer, but nevertheless it's something I've noticed). Even when I'm on foot and I see a Gallardo, F430 or similar drive past, I'm the only one that looks. I even saw a 288 GTO in the village once (it was genuine, there's a lot of wealthy people around here) - and nobody batted an eyelid as it jiggled through the village centre, engine growling like an angry beast - and bright red as well!
Times changes basically. When I grew up motorsport meant Group B, Group C and Mansell, Piquet and Senna era F1; learning to drive meant a car with no power steering, no servo brakes and "poor" NVH so you could feel everything; and my Dad's car, although a mundane car (a Cortina!), was rear drive, feelsome, a bit noisy, a bit interesting and generally a lot more interesting than a Vectra would be today, even though it was a bit naff in its time. These days, kids grow up watching racing and rally cars perfectly suspended above the road with tenths of a second between them in lap and stage times, their parents drive tall underdamped souless boxes, and when they finally learn to drive to add insult to injury it's usually in a car with no feeling at all. I'm certain if I'd been born in 2007 rather than 1977 I probably wouldn't even have a passing interest in cars. Add to that the general attitude of the government towards cars with "speed kills" etc, and that fights past even teenage rebellious attitudes - cars these days are not only without soul and character, but they're socially unacceptable as well.
Times changes basically. When I grew up motorsport meant Group B, Group C and Mansell, Piquet and Senna era F1; learning to drive meant a car with no power steering, no servo brakes and "poor" NVH so you could feel everything; and my Dad's car, although a mundane car (a Cortina!), was rear drive, feelsome, a bit noisy, a bit interesting and generally a lot more interesting than a Vectra would be today, even though it was a bit naff in its time. These days, kids grow up watching racing and rally cars perfectly suspended above the road with tenths of a second between them in lap and stage times, their parents drive tall underdamped souless boxes, and when they finally learn to drive to add insult to injury it's usually in a car with no feeling at all. I'm certain if I'd been born in 2007 rather than 1977 I probably wouldn't even have a passing interest in cars. Add to that the general attitude of the government towards cars with "speed kills" etc, and that fights past even teenage rebellious attitudes - cars these days are not only without soul and character, but they're socially unacceptable as well.
Edited by RobM77 on Thursday 20th January 14:21
I still see them every Thursday night at McDonalds (no I don't eat a McDees every thursday)! I park up to play 5's and by 8pm the time I come out they car park is is littered with a small cruise. Although there are still crap modded cars there, some of the cars are much nicer than you would expect.
RobM77 said:
There are fewer boy racers around here too, in fact the general interest in cars amongst teenagers is less than what it used to be. Even 5 years ago, when I first got my Elise, driving it through town would make about half of the kids point at it, or even shout out "nice car!" when I was at the lights. Nobody says anything anymore (which I actually prefer, but nevertheless it's something I've noticed). Even when I'm on foot and I see a Gallardo, F430 or similar drive past, I'm the only one that looks. I even saw a 288 GTO in the village once (it was genuine, there's a lot of wealthy people around here) - and nobody batted an eyelid as it jiggled through the village centre, engine growling like an angry beast - and bright red as well!
Times changes basically. When I grew up motorsport meant Group B, Group C and Mansell, Piquet and Senna era F1; learning to drive meant a car with no power steering, no servo brakes and "poor" NVH so you could feel everything; and my Dad's car, although a mundane car (a Cortina!), was rear drive, feelsome, a bit noisy, a bit interesting and generally a lot more interesting than a Vectra would be today, even though it was a bit naff in its time. These days, kids grow up watching racing and rally cars perfectly suspended above the road with tenths of a second between them in lap and stage times, their parents drive tall underdamped souless boxes, and when they finally learn to drive to add insult to injury it's usually in a car with no feeling at all. I'm certain if I'd been born in 2007 rather than 1977 I probably wouldn't even have a passing interest in cars. Add to that the general attitude of the government towards cars with "speed kills" etc, and that fights past even teenage rebellious attitudes - cars these days are not only without soul and character, but they're socially unacceptable as well.
I think that's a bit of a pessimistic outlook to be honest. Young people are very much into cars, but they're either subtly making ordinary ones faster, or saving a packet on insurance by owning something over 15 years old.Times changes basically. When I grew up motorsport meant Group B, Group C and Mansell, Piquet and Senna era F1; learning to drive meant a car with no power steering, no servo brakes and "poor" NVH so you could feel everything; and my Dad's car, although a mundane car (a Cortina!), was rear drive, feelsome, a bit noisy, a bit interesting and generally a lot more interesting than a Vectra would be today, even though it was a bit naff in its time. These days, kids grow up watching racing and rally cars perfectly suspended above the road with tenths of a second between them in lap and stage times, their parents drive tall underdamped souless boxes, and when they finally learn to drive to add insult to injury it's usually in a car with no feeling at all. I'm certain if I'd been born in 2007 rather than 1977 I probably wouldn't even have a passing interest in cars. Add to that the general attitude of the government towards cars with "speed kills" etc, and that fights past even teenage rebellious attitudes - cars these days are not only without soul and character, but they're socially unacceptable as well.
Edited by RobM77 on Thursday 20th January 14:21
The ones who depress me are the ones I'm tempted to call the 'Urban Splash' brigade. They're young, they're professional, they're educated, they have money, they're single, free and generally fun, but because they imprison themselves in soulless inner-city 'regeneration' areas in gunmetal Urban Splash towers a short walk from the office, and think everything they need is in their city, they happily ditch their cars (given that insurance in that area would be sky-high even if they had somewhere to park), and will never know the pleasure of driving, and probably won't get another car until they decide to have children, move out to the suburbs and buy an MPV.
The annoying thing is that a lot of them actually like cars and are in a position to own some seriously nice ones, but they just don't because they 'don't need it'.
Which means I'm the one who ends up giving my friends who are like this lifts all the time.
Oddly enough, most of my friends my age with cars are less well-off than those without, simply because they live in the cheaper suburbs, where they can park off the road.
You couldn't pay me to live in an Urban Splash development, frankly.
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