Like many of the parts of the custom vehicle hobby that I work in, "hot rods" are splintering into many, many groups. Much of it is related to the enthusiasts age, and the cars he grew up around.

If I had to bet, I would bet that a key factor is the type of car you develop a passion for at a young age. When I got heavily involved, it was the sixties and seventies. Being a youngster, I had to play with the cars I could afford, which were about 10 years old, so they were generally '50s & '60s models. Today I work on every type of toy, from every era, but my real passion is still for the same types of cars, the way we were building them at that time.

I believe that will also remain a "constant" for newcomers. The cars they are building today will be their lifelong favorite. It is the car they can afford to buy, and drive to work, and the kind of cars that their friends admire too. I know this will not be the types that we older enthusiasts prefer, but the hobby will live on and prosper. Just remember when your dad and mine said "I don't know why you waste all of your time on that car." Well, today we are thinking the same thing about our kids and their front-wheel-drive cars.....but they know why! It's the same "love affair" that we had with a '49 Ford, or a '57 Chevy, or a '62 Impala. :-) Nothing stays the same.