As I write this (which, much to my dear copy editor's dismay, is considerably late), I'm sitting in the restaurant of the LAX Embassy Suites. It's near the end of January, and instead of being in the office, I'm attending SEMA's annual media trade event, the MPMC (Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council) Media Conference. While others are enjoying a free luncheon courtesy of the conference host, I chose to take the opportunity to sneak away to write this, as a conversation that took place in one of my earlier meetings inspired the topic of this here editorial.
Now, we all know how the aftermarket has no problem coming up with new products year in and year out. It's what they're in business for, and I think they're doing a great job of it. That's also why I'm here attending the MPMC-to not only see what the various manufacturers have to offer, but to see if and how they can be applied to the classic truck market. Well, during my brief visit with the folks from GM Performance Parts, they inadvertently threw out the following question: "How could your market benefit from anything offered in our current late-model line?" Wow, that caught me by surprise and forced me to resort to my backup brain cells. Despite their unending efforts to keep what I call the "pre-center-bolt" parts alive and well in their catalogue every year, it seems they're also looking at ways to integrate new technology into our old, seemingly decrepit trucks. Cool. Well, it turns out the folks at Ford Racing & Performance are doing the same thing. While Big Brother might not care less whether or not our niche markets make it out of the "oughts," some pretty big heavy hitters do. That's real encouraging to know-at least it is for me, as I'm the most pessimistic when it comes to our hobby's future, not to mention knowing full well how companies like this are struggling to stay alive in their main markets. Being asked personally by one of the Big Three what they can do for me is comparable to my doctor asking me how he can make me feel better-without referrals or authorization!
So I will pose that same question to you: What modern technology found in today's automobiles would you like to see applied to classic trucks? Whether it's a new six-speed automatic transmission (that may be a reality for us very soon, actually) or voice-activated controls, is there anything not currently available that you could realistically see finding its way into our market? Despite what you might be thinking, I'm not trying to sell product for anyone or even do their research work-I'm simply trying to foresee where our parts market might possibly be in the near future, and how that technology will ease or complicate our lives. Like it or not, we're going to have to evolve with the rest of the transportation world some time or another unless we're content with relegating our trucks to non-driveable collector items. Using my better judgment, I'd say that 99.9 percent of you would not tolerate owning a classic truck-or most any vintage vehicle-if you couldn't drive it without considerable regulations that primarily deemed it as a specialty item (in other words, used for parades or display purposes only). Not me.
If you haven't already gotten the impression by now, I drive what I own, whether it's to and from work in my '53 or to the market in my '75-and I don't particularly like being told how much or even when I can drive anything, period. Don't even get me started on rolling emissions testing! You see, I'm fully aware of how minimal the impact our clunky, smoky old trucks have on the environment-or don't. We're unfortunately victims of a David and Goliath paradigm, except we're often without stones. Having a corporate entity asking me that particular question just filled my hand with a few rocks.