Among the numerous aspects of being a magazine editor, one of the coolest perks is getting to stay current on what trends are coming, which are going, and what the majority of people are doing across the land-and across the pond. While the classic truck sect isn't quite as hip to keeping up with the Joneses, as it were, when compared to street rodders, there has been an ongoing trend within the hobby that I find quite admirable, one quite a few hipster street rodders are finally catching onto.
So, just what is it I'm referring to? Well, it's the fact that, at least according to my perception, the majority of classic truck enthusiasts drive what they own/build. In other words, while some hot rod guys are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on cars that rarely, if ever, are actually driven, good old truck folk have been putting their hard-earned bucks into something they can enjoy-without the use of a trailer, a detail team, an elaborate display, etc. Disgruntled fancy-rod owners, walking away from whatever gala indoor show without the big award they felt was deservedly theirs might finally start realizing there could be a better way to spend all that money...or will they?
Is that the difference between us and them? Sure, there have always been "show trucks," just like there have always been street rods built purely for the fun of driving. But in the grand scheme of things, the majority of the vehicles built primarily for the purpose of showing fall in their court, not ours. And while I see many a street rodder migrating over to the "driver's" side, I definitely don't see a major swing the other way on our end. Driving is an important factor, and it oftentimes dictates to what degree a vehicle is finished. For instance, most people wouldn't throw a $50k paint job on a truck that is supposed to see daily road use, right? But at the same time, for the most part, smart truckers know not to skimp when it comes to the mechanicals that keep their trucks on the road and them behind the wheel-safely. (If that isn't commonplace across the board in every vintage automobile hobby, it should be.)