Every so often useless thoughts get tangled in my head—most I’m unable to delete. They just stick there taking up valuable space. Lately, I’ve been thinking about all the super high-end Chevy muscle cars that get unveiled at SEMA and debut at the Detroit Autorama, Grand National Roadster Show, and other high-profile events. Some of these cars get tons of promotion prior to the show, only to never be seen or heard from once the awards are handed out.
This isn’t true with all cars, but it seems many of them don’t get driven much further than up the ramp and into the trailer on the final day of the show. I know that hundreds of thousands of dollars go into these cars, with some reaching six figures, so that makes it somewhat understandable as to why the owner would hesitate to risk any kind of damage after such a big spend. But that just begs the question, ‘Why the hell would anyone build a car with little or no plans to drive it?’
I’ve recently seen a couple Grand National Roadster Show award-winning cars turn up at a local SoCal cruise spot and then make their way up Pacific Coast Highway driving alongside the “regular” cruisers. It’s refreshing to see the owners getting their rides out for a weekend drive and using them as intended.
While I appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into high-end builds, my lack of financial means prohibits me from owning one. Even if I were to hit it big in the Mega Millions lottery, I’d still build a car with performance over fit and finish. My intention would be to drive the tires off it every day and slap on a set of fresh “meats” whenever necessary. Heck, I might even buy a tire store just for giggles.
I hope there are more high-end cars being driven than I’m aware, but with social media being the automotive watchdog it is, I’d have to think we’d see a lot more photos or video of these super big-dollar cars hitting the streets if that were the case. Big Brother is watching, and he’s armed with a smartphone ready to share with the world that you built that car to drive—not to display as a piece of automotive art.
Whether you spent $10,000 or $1 million on your car, get that thing out there, get it dirty, and have some fun. You in?
