Episode Seventy-Six: State of the Hobby

The Gearheads hosted a roundtable of a different sort, discussing the state of the hobby at the 71st Grand National Roadster Show. We arranged a cast of builders, owner/clients and builder/owners to talk about where the hobby is at, where it’s going, and what the stakes are with regard to quality and chasing perfection. This episode is an amazing look into competing at AMBR/Slonaker/Ridler levels from nearly every perspective. We invited Erik Hansen, who has owned high-profile cars (including “Sedeuced,” the 1932 Ford which was featured on the TV show Rides, season one, episode ten) to provide his perspective as a client. We also invited builder and prior guest Tim Strange, and builder/sometimes self-client JF Launier to provide the builder perspective on the state of the hobby, and what goes into putting a car together at the upper level.

It is an interesting and entertaining look inside of the relationship between client, designer and builder, and a fascinating peek behind the curtain of competing for the top awards.

THINGS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:
Some VERY coincidental events and overlaps
Speaking Canadian fluently
The client/builder relationship
– The builder/client relationship
An insider’s look at the time investment from a client’s perspective
The client/designer/builder dynamic
– Mention of “the wife dynamic”
Perception of quality
– Private sale VS auction sale
– Passion from all parties involved as opposed to screen time on TV
The builder’s “whole life investment” in a build
– Re-mortgaging multiple family properties to complete a build
Selling a concept to a client
Hinting at a project
The amassed knowledge of a career VS billable hours
– Building a car in the real world as compared to a television budget
The reality of automotive reality television
– 3800 man hours in 30 hours of TV
– A team of skilled industry professionals working nonstop versus three buddies eating pizza and watching NASCAR
– The push at the end/building the right team
Logistics of a high-end client build
Hot rod flashcards
– Ben Franklin’s non-Presidency that should have been
The Al Slonaker Memorial Award (best non-roadster) revamp
– The Detroit VS Pomona thing
– The lessening of the importance of the big award in Detroit
Competing at the highest level
– Best car in the world compared to the best car to show up that day
Originality in builds versus simply refining a trend
BUILD THE CAR YOU WANT
Building for pleasure meets finances
– Private sale or auction
“Well-bought” weighed against “$3M invested” and the public perception
“You don’t build these cars to make money”
– The challenge of building AFTER winning the top award
– Narrowing your reach to clients due to perception of higher prices/longer build times
Plans to have the first 200MPH Ridler winner
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING AN INDUSTRY AMBASSADOR
How the Ridler Award slit the throat of the hobby
– Visually imperfect and onward to the auction for a payday
– Altering the state of the hobby in a negative way
On being an ambassador of the hobby versus winning a trophy
– The importance of utilizing that win to promote the industry as a whole
Adding value to not just a car, but to an entire industry
– Proving that a car can be used as well as display
Crafting provenance and a pedigree
What constitutes value more: A trophy or using the car for what a car is?
When a speech out-values the actual car
The importance of using that award win to promote them hobby over the next year
On making a positive impact and influencing by having the right attitude
The extra importance of being an ambassador in an age where the magazines are dying
Real-world ambassadorship via small project builds
– Being at the top of the game and still getting excited about working with your heroes in a garage
Doing burnouts in an AMBR car
The Round Six burnout box proposal
Discussing the autocross requirement at Goodguys as it narrows a field against Pro-Street or drag race-style cars
Building cars that are memorable
The influx of money people following trends
– A lifetime in the hobby contrasted by a rich guy dabbling for a year
“Believe in yourself” is all you need to know
Ambassadorship in action; get out in the garage