MAGAZINE

Got an eyeful lately when we saw some car collections of some way-well-set cats who made their scratch with everything from pizza to computer stocks, and.....you know, we realized we were happy for them. Never mind they let us in their homes and collections to gawk and absorb motorsport at it's most elegant. Buena fortuna. Somebody's gotta do it, eh?

On a different lap, there are hot rod and custom guys with all different abilities (financial and otherwise) to do this righteous deed. We see close-hand some cool guys who have just put their heads down and made a good living and who, as greybeards, get to express their tastes and whims with our kinda cars. Some of them get the ultimate traditional treatment at shops like So-Cal (this generation's Boyd but with steelies), and some others go elsewhere to spend their money. Operative word here: their money. Why, in this democratic, capitalistic, reward-for-hard-work society, would someone find it bad, a character flaw, for some slob to spend his own freakin' money on his own freakin' projects any way he freakin' wants to? It would be a bad thing if, when he did this he had to stick it up you ass everytime you look around, but most guys with the scratch have some class, and are just havin' as good a time as they can with what they got. And some of 'em got plenty. Even some Hop Up Guys. Really. You know who you are. We're readin' your mail, Boys!

That's the point. We've seen people get the ass just because someone who is one rung up the ladder got something new. So what? Give 'im a break. Be happy for him. Then maybe the schmucks down the ladder from you will be able to resist puttin' another pin in that little voodoo doll they keep that looks just like ya'. Sometimes I think maybe they really do have 'em.

Besides, a real Hop Up Guy, even one who has bought his way into some iron, has to put his hands on it. It's gonna break. It's gonna fail. It's gonna disappoint him. And he's gonna have to do it twice. Pay for it twice, get screwed once, do it twice. It's all sweat equity, Boys. If the sweat came from makin' Widgets and the proceeds got ya into a sled, get yer bad self out on the boulevard and use it.

Then, sure as hell, there'll be one with more 'eyeballs' pull right up along side you before you get too far. Right?

We've been out-spent before. And out-classed, too. It's life's ladder, ain't it?

Thank ya, Baby.