87 Chevy Monte Carlo by Scooter Flix
"Will men ever stop loving cars? Despite the traffic congestion, guilt over global warming and the strangulation of machismo, it seems unlikely. Our attraction to these glossy machines is atavistic. We push toy cars around on the carpet when we're kids. We enjoy them racing, jousting and crashing in movies. When we're teenagers, we can't wait to roar off in our first cars as soon as we've passed our tests. Very often, we then tune and modify them until they are an expression of the power and status we feel we need."
Tungate notes that US college students spend $15 million on cars, and $4.2 billion a year customizing them. “Inspired by movies like The Fast and the Furious and MTV show Pimp My Ride, 'they're outfitting their rides with ground-shaking sound systems, nitrous-injected engines and 20-inch rims...' (Branded Male: Marketing to Men by Mark Tungate)
Why are auto-manufactures going bankrupt? Too often, they ignore the tribe. Too often they focus on the $15 million on car sales and not on what the 4.2 billion. But this is not about numbers. It is about getting people excited in the tribe. When people paint a car, display it at shows and keep it in top condition for over 20 years, the tribe is saying something.
