I have chosen the "car" or automobile, as the subject of my final blog because I believe it to be one of the inventions that has had one of the most positive impact on our lives during the 20th century. The first steam powered car was built in 1672 by Ferdinand Vebiest and the concept progressed to the Model "t" Ford that became the first affordable automobile due to the invention of assembly line production. From these beginnings the automobile has evolved into the efficient speed machines that are on our roads today. Cars have revolutionized transportation around the world. They have completely wiped out travailing by horse and buggy, have almost made the passenger train extinct and have even gave buses and street cars a run for their money. However for many people cars are much more than just a mode of transportation. Their car is an extension of themselves, their pride and joy, and a hobby to invest their time and money into. For many such people their car is their life. They belong to a subculture that revolves around speed, looks and noise. Modifying cars has been around for as long as cars have, however it was not until the 1950's that hot roding became popular. A hot rod was considered any car that had been modified to the point that it no longer fit in with other main stream cars. During the 19560's-60's hot rods were often older ford models that had been modified by removing body parts, lowering the car and of course installing a bigger more powerful engine. Many owners of these hot rods would gather at "car shows", (a meeting of a large group of hotroders), to show off their custom rides. Many would also race their cars to determine who had the biggest and baddest machine. This subculture has remained almost unchanged since they began. The only things that have changed are the cars and if you go to a car show now, instead of seeing older modle T's, you will most likely see newer modified cars. These newer cars have much smaller engines that are tuned to have close to the same amount of power as the old hotrod. The newer cars are also lowered with many modifications to the body. People still gather to show and race of their new "tuner cars". If you happen to be looking for this subculture you don’t have to go any further than the car show at the Place d'Orleans mall any Wednesday night. There you can see a variety of cars from the modern “tunners” to the classic hotrods.
