Opinion: Are enthusiasts blinded by rose-tinted glasses?

It’s no secret that social media brings out the worst in people, which is why car enthusiasts ostensibly seem to decry the downfall of the once-flourishing forum boards of yesteryear.

It’s easy to agree when you compare the twilight of extensively detailed and illustrated tutorials with the gatekeeping, vitriol and shaming you often see in some of the most popular automotive Facebook groups today.

However, in actuality, forums weren’t always all that much better. Before ‘trolling’ became common vernacular, there were hordes of ‘flamers’ at the ready, waiting to unleash upon any unsuspecting new member with an unpopular opinion or an un-researched frequently asked question.

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A few cases come to mind where disputes have led to pages and pages of pointed personal insults from grown adults acting in tragic petulance. I was also recently reminded of an old PerformanceForums row where contention over allegedly counterfeit C63 headers for sale led to a gearbox casing being dumped on a doorstep, and ultimately required the involvement of the local constabulary.

That is but one case of many where rose-tinted glasses might be skewing the view of enthusiasts.

With a recent explosion of interest in the cars of old, so much of the narrative and history surrounding some of these models is being heavily revised.

As Cameron Kirby has previously explained in his Supra v Mach 1 comparison, a MkIV Supra in its day was a lot closer to a relaxed GT cruiser than it was to turn-key JGTC racer. Subsequent lore and culture references pulled the reborn Supra into a new realm of sporting intent.

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Retrospective views on value are also a frequent fallacy, as many internet pundits seem to believe that modern premium pricing is a long way distant to how many of these cars were historically positioned.

The MkIV Supra was never sold new in Australia, however, USDM pricing in 1999 pegged the flagship Supra Turbo at $40,000. That sounds like a bargain by today’s standards, but back then a fully loaded Camry LE wore a sticker price of just $19,798. That’s a 102 per cent price disparity in 1999. Compare a top-spec Camry SL Hybrid of today with an A90 Supra GTS, and the price disparity measures negligibly different at 106 per cent.

Clearly, the JDM heroes of yore weren’t quite the affordable democratic champions of speed that many seem to believe.

This results in an unenviable, and often unfair, weight of expectation as manufacturers like Nissan and Honda commit to enduring nameplates like Zed and Integra.

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Whenever Nissan does confirm local pricing for its hotly anticipated new Zed, there will almost certainly be comments on its perceived unaffordability, as so much of Zed lore is centred on the notion of affordable performance.

It’s true that the original 240Z undercut and outperformed far more costly exotic imports in its day, like the Alfa Romeo 1600 or Ford Capri V6, and made a significant impact on Australian enthusiasts. At $4600, however, it exceeded the values of local motorsports heroes such as the XW Phase I Falcon, XU-1 Torana and Chrysler’s E38 Charger. 

Fast forward 10 years to 1980, and a Nissan 280ZX set Aussie buyers back almost $20,000. That was more than a new BMW 323i at the time, and would equate to about $88,000 today when adjusted for inflation. 

We’re a naturally nostalgic bunch, us car enthusiasts, often looking to the past with rosy eyes and nothing but good memories. Sometimes, however, looking back can be a limiting exercise often filled with false logic. Reality wasn’t always as we remember it. So let’s be reminded to remove the rose-tinted glasses every now and again. In many ways, the roses we have today have never smelled so good.

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