The classic days of cruising, however, were done in by skyrocketing gas prices and auto-emission rules that turned muscle cars flabby. As a consequence, police and communities got nastier, and kids stopped gathering with the same beehive force, especially on Woodward. Even the cars themselves, argues John Clor of the Ford Special Vehicle Team, which markets and produces Ford's high-performance cars, evolved in ways that undermined the old ritual. Gone, for the most part, is that macho rite of passage, drag racing. When I was growing up, we still had the beauty and romance of the muscle car to dream about.
Kids see cars as just another appliance.
You don't just stick a screwdriver in the motor anymore and give it a turn to see how it'll run. Others see darker forces at work in the way the culture regards teen-agers. What this means is that even the affluent ones have fewer and fewer places to hang out. It's as if we want them to disappear to some puberty island and not make trouble till they start contributing to our social security. Either you shut down, or we'll do it for you.