Memory works in the strangest way. For example, I couldn’t tell you what shirt I wore yesterday. But I can remember a lot from 1993. The movies, the music, the malls, the MTV… I remember it with clarity. And I especially remember the long list of cool cars that spawned out of the early ’90s. There was such an energy resonating through the automotive world at that time. We were heading towards the next millennium, but we were going as pilots, not on auto-pilot.. 

It wasn’t just the new cars that sizzled, it was everything in harmony…

The cars, the music, the fashion – they weren’t separate lanes. They were part of the same vibe. It was all connected. Meanwhile…

Technology was advancing, but not in a way that disconnected us from the moment. 

Tech didn’t own us yet. And it didn’t monitor us. Rather, technology woke-up the experience. In the car realm, we had turbos, vtec, customization, and over-the-top custom car audio. But we also still had throttle cables, five-speed manuals, and real knobs/levers/gauges. Tech didn’t get in our way, rather, it cranked up the moments. 

But today – the more tech we add… 

The more connection we lose. Metaphorically – tech has gone from energy drinks… to warm baby bottles. New cars do everything for you nowadays. And all the tech in modern vehicles has become ‘training wheels’ that rob drivers of actually driving. 

Car culture has lost its authenticity & grit… 

And how could it not? 1) The automotive industry has been forced into over-regulated, nonsensical compliance. 2) Car companies (conglomerates) are now steered by investors, not individualism. And 3) affordable, analogue, genuinely exciting/unique new cars have become a thing of the past. On top of that, 4) the media-side of car culture is driven by SEO & algorithms over substance & honesty. Which results in over-saturation, over-shouting, and clickbait titles & thumbnails that trick people into engagement. Listen – when car culture plays by someone else’s rules… it’s over. Obedience is the kryptonite of car culture.

As I said at the beginning… 

Memory works in strange ways. Sometimes our memories cause us to see through rose-colored glasses. But not here. I miss the era when ownership meant something. Not just owning a car – but owning your connection to it. There’s a feeling you get behind the wheel of a ’90s machine. Where the energy of the past collided with excitement for the future. Where driving was active. And the car didn’t narc on you to a computer in the sky.

I’m not saying we don’t still have great cars… 

Or talented builders, or good music. We do. But we’ve traded the soul for the show. We’ve traded the process for performance. And we’ve let convenience rewrite the story. So yeah, I miss the ’90s. Not because I’m stuck in the past. But because the past had something we failed to preserve. And today’s youth deserves to fall in love with a car – not just use one.

Article by David S. Windsor