This article was actually inspired by Jeepin Bubba’s previous article on the decline (and/or over-saturation) of car shows. And honestly… the more I thought about it, the more I realized a lot of us in the automotive world have quietly been feeling the same way. But I think a lot of times, we blame ourselves. We blame it on getting older, burning-out, becoming jaded, etc. When in fact – there are larger factors at play. So if it makes you feel any better – it’s not you… it’s not us. We’re actually the constant in today’s automotive culture. So stand-up for that.
So what happened to car shows?
I’m not trying to be dramatic. And this isn’t another emo “car culture is dead” post. But genuinely – something feels different now… doesn’t it? The atmosphere has changed, the builds changed, even the people have changed – quietly but quickly. And the energy is off.
Back in 2012, when we started running events under No Love 4 Atlanta, the name itself came from frustration. Atlanta was – and still is – one of the largest automotive hubs in the country. Yet major shows constantly skipped over us. So instead of just complaining about it, we decided to build something ourselves. And that lead to all sorts of organic, authentic, awesome experiences. But today – that feels like a completely different & distant era of car culture.
And before somebody jumps in with the “you’re just getting old” comments…
Nah… that’s not it. I haven’t outgrown my love for car culture. Quite the opposite actually. It’s car culture that’s changed. Back then… car shows felt raw & organic. They felt personal & un-algorithmed. Social media existed, sure. But it hadn’t consumed us yet. No one was chasing engagement numbers, or shamelessly trying to go viral. People didn’t show up for content. And that’s key: Car shows were community… not content.
You’d walk through a car show, and see the weirdest combinations imaginable…
Stuff that was genuinely worth coming out for. Interesting stuff. Clever stuff. Resourceful stuff. Stuff with individuality, character, and even innocence. Cars with bodywork in-progress. Hand-built interiors. Wild audio setups. Stuff that genuinely reflected the owner’s skillset, personality… and journey/lifestyle in car culture. All the things that separate a real culture… from copy/paste.
And honestly?? That stuff was amazing…
That’s what true car culture was all about. Now it feels predictable… and add-to-cart. It’s about using “the right parts” for social status or followers. Fellas – that’s no different than girls buying expensive handbags for the designer labels. It’s fashion… not culture. And it’s not in the true spirit of hot-rodding.
You can FEEL when somebody built their car by their own rules…
The car somehow looks like its owner. All the scratches have stories. And every weird design choice usually has a hilarious explanation. That’s part of what made the culture so potent. And that’s what we kept coming out for. Now? A lot of builds feel optimized. Not optimized for the owner… but optimized for TikTok, Instagram, sponsorships, and the algorithms.
And unfortunately, the automotive aftermarket companies adapted that mindset too…
Aftermarket brands are not as raw or OG as they used to be. A lot of brands used to support grassroots culture because that WAS the culture. Niche media, enthusiast-built events, forums, crews/teams, etc. Now most aftermarket companies have morphed into BECOMING their own media, rather than supporting it. It’s an endless loop of brands paying big-tech to over-shout each other on your screen. In other words, the resources that used to stay within car culture & make it powerful… now funnel-out to Meta & Google. All because impressions seem to matter more than authenticity & integrity in modern marketing. And look, I get it. Business is business… but what’s the larger cost here?
We’ve lost the plot…
For the enthusiasts, car culture isn’t “business & insights”… it’s our passion! We want to support aftermarket brands that support the culture, move from the heart, and create great atmospheres. What good is an impression… if there’s no oomph behind it? Car culture has become overexposed, and overexposure is a numbing creme. It takes that hunger, that creativity, and that FIRE inside you… and dumps water on it… in the form of scrolling, click-bait, and over-embellished entertainers. Metaphorically – it’s empty carbs without the protein. And – that’s just one of several issues honestly.
The internet also changed our expectations within car culture…
One of the biggest gripes I hear now is: “I’m tired of seeing the same cars at every event.” But brother, that’s literally how local scenes work. That’s the camaraderie of it. Yet people compare local events to these massive pilgrimage events they see online. And they forget that geography, demographics, weather, income levels, and culture all shape what a scene becomes. Atlanta is never going to look like Southern California. Texas is never going to look like New Jersey. Florida truck culture is never going to look like Colorado overlanding culture. And that’s a GOOD thing.
Social media sucked the local flavor out of it…
It made everybody think the same. Shoot for the same target. The same wheel setups, same wraps… same swaps, same content, same logos, same copy/paste styling. People in the USA copying what Japan is doing… and vice versa.
The weirdness is important…
Variety is the spice of life, and it’s honestly more crucial than perfection. The top-tier builds inspire us – absolutely. But the weird builds break through monotony & creative barriers. And the questionable builds – they spark conversations. The homemade builds inspire people because they feel exciting, refreshing, & attainable. They help open people’s minds to see what is possible if you get crafty.
Today’s younger enthusiasts scroll through high-dollar builds…
And while they may hit the share button… they simultaneously get discouraged before they even start. Heck you don’t even have to be ‘younger’. We ALL feel social media’s weight of comparison. It steals joy, motivation, and ambition. Turns passion into defeat. And that’s dangerous for car culture. Not everything needs to be set on a global stage. And not every build needs 1,000 horsepower & 6-figure budgets. There’s more to car culture than that. Maybe the answer to saving parts of this culture isn’t chasing bigger numbers. Instead – maybe it’s getting back to what made people fall in love with car culture in the first place – camaraderie. People just wanna hang-out and talk nonsense… vibe & juice each other up.
The extinction of Forums hurt too…
A lot of enthusiasts missed-out on an era where the culture used the internet to share information instead of gatekeeping it or packaging it into “content.” There was no toxic “influencer/follower” dynamic. Today everything is short-form, based around quick clips & quick engagement. It caters to short attention spans, and the algorithm is the emperor. Remember when we stared at photos… in magazines… and let them really sink in & inspire us?? There were no comments to cloud our own thoughts & motivations? Do you know how peaceful, motivating, and valuable that was? And in that same vein…
We used to go to shows/events because we genuinely wanted to EXPERIENCE them…
That WAS the culture. You couldn’t phone it in (pun intended). Nah – you had to be there. You showed up to see/hear the cars, feel the energy, meet the people, absorb the nuances, and let it all sink-in & obsess you. We’d make friends right there in the moment… not in a ‘friend request’. Now we’ve seen everything already… on their YouTube channel, on their Instagram page. It’s like reading the book after you’ve already seen the movie. **EXCEPT – you didn’t actually make plans to go see the movie. You didn’t buy the ticket & get the popcorn. Rather, it just kinda popped-up on your phone when you opened it… and somehow ruined the damn book. You don’t hunt-down media anymore… it hunts you.
Yet despite all this, I still don’t think car shows are dead…
Not even remotely. Sure, some probably SHOULD die lol. We arguably have too many. Some lost their identity, some became repetitive, others became overly-commercialized, etc. But I’ve noticed the car shows that are still thriving all have one thing in common: They still feel authentic. People still crave real. We crave camaraderie, real atmosphere, and real community.
If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that the future of car culture cannot survive entirely through screens, influencers, and ‘getting views’. That’s how takeover inbreds and the Ferrari Luce happen lol. We’ve gotta find the balance. And that responsibility falls on the enthusiasts AND the aftermarket/auto industry alike. So… choose your future wisely.
Article by David S. Windsor
Work on cars with your friends. Be the lifestyle. Do what thrills ya. Let the rest just blow through.
