Say as a marketing idea, would ‘Pre-destroyed finish with dents, holes, creases, scuffs and scraped off paint’ somewhat like the pre-ripped & destroyed jeansmarketable? Not actually denim covered or faux denim painted cars but brand new cars with destroyed shell as if it’s been through hell and back. This idea came to me the other day that if it works for jeans why not with cars!
The kind of finish I’m thinking of is somewhat like John Chamberlain’s sculptures, ie, if you can’t imagine what I’m getting at. Not exactly like Chamberlain’s pieces but more adapted to car aerodynamic and everyday usability.
Would something like that kind of look adapted to new production cars be considered fashionable and catch on if it is presented just right, say, initially on exotic super cars then slowly trickle down to mass produced cars?
Perhaps not in this economy as more and more people are driving beaters that already looks like that (…super riches are still super rich though) but say, when, and if, economy starts to show recovery? Would people ultimately be gullible enough to go for pre-destroyed look production cars?
I feel like the newer model vehicles don’t “age” as well as older ones. This truck has “character.” It looks like it’s been used and worked with and has an interesting aesthetic quality. Is this truck going to look similarly broken-in in 50 years? I don’t think it will. There are more plastic parts and otherwise non-durable components to the body.
It would have to be constructed differently with the final look in mind. People pay a lot of money for jeans with holes and rips in them that looks like they went through a shedder. The concept would be similar but on cars. Would people go for this kinda thing? Would people pay for faux ‘pre-crashed’ or ‘pre-aged’ look in new cars? Like I said look at Chamberlain’s works for inspiration/imagination.
Can you imagine seeing a bunch of these cars on the street? For the ‘crashed look’ it would be completely shocking to your senses and logic, and absolutely radical like the first time you saw someone wearing jeans with huge rip and holes in them or like some kinda avant garde haute couture or a sculpture initially. I’m sure it’ll be just a fad but hey.
They’ve been already doing this kinda thing with electric guitars… such as “road worn” or “pre-worn” models etc. I’m curious whether this type of treatment is applicable to other things like cars.
that’s a bit unfair, though. that '50-something Dodge only is notable because it’s still around. The vast majority of them (along with the competition) rotted away decades ago.
As for the F-150, yes, I think there’ll still be some around in 50 years. and they’ll likely be (on average) in better shape than any unrestored 1950s car/truck is today.
There was a Saturday Night Live commercial advertising a luxury car that made to look like it was all beat up on the outside, but still had a luxurious interior. The idea was that you could park it in high-crime areas and not worry that anyone would steal it.
Well, I have heard of people intentionally scraping/dinging/adding new uglier paint on their fancy expensive bicycles. At best though, it’s only partially a fashion look, as I think the main idea is to keep potential thieves from noticing it’s an expensive bike.
It looks like it was painted to look like a bad Photoshop job.
I could see where there might be a niche for artistically “beat-up” vehicles, but not the same sort of niche you see for distressed clothing. For the price of a vehicle, potential purchasers would be looking for a more distinctive statement, so a regular generic-looking car or truck that’s beat up and scratched probably wouldn’t cut it.
You’d want a distinctive-looking body, plus attachable options that change the lines of the body noticeably, with a “distressed” finish–possibly separate finishes for the body and each attachment, to suggest that it’s been cobbled together out of parts. If you want the best possible market, your car should be capable of supporting looks ranging from Steampunk to Post-Apocalyptic, depending on the options and finishes.
Most fashion is about showing off how much money you have. Think about tan skin versus pale skin. In farming societies, pale skin is prized because it implies that you live life comfortably indoors away from working the fields in the hot sun. In office based economies, tan skin becomes prized because it implies you spend your life cavorting on the beach rather than slaving away under flouresent lights.
The idea behind worn jeans is that you are saying “I’m not on my way to work, presumably because I live a life of leisure” or maybe “I can wear whatever the hell I want to work because I’m a celebrity/young person/boss.”
I don’t think we will really see cars in the same way any time soon. Cars convey status in a different way. Nobody is running around saying “I’m so cool I don’t even need to drive a Lexus to be cool.”
You don’t get the sense of something special from looking at John Chamberlain’s sculpture? I’m thinking of something a kin to that… not just pre-stressed or worn out. Mahbe it’s the artist in me that think that would be cool and different. Aren’t we out of “entirely new and different” these days with all the circular fads making perfectly timed comebacks?.
It’s just an entertainment/exercise of idea as to how far with this kinda aesthetic we could go with consumer merchandise marketing… something different, distinctive, unique, and unseen before.
Fender offers a whole line of “RoadWorn” electric guitars and basses, multi-thousand-dollar instruments that have been banged up at the factory to look like much-used oldies.
I don’t get any kind of feel from Chamberlain’s sculptures personally.
On the other hand, when I own all the money in the world I do want an absolute piece-of-crap-looking car that is secretly the most comfortable, luxurious race car ever.
I shall call you for tips when aforementioned monetary takeover occurs.
I think the difference is that with worn jeans, you put them on and take them off when you want a different look. It’s inexpensive and temporary. Cars are much more permanent and you’re less likely to go from “Casual Car” to “Evening Car”.
