Technology. While we live on to love seven liters topped with hemispherical combustion chambers, the reality is that efficiency is playing a role in how people construct cars in the 21st century. The Hemi itself has lost a little of its former mystique as Gen II 426” conversions using all-new parts became commonplace on the show scene. The envelope was further stretched this decade as the third-gen versions arrived in new cars, complete with EFI and computer-designed flow characteristics, with some of that technology spilling over into the aftermarket for vintage cars. For those of you who missed the first musclecar era, these are going to be our ‘good old days.’ We have no idea where tomorrow will end up, but with all of the cool products now available, we’ll live for today. The focus on global warming, the modern penances called ‘pollution credits’ that its high priests demanded, and the reality of worldwide oil supply instability has had benefits that some of us don’t always recognize. Sure we want power at the pedal, but if we can get 25 miles per gallon or better while doing it, that’s cool, too. Overdrive transmissions, tightly-regulated fuel systems that eliminate waste, and more passive forced induction outfits like turbocharging are becoming a large part of modern car rebuilding. People are not just constructing their Mopars for straight-line acceleration any longer; they now want to cruise at highway speed listening to the radio, and go around corners without bodyroll and tire issues. Once more, it’s a great time to be alive…

So what will the new decade bring? I don’t know. If you’ve read my rantings before, obviously I sometimes worry about the overreaching hand of the nation’s leaders. How much control they will take from us in terms of private vehicle ownership and modifications; will we all be required to have a tell-all GPS unit just to buy fuel and get our tags renewed? Will we get fooled yet again, as The Who once prayed we wouldn’t? Nobody knows yet, but a new year means new hope and promises, and maybe things will go the way we hope they will, regardless of our outlook on politics, society, culture, or cars.

That I can toast to! Happy New Year!