Hi guys, Working on my architectural thesis at the moment and my issue is on car culture vs the general public perception. What I am trying to achieve is to define a space that helps to address this issue and would really appreciate your help! This thesis will eventually be proposed to the community and the law enforcement so please be honest but be opinionative. Also voice your opinion in this thread, anything to do with the car community and the general public. Feel free to post it here! Without going into too much detail, I would like your thought on the following scenarios: 1. You're cruising on a Saturday night with your not so legal vehicle. In front is a booze bus and you get pulled in. But instead of giving you a breath test, you are directed to a nearby multi level car park. Once you're in, you realise there are many "car enthusiasts" been detained. An officer announces that the community would like your help to establish a car gathering event within this car park every week not much different to what you see in the Fast and Furious movies. Activities such as pop up fast food joints, music, hooning are encouraged with no legal consequences. 2. You're driving your not so legal vehicle and gets pulled over by a highway patrol. The officer comes over and takes your details. He mentions your car is not legal and you can get a major EPA. He lets you go without any warning but before he leaves, he asks you to participate in an experiment. He invites you to a DIY workshop garage where car enthusiasts are to help service/fix/diagnose problems for people's cars. He also explains it is a good opportunity to bring your car and to educate the general public about the car community. 3. A highway that is notorious for it's hooning activity is suddenly devoid of police presence. 4. Calaisturbo have been asked by the force to help track hoons and report them. That's it for now. Depending how successful this is post is, it will be an ongoing thing and I might come back and ask more questions. If you think this has potential to be explored further, please pass this along to other forums. As I mentioned before this thesis will eventually be used to address the public. Thanks for the help!

You need to gather a LOT of research into car cuilture and general puiblic perception well before proposing any hypothesis delving into the issues. My input on your scenarios 1. Why would this happen? the public doesn't want hoons. 2. That is what mechanics are for, and simply being an enthuiiest doesn't mean you know anything regarding fixing cars. 3. I don't get it. 4. I'm sure the hard working members of CT are too busy to care about such things.

I agree with Morgz' points. The thing is, I think you're just leaning towards one aspect of car culture. Car culture is not just the highway on a Friday night, and far exceeds one's view of the average lowered Commodore. Car culture could be anything depending on your view and what you as an individual like, from garage built traditional 40's style low buck hotrods and 60's inspired kustoms to concours quality shop built Jags and Aston Martins. It really is a whole can of worms, for the general public, a shiny all bought nothing built '57 Chev, covered in chrome and billet would be a real headturner. For me as a 'car enthusiast' I wouldn't blink an eyelid at it but would stop and look at the barn fresh '40 Ford right next to it, which is something the general public would walk right past. Car culture is building your own car from the ground up in your back shed, pi*sed mates lending a hand until you forget about the car and sit around talking sh*t, car culture is buying a brand new FG Falcon and getting a shop to build it for you but enjoying taking it to shows... The angle you seem to be coming from is where is the line between cruising and hooning, that's an ongoing media debate and of course the general public have the view that, if it's loud and low and has P plates it's hooning, if it's loud and low and has chrome bumpers, it's cruising. Don't forget 'hooning' has always been an issue in the eyes of the general public, 30 odd years ago if you were young and drove an EK Holden with widened steelies and triple strombergs you would have been considered a hoon (or a lout) by the public, the only difference now is that media and social media has jumped on the band wagon... Good luck.

Quote: Originally Posted by hoysta [View Post] Also voice your opinion in this thread, anything to do with the car community and the general public. Feel free to post it here! What's this got to do with architecture? lol In all seriousness, imo the best thing that can be done by car enthusiasts is to distance themselves as far as possible from hoons wankers. Your next point is a fairly good example of what I'm getting at. I'm sure the public can understand that car enthusiasts have a passion for their cars, somebody that takes pride in their vehicles appearance and mechanical condition etc. I'm sure what the public aren't fully appreciative of; is the people that cruise around non stop doing burnouts, drifting in the streets and speeding in public streets. Quote: Originally Posted by hoysta [View Post] 1. You're cruising on a Saturday night with your not so legal vehicle. In front is a booze bus and you get pulled in. But instead of giving you a breath test, you are directed to a nearby multi level car park. Once you're in, you realise there are many "car enthusiasts" been detained. An officer announces that the community would like your help to establish a car gathering event within this car park every week not much different to what you see in the Fast and Furious movies. Activities such as pop up fast food joints, music, hooning are encouraged with no legal consequences. Why isn't my vehicle legal? Regardless, I probably wouldn't be too interested, these events have a time and a place, I'd imagine that a night time meet in a multi level car park would get out of control quickly. No legal consequences, that's never going to happen. Track days, other events like summernats etc, along with other organised cruises are perfect chances to do the above scenario, but again, see my first point. As soon as somebody starts driving like an idiot. Shut them down, kick them out of the cruise and be sure you're publicly not standing for that kind of behaviour as a car enthusiast community. Quote: Originally Posted by hoysta [View Post] 2. You're driving your not so legal vehicle and gets pulled over by a highway patrol. The officer comes over and takes your details. He mentions your car is not legal and you can get a major EPA. He lets you go without any warning but before he leaves, he asks you to participate in an experiment. He invites you to a DIY workshop garage where car enthusiasts are to help service/fix/diagnose problems for people's cars. He also explains it is a good opportunity to bring your car and to educate the general public about the car community. Why am I still driving this car? He gives me a warning? I count my lucky stars and I get my ass into gear to fix it up so I don't get pulled over and given a major EPA defect. I may or may not be interested in fixing other peoples cars. As Morgs said, it doesn't necessarily mean people know what they're talking about. When would this workshop take place? I work full time and my weekends are fairly full of doing other stuff. Perhaps it's a good job for the unemployed car enthusiasts, so long as they teamed up with a registered mechanic and all work was professional. I really can't imagine jimbob's DIY diff welding service would help Doris's Mazda. Again, it'd need to be professional, actual problems, REAL solutions. Quote: Originally Posted by hoysta [View Post] 3. A highway that is notorious for it's hooning activity is suddenly devoid of police presence. As in cops stop patrolling highways used for drags etc? Would never happen. Wouldn't ever want it to happen. Public roadways are not raceways. Anyone caught in dangerously high speeds on public roads deserve severe fines and disqualifications. Drag strips and race tracks are provided for this. Quote: Originally Posted by hoysta [View Post] 4. Calaisturbo have been asked by the force to help track hoons and report them. How do you propose this would work? I have moral issues with reporting hoons. Due to an issue where a general road traffic complaint I had for the police got diverted through to the hoon hotline. It had nothing to do with hoons and my question never got answered anyway. If it was a serious offence, and the police were completely stumped and CT could somehow help, I'm sure the community would step forward on their own behalf. Chances are though it'd lead to wild speculation and no actual help.

Quote: Originally Posted by Bax [View Post] What's this got to do with architecture? lol My thoughts exactly - I think you need to go back to your supervisor and formulate a new question for your thesis. I'll just leave this here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture

I must agree with morgz A car enthusiast and a hoon are 2 different things Car enthusiast is someone who builds a car with a unique touch to be different and original NOT Someone with a full hektic vn commodore with no springs in the back 20s on the front and bald chasers on the back with 2 15 inch subs cranking eminem through factory un amped speakers and winding down the rear window to order mcdonalds at the drive through Thats my 2c