This question came to me when I was driving and a Corvette pulled up along side of me. Inside the car was a man wearing a Corvette hat, Corvette jacket, and he had adorned the car with both a personalized Corvette themed license plate and a Corvette emblazoned license plate frame. He was definitely in a Corvette and was happy to let anyone within a few hundred yards know about it. With his apparel choice, his brand support wouldn’t stop when the car was parked. The man would be a walking Corvette shrine for all to see. The dude and his late model automatic Vette seemed like a happy pair.
After witnessing that scene it made me think about other groups of dedicated car owners who take their love to extreme levels. I have known some Porsche guys who were at about the same level as Corvette man. They had Porsche everything, one guy even had a Porsche mountain bike that cost umpteen thousands of dollars. I assumed he had this because it would be shameful for small woodland creatures, hikers, or someone on another bicycle to see you and not immediately know that you were 100% dedicated to the Porsche brand. Squirrels and rabbits love to bag on dudes who pedal by on Schwinns.
The Mopar crowd gets labeled as pretty intense, rightly or wrongly and we’re sure that there are enthusiasts of every brand that push things to the envelope of all-out weirdness, but you have to admit, some cars/brands have this happen far more often than others. We’re looking at you over there Lamborghini owner wearing a Lamborghini shirt and matching Lamborghini shoes.
Question of the day: What Brand or Model of Car Has the Most Rabidly Devoted (WEIRD) Owners?
I think you’ve witnessed first hand the most rabid (brainwashed) automotive owners…. Harley folks can be just as bad, or worse aboutt thier scooters.
Let’s hear it for the PT Cruzer Clubs! Colorado has a huge group of them that love to display their pride in all the local parades.
PT’s are on my hit list they all need to die, the cars that is.
Why was the word, “WEIRD”, thrown into your question?
That aside, the answer is Chevrolet, of course. Us Bowtie lovers win by sheer numbers!
If you’d asked ’bout motorcycles, Harley-Davidson would’ve won.
Trivia: the H-D bar and shield are the most-tatooed manufacturer’s logo of all.
tattooed
I agree. Anyone who tattooes their car on their body has issues.
I’d have to say there are a large amount of weird turbo buick folks. I know, I am one.
I’ve met Mopar fans who not only take the “Mopar or No Car” creed to heart, they don’t consider anything front wheel drive or built after the mid ’80s to be a “real Mopar.” And thus not worth owning or driving. That sort of commitment takes a bit more sacrifice. If a Corvette owner who buys all the Corvette merchandise is the car equivalent of a fundementalist, restricting all the cars you could possibly own to Mopars that are over 20 years old is the car equivalent of Amish.
Some of the Mennonites around here make their kids dyno their cars. They are limited to a certain lb/hp threshold. They periodically have to bump it up as technology advances and the old guys have Park Avenue Ultras and the like which go over the limit.
the Corvette folks probably are the most rabid, but still pale in comparison to the Harley crowd, I shudder to think how much money they generate with licensing all the merchandise. Maybe just a story, but I heard recently that merchandise is what keeps about 1/2 of all the Harley Davidson stores afloat.
I own a ’69 and a ’86 Mopar ánd a 2000 Harley…let’s see…i have 1 t shirt wich says Harley on it, and i own a T shirt and a sweather that i’ve got from the Dutch Mopar club a few years ago, wich say Mopar obviously..
I agree about the Corvette owners, overhere in Holland the wear the same ugly Corvette coates en shirts…
Grtz. Jack
Miata owners are frickin’ weird.
I think we Mopar guys are the most rabidly loyal, especially when you include the AMC gang we seem to have inherited these days.
I respect the Ford guys, as a result of our racing past.
I can’t stand the Bowtie Brand. Why be a hot rodder to build something different, then build something 80% of the sport has, straight out of cataolgs just like everyone else.
Senseless to me.
I would say it is the Mustang guys. They are most numerous.
Weirdest are the Dawdge Tuh-ruck fellers. I don’t mean the guys who happen to drive a Dodge pickup, but the guys with the “I’d rather be Cummin’ than Strokin'” sticker, the matching Ram hitch plug and license plate, stacks, and a tendency to float the valves every gear.
Mopar Owners.
As far as weird goes, I would have to say VW owners
Imperial owners. Go to a club show some time, you’ll understand.
Chrysler owners for sure. I went to Moparfest a few years ago, the big annual Canadian show here in southern Ontario. Could have sworn it was 1978 all over again with the number of cars that had long shackles and / or reverse offset wheels. Talking to the owners was an “experience” for sure. Hardcore doesn’t begin to describe some of them.
A ,lot of Corvette owners are just weenies, they are in it for the perceived model name cache only, not true performance enthusiasts.
AMX owners.
I know its not really a US example, but in Australia its Holden owners…(which is GM..) – nothing wrong with being brand loyal but theres a breed here that live in their Holden jackets and caps who would genuinely rather drive some crappy old Holden with a 161 cube 6 and powerglide than, say, a Falcon GT (which can be worth up to 1 million $$) because it has the dreaded blue badge.. Bathurst, that you may have heard of, is the pinnacle of the war that has waged for the last half century – they even advertise V8 Supercars ( the local Ford v Holden sedan race series which would be the Aussie version of NASCAR popularity wise – if not even more so ) as `the red vs blue armies’ – I used to be an apprentice – then tradesman – at General Motors Holdens – not only did I cop shit from co-workers for driving a Ford, I was chatted by more than one boss about it…they even offered me an ex – lease Holden Commodore at a stupidly cheap rate – but only if I got rid of my Falcon Coupe…which did NOT happen…
The “purest” Corvette owners are the wierd ones. In their eyes no Corvette should be modified in any way.
Street Rod owners, covers many different makes but as a group its the your not 60 and wearing a members only jacket, I cant talk to you.
I got to spend a few days with 100+ Prowler owners….in general, they don’t think their cars are funny looking (I do).
I can’t really say which group is more rabid/weirder, because I’ve seen a bunch over the years. Corvairs, Scouts, Studebakers, AMCs, various shades of Mopars, tri-5 Chevys (both stock and modified flavors), etc. But the weirdest by far was the crowd at Viva Las Vegas, with the pseudo Traditional cars.
What about the Camaro ?
How about the Ferrari crowd?
Harleys, Jeeps, and Peterbilt/Kenworths come pretty close!
possibly Z28 owners, what a bunch of self centered nerds. Just check camaros.com
Up yours Marshall
My first thought when reading the cover page was “Mopar guys”… but since this is bangshift where anything mechanical is game, I have to go with Harley Davidson people.
I’ve been considering getting a motorcycle lately. I like the wind, the fresh air, the feeling of freedom, and the gas mileage. The feeling I get about Harleys and their owners are that you can’t just buy the bike and enjoy it – you have to immerse yourself in the lifestyle and buy all the clothes or you are treated as an outsider or a poser. I want a motorcycle, not necessarily to become “a biker” or to fit into a mold…
Definately those crazy italian Ferrari owners , if it doesnt have a prancing horse then it doesnt deserve fuel in their eyes they even shoot at other cars on the motorways….now thats crazy!
I left one out of my earlier post. Woody owners. Now there’s a bunch of fanatical purists. Woodies on the Wharf at Santa Cruz is one of the best shows in the country.
80’s mustang guys (kids) are freakin annoying some times
I’d say prowler guys. If you’ve ever been to the Woodward Dream Cruise, you know why I’m saying that.
Poser 50’s rat rod wannabe greaser dorks. British car guys are strange too and Corvette geeks. I can hang with guys that work on stuff no poser mechanics either .When they start with the “we” stuff it means they did nothing but pay.