The 240 Z car Phenomenon.
Introduction as a light weight affordable spirited car with beautiful design.
Then in the ensuing years it got more powerful and more luxurious and heavier. Went on to become the 400 Z.
This evolutionary arch is the blue print for many other consumables.
The part that drives tonight's essay is the trajectory of two of my favorite Comedians. Those being Liza Schlesinger and Taylor Tomlinson. both started out without too much attention to fashion and were pretty broadly edgy. Then like most 'sequels' they homed in on some particular aspect of their comedy and dialed that up a bit. And their fashion sense evolved as well.
In the case of Ms. Schlesinger she started out in well worn black denim and a semi-tucked in red T-Shirt and 'combat' boots. And her act was a bit frenetic in nature, covering the stage walking back and forth with great zeal. With each subsequent special her sartorial choices became more upscale until in her most recent special it was difficult to see past her fashion sense through to her comedy.
In the case of Ms. Tomlinson she started out with the same worn black denim a simple white shirt under a black leather jacket. There is a story behind her choices of jackets. And the jackets became more Flashy with each new special as did the stage settings. It too, became difficult to see past the stage and fashion choices to hear her comedy.
And I believe that their comedy pulled back from the 'edge' that they once had. No doubt in fear of cancel Culture. This opinion is mine and mine alone. Comedy being what it is is totally subjective. The automotive evolution's are not opinions they are demonstratively true.
I find that to be sort of sad. In the case of the Datsun Z car we eventually lost the affordable spirited little sports car. Several other car manufacturers have fallen for this chase. Triumph had the Spitfire MG went from the MG-A to the -B... Each successive iteration took a step or two away from the original.
The Ford Mustang is a similar case. 'Officially' Introduced in the spring of 1964. It was a departure from the at that time line up of cars which were personal econo-boxes. The first Mustang was a Flash new design dropped onto a Falcon chassis. But on looks alone it took off then in '65 '66 it was basically the same chassis but with increasingly larger motors. In 1967 the Mustang got its own chassis and a nice little V8 in the case of the 289 cubic inch. All of the flashy details like the Horse and Coral grill ornament were actual 3-D bits and the rear break cooling vents like the Ferrari Testa Rosa were Claw marks in the side. In 1968 the Horse and Coral were turned into flat stamped pieces and the brake vents were 'smoothed' over and a piece of Chrome plated trimmed was added. They "Cheaped Out" on those bits possibly for weight conservation possibly for cost cutting. I believe it was the latter. Watching the movie Ford VS Ferrari you can sort of see the mentality of those in charge at ford at that time.
The Honda Pilot is another example. It started out as a cheapy light weight "SUV" and has evolved into a plush Up Scale automobile. Far from its roots.
