People and their vehicles

A Puch MV50 , Honda SS50 or Zundapp CS50 from 1967: After the nostalgic trends in clothing and food, now our vehicles, in particular the motorbikes our fathers drove during the Sixties and Seventies, seem in their glorious revival. While I spotted a few of these motorcycles in the streets of Amsterdam, an article appeared in the Dutch Volkskrant Magazine a couple of weeks ago about the trend of retro motorcycles among a group of young people in their twenties. Not only were these motorbikes relatively cheap, also the aesthetic appeal of the vehicles and the feeling of freedom and adventure were important for the owners.

It got me thinking about the meaning of vehicles for our identities. What can a vehicle tell about the owner? Or what do people want to show about themselves through the car or motorbike they possess? I think, consciously or not, it can tell alot about the person behind the steering wheel.

American photographer Chloe Aftel, asked herself the same question which resulted in a nice photographic serie, entitled ‘daily drivers’. She shot pictures of people in their cars. The project that you can find here, arised out of the notion that cars have an interesting place in our society. Not only are they a means to get from A to B, but they also give the world a greater idea of who we are: ‘Each car, be it a modern day Scion or a Vintage Porsche, has many subtle clues to who we are, what we value en how we live.’

Eventhough I’m not a motordriver myself (or planning to become one), I must say I like these retro design vehicles alot. What do you think?

Images: tumblr, ohpioneer.com