WalletPop

I'm not surprised.

Those long, lean, pimpin' machines of yore, those boats of the '70s have been derided long enough by those of us who remember when Disco played on the AM stations. Left unloved too long, their original owners long passed away, these gas-guzzling relics have finally found a new, and adoring audience:

Gay car collectors.

In this piece in the Los Angeles Times, a writer by the unlikely name of Cocoa Efficient relates to us why gay collectors have flocked to the luxury land-cruisers popular in the 70s: They're fabulous. As spacious as an SUV, and even less fuel-efficient (hard to imagine, but true), these cars made use of colors and fabrics in a way that today's car designers could not imagine. Blue velour seats? Audacious.

Just feast your eyes on the photo above of a 1976 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham. Built for comfort and power with not a thought toward fuel conservation. Our modern-day equivalents, say Hummers or an Escalade, can't compare in the truly pimpin' style department. I'd cruise this baby to Vegas any day.

With our '70s-style inflation, it's no wonder these long-ignored cars have suddenly been noticed again. Call it fantasy fulfillment. You wouldn't commute in these cars, but could you resist a road-trip across the country? Just get six or seven friends (and they would easily fit), pool your money for the gasoline, buy appropriate road snacks and pop the Staying Alive soundtrack into the eight-track tape player. I guarantee you'd make a scene at every stop.