Sorry, Bjorn - I wasn't meaning to cast aspersions on you, nor on the opinions of the Ricer Haters.
John hit on exactly what I was getting at. Each generation of "Hot Rodder" has been influenced by the culture (or counter-culture) that surrounds them. It has nothing to do with the cars them selves, or the hardware.
If Plato had been a Hot Rodder, Socrates would have found something to question when it came to his choices of aftermarket bolt-ons.