Since I have been involved in this sport for more than a few years I suppose I should speak to the question...Having been there in both venues, I like what we now have. I felt comfortable in my "borax solution dipped coveralls" because I didn't know any better. Today I wear a Carbon X $1200 fire suit. I don't feel that much different, but I know I am safer.
It's the same with the cars we run. In the past, we made a lot of our own parts and did our own welding (whether qualified or not), today most of our parts are commercially produced. It is an expensive game to play, but if we have an accident, except in rare cases, we live to play another day.
When I started this game there were seventy class advertised, I haven't a clue as to how many we have today, but if you have something that is self-propelled and meets our safety standards, there is probably a class for you. That's a good thing!
A phrase from a Roger Miller song comes to mind..."Rumble seats and running boards, those were the good ole days." Really those were just the old days, they weren't so good. You can't turn the clock back, except as in Daylight Savings Time. Progress requires change. I don't think that many of us want to return to what our sport was in the fifties & sixties. The problem with our recollections of the past is that we filter out the unpleasant things and remember the positive.
I appreciate the support that Louise gives to LSR, although I suspect it is primarily self-serving. She certainly is not the one I would go to for advice on how our sport should progress.
