Event Coverage Cars that you never look at at shows

But that saves you from having to ask a bunch of questions.

 

Went to a local show yesterday. There were a few new or late model Corvette's, and Camaro's with model cars identical to their car, in front of the car. Next to the model car was a sign explaining all the features of the new car they bought and financed.

 

Back in the day (late 80s), I made a large wooden sign and wrote out all the features of my grandmother’s 64 Saratoga in fancy script writing. Lol! Folks seemed to like it back then. Sign went with car when we sold it after she p***ed.

 

Original and odd cars get more of my attention. Overly Big wheels are not an attraction but the rest of the car may be. I have no problem with slightly older foreign stuff. I was raised with quite a mix of cars.

 

most rat rods, dated looking street rods, over the top sema looking cars/ trucks, anything with airbrushed art anywhere (except vans)

 

Anything post 2000 is of just about no interest to me, we are flooded with Challengers, Corvettes and Camaros. Along with the kids driving fast and furious rides. I appreciate the F&F builds more than a retired doctor buying a new Vette and a Polycarbonate sign explaining why it's a 1of1.

We do have a story board with the Merc that I made in the 90's out of Plywood with all the family pictures since my Great Uncle bought it in '63.

 

I went to a street show Sunday sponsored by a lowriders club, so it was not a huge surprise that the majority of the cars were Impalas with hydraulics. While not "my thing", I enjoyed the cars, the owners (wicked nice people), the paint jobs (wild metal flake and striping) and the incredible attention to detail. Add to that the amount of money spent on chrome and there was a lot to take in! There were hot rods, trucks (one amazing 1st gen Bronco), vettes, cool *** bicycles and muscle cars, something for everyone...well not some of you on this thread. I left with some hardware, a sun burn and a smile from having a good time on a warm Sunday morning on Main Street.

 

Been thinking about this thread and my previous responses; need to revise some of the context. I LOOK at everything; even the rats, maybe they did something that caught my eye. But it's the survivors, the drivers, the ones with scratches and dents, that I really look at closely. Oddballs. "Where did they find one of THOSE?"
Weird engines, too. Daimler 250 Hemi sticks in my mind

 

I don’t go to bigger shows anymore, with the odd excursion to Cruisin’ the Coast. Hearing 50s, early 60s or any “urbanesque” so called music sets my teeth on edge. Hypersensitive to certain frequencies.

I pay attention to trucks more than cars. Squarebody at the absolute newest. Prefer Dodge, L’il Red or Warlock at the newest.

 

Now your going to have me looking for the same thing.

 

Three valve covers?!

Jaguar XK sixes and Alfa Romeo twin-cams are very gentle on the eye, seeing as it's not common to encounter an actual Offy in the wild.

 

Most fail to mention who actually built the car.

 

I went to a cruise night last week with @MMM1693 and saw @Moriarity while we were there. We walked around together and might have looked at 3 or 4 cars total when there were at least 50 or so there... But, again, I will argue that our tastes might be somewhat biased whether we are talking tires or just traditional stuff in general... I crack myself up sometimes...

 

Occupied or unoccupied webs? Lol

 

I usually like to back up any claims with photographic evidence. But I don’t have any photos of cars that I don’t look at. Lol
I WILL look at well, engineered ingenuity cars of most makes as long as it is done by the OWNER.

 

I will admit, I only attend three or maybe four car shows per year. Our little section of Alberta is saturated with independent shows that can be the exact same 30-40 cars, every weekend, every show. Most often it's a lineup of white-haired geriatrics who pride in their mid 2000's Camaro Convertibles. Primarily, one of the longest running car clubs locally has only two or three cars I'd look at, ironically the rest being new Corvettes, Mustangs, and even a Miata. Barf.

We have an on occurring Wednesday night Coffee and Cars thing at the mall. Occasionally 100-150 cars show up, with everything included, sometimes new builds from out of town. That being said, as I creep towards a ripe old age of 50, I completely look past pretty much anything newer than maybe 1973 (and that's even a stretch), nothing foreign, NO Corvettes (unless they are bad*** like @Moriarity Vette), Camaros, and couldn't waste my time on the whole R*t R*d garbage. Not a fan of the big-wheel, broken suspension thing either. The saddest part is the kustom and even hot rod scene around here has all but dried up and vanished, leaving an increasing number of what I WON'T look at left every time a car show rolls around. Could be why I only do a select number of shows each year.

 

Mustangs.

 

See that's a pet peeve of mine. I don't hate on anyone paying to have a car built. But at least freely admit it

 

Like many of you, I like a certain type of car show. The ones that are on city streets where a lot of "normal" people go. Meeting an talking with people is my favorite part. I also like to drive the Ol' Furd to get there. It helps if there's live music too!
My F100 is not a show contender by any stretch. But I like to show what is possible by one person pretty much doing all the work himself, and then being able to drive and enjoy what he has built.
Car shows are made up of all kinds. I enjoy 'em all. ESPECIALLY the ones that are home built, and particularly ones that are driven.
So, I'll typically walk by the pro built machines that are perfect or nearly so in every detail. To me that is the definition of a "check-book" enthusiast. I'd reckon that most of those are trailered to any show outside of a 10 mile radius of where they live, and have never seen a drop of rain.
Granted, those types are your show winners. But show me a home built hot rod with flaws that gets driven any time. Those get my votes.

 

I prefer a show with a cut off date, they are few show like this anymore . HRP

 

THIS!!

We attended the Radium BC car show last September. Huge turnout, close to 1,000 cars. They capped it at that number, and next thing we hear is the aggravation from those turned away in pre-1970 vehicles, because of the number it's capped at. What made a lot of people mad was the endless attendance numbers of the Camaro Club (nothing older than 2000) and a few "new" Chevy and Dodge pickups, along with all the newer and allegedly new special interest garbage. I'd rather look at a 34 Ford or even Tri-Five Chebby instead of a new car anyday. I would be all for a cut off date limit, unfortunately the pitchforks would be out by the new car crowd.

 

After moving to Middle TN, I started to look for weekly cruise-ins, etc. to visit to get my addicted fix of cars and car people. The largest appeared to be one held in Franklin, every Saturday.

As it’s 35 miles away and begins at 7:00 I decided to check it out. Beautiful day, but cold, and a beautiful setting. BUT with hundreds of cars in attendance, there were only a couple of pre-48 cars, and the same smattering of 49-72 cars and trucks. The lone standout was a 34 roadster with a blown flathead. Exceptional!

EVERYTHING ELSE was late model Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers, Corvettes and imports including Mercedes’s and Porsche’s. I stayed maybe 30 minutes, bought a donut and coffee from the Boy Scouts and left.
All great, I’m sure, just not my cup of tea.

Apparently we, the pre-48, traditional car owner, is a dying breed. Or we just decide to stay home.
It was fun while it lasted.

 

I went to a NSRA event decades ago. I didn’t know they had a 48 cut off.
Never went back
Yawn.
Swap meet was killer though.

crazy how we’re different

 

So if you built it, now you are bragging. In my case I would have to say what the previous owner told me - built by a fairly capable truck mechanic that p***ed away. That doesn’t make much of a sign, so I don’t have one.

 

No car owner owes any explanations for anything to anyone


Except maybe when the po po pulls ya over

 

next time I go to a show I will make a list of the cars I did not look at and report back.

 

Mine….I don’t look at mine!

 

Danny, there are surprisingly quite a few of these shows in my area every season. I guess it all depends on where you are.

 

The type of cars at that show changes a bit every year, depending on build trends, weather (worse whether brings more late models), etc. I've been to that show nearly 20 times. The first time I went in 2003, it was still in and around the ball diamond/band shell. The late model stuff doesn't really bother me at that show, with so many cars I just walk past the ones I don't like. The setting of that show and the town filling up with cars is so good for me.

 

One year the Mrs. Wanted to enter a “road rally “ with our 1970 MGB. It was sponsored by the local British car club. It wasn’t timed, but was billed as more as a fall, leaf peeping sort of drive. We watch detective shows and she had rewatched McMillan and wife where they drove their 50’s MGB on a road rally. Of course there were villains and being run off the road etc.
100 or so vintage and newer cars signed up for the rally and showed up at a local parking lot. There was walking around and looking at the cars prior to “the drive”. The sponsors stated there would be two groups. The fast drivers and the casual drivers. We got in the line for the casual drivers as it was our first time. A printed, turn here, turn there instructions page was given to everyone. We ***umed we would be following a line of cars through the countryside, stopping occasionally at interesting landmarks.

The first group, “the fast drivers” left first and in a flash they were gone. We were in a line of 30 or more cars driving the speed limit and faster. After two turns we were at a one lane covered bridge. We stopped to let oncoming traffic come over, then it was our turn. We crossed the bridge and saw no cars ahead of us. Several cars were still behind of us but then they were gone too except for a guy driving a late model carerra Porsche and one other. After driving for about 15 minutes we pulled over to consult Google Maps and the Porsche driver pulled in behind us too. I went back to him and told him I believed we were lost. He said he didn’t know where he was either and he would like to follow us. So I put the end destination into Google and we drove for an hour or so and made it to a nice festival. We had beat all the other cars as they went a different and less direct route. We had lunch with Porsche guy, sadly his wife never goes with him, then we set off back home. We put up the soft top as it had gotten cooler and we were going on the highway. We laugh at our “rally” as we didn’t get to drive along with a bunch of old cars or stop anywhere interesting.