Cars shows: same old Chevro-Fords?

[BobPalma]

I still wish the new production version retained the opening rear quarter windows that the 2006 concept car had, which made it a true hardtop. The original 1970-74 were pillarless. Craig

AMEN BP

[8E45E]

I had a 1970 Challenger R/T in Plum Crazy. You seem to omit the 1970s.
The new Challengers are large, particularly wide, because they are based on the same platform as the Charger/Chrysler 300.

I still wish the new production version retained the opening rear quarter windows that the 2006 concept car had, which made it a true hardtop. The original 1970-74 were pillarless.

Craig

[jerezstude]

Sorry I meant represented not resented. My spelling has never been good and it's not getting any better.
Jerry Kurtz

[studegary]

Interesting comments indeed.

Humorous observation, I thought: A friend of mine has a restored 1971 Dodge Challenger 500 Festival "Pace Car;" a real one, documented to have been part of the 1971 Indianapolis 500 Festival and Parade during May, 1971.

We were discussing the relative size of the new Dodge Challenger compared with the 1971-1974 version. Admittedly, the new version is kinda porky. Of the new one, he joked and said, "That's the box my car came in!" BP

I had a 1970 Challenger R/T in Plum Crazy. You seem to omit the 1970s.
The new Challengers are large, particularly wide, because they are based on the same platform as the Charger/Chrysler 300.

[StudeNewby]

I am at the VMCCA Heritage tour in Fairborn- Dayton area. There are 18 Fords on this tour, the next number is Studebaker with 7. Studebakers are usually the second most resented cars on these tours including the Glidden.
Jerry Kurtz

Jerry, I truly hope you meant "represented", not "resented"!

[BobPalma]

Interesting comments indeed.

Humorous observation, I thought: A friend of mine has a restored 1971 Dodge Challenger 500 Festival "Pace Car;" a real one, documented to have been part of the 1971 Indianapolis 500 Festival and Parade during May, 1971.

We were discussing the relative size of the new Dodge Challenger compared with the 1970-1974 version. Admittedly, the new version is kinda porky. Of the new one, he joked and said, "That's the box my car came in!" BP

[jerezstude]

I am at the VMCCA Heritage tour in Fairborn- Dayton area. There are 18 Fords on this tour, the next number is Studebaker with 7. Studebakers are usually the second most resented cars on these tours including the Glidden.
Jerry Kurtz

[Chris Pile]

All I worry about is the kids with skateboards and BMX bikes.

[jclary]

Regarding Drones...perhaps we will see counter measures like there were in World War II. I recall seeing pictures of tethered barrage balloons.
(If the pic don't show...google barrage balloons)


A sufficient number of helium filled party balloons tethered with nylon construction string could play havoc entangling the propellers of of a drone. When I was a teenager, we had an old gentleman in his 80's who was so good with an old fashioned sling-shot, that he could knock bats out of the air consistently. In my youth, I became pretty proficient with a sling-shot...but never that good.

At car shows, I have gotten upset with a grandmother bringing her grand-kids armed with those pesky little bubble blower kits. Have you ever seen what the soapy water in those things can do to hot paint on a sunny summer day? That harmless looking little bubble popping on your hood could stain and damage your paint forever!

Such things are a hazard we car nuts face every time we venture out in public with our prized vehicles. So many are clueless to the value or work that goes into owning and maintaining one of these cars.

[studegary]

That's one thing I really like about Costco. They have generous parking spaces to accommodate even the biggest SUV's with tons of room to load large purchases.

Craig

No Costco here.

[DEEPNHOCK]

In 2014, there was a close call with one of those drones flying overhead at a car show where it did clip a tree and fell, narrowly missing a modified '40 Ford coupe. It smashed to pieces when it hit the asphalt, and out of nowhere, its owner appeared, scooped up what was left of it and just as quickly, disappeared. The owner of the '40 Ford was NOT amused in the slightest, and asked if I had managed to get a photo of the guy retrieving the remains. (I tried, but he was too fast.) Needless to say, the next year's show added a 'No Drones' to their list of rules because of that incident.

Craig

You know Craig, I can see the 'no drone' rule, too.
At the show I was at Sunday I went over and sat with the promoter to chit chat (I was the newbie at this show), and while I was there the hired videographer/photographer for the event came up. I excused myself because those two were discussing the videography and photography aspects. I was just an uneeded distraction.
I guess my comment would be "A professional drone video operator....maybe".

Good comments.

[8E45E]

One thing I don't like is drones flying around overhead, taking pictures or not. Somebody is going to get hurt or killed or a car will be damaged. I don't trust strangers flying those thing above my head or over my car.

In 2014, there was a close call with one of those drones flying overhead at a car show where it did clip a tree and fell, narrowly missing a modified '40 Ford coupe. It smashed to pieces when it hit the asphalt, and out of nowhere, its owner appeared, scooped up what was left of it and just as quickly, disappeared. The owner of the '40 Ford was NOT amused in the slightest, and asked if I had managed to get a photo of the guy retrieving the remains. (I tried, but he was too fast.) Needless to say, the next year's show added a 'No Drones' to their list of rules because of that incident.

Craig

[8E45E]

There is a place for them at car shows, but comparing a new Challenger or Camaro straight off the showroom floor to a restored Studebaker, even an Avanti, or to any pre-1980's car, is apples to oranges.

I remember at the International Meet in South Bend in 1983, Gary Johnson drove a brand new Avanti straight from the factory a few blocks away and entered it for judging at the concours.

Craig

[DEEPNHOCK]

Some real interesting comments here..
Pretty much the full spectrum.
Car spacing at a show is a generic, but very real concern. That's why a successful event staff usually parks you.
If the show planners care more about car count/revenue, then spacing gets stepped on.
The year cutoff or import restriction is just snobbery. If there are only X parking spaces, then anybody we don't like gets locked out. Saying that a specific style of car/crowd causes trouble speaks more about the event promoters than anything else.
To me that is not a successful recipe for participation.
The comment about not going to a show because of a drone flying overhead is interesting.
I just saw that happen last Sunday.
The most dangerous part of the drone was seeing the (ahem,'older') crowd looking up at the drone and walking into the side of the car they were near.
A car show is supposed to be about fun. Have fun in your life. If you can't find fun at a show. Please stay away.
Don't make it your quest to take the fun away for others. Stay home and write pithy things on a forum.

[JRoberts]

This was the second year in a row that I have attended the Hot Rod Power Tour. My brother and I did the Long Haul, meaning we did all seven days / seven venues. I drove my '65 Cruiser. This year's event began in Concord, North Carolina and went as far west as Indianapolis and then back to Norwalk, Ohio. Not many Studebakers, but I did see a few. It was interesting in that the group I went with belonged to a Corvette Club in eastern North Carolina. It was interesting how much attention the Cruiser got throughout the seven day event. The range in cars and trucks was incredible. From new Challengers, Corvettes, etc., to trucks, cars and anything you can think from long ago. Would I choose a "new" vehicle to do this event. No, that wouldn't be something I would want to do. But each to his or her own choice. In seven days and several thousand participants there wasn't much you couldn't see. Again each to his own. No need to disparage personal preferences.