15th Annual Basehor-Linwood High School Project Grad Car Show packed 'em in again

I don’t know how they do it, but this Basehor-Linwood High School Project Grad Car Show packs ‘em in every year.  This was the 15^th edition of this event, and although the car count may have been a little bit down from last year, there was still plenty to look at.

As you can see from the pictures, this is quite a diverse car show.  You might get an interesting car that belongs to one of the high school kids, and it’ll be parked next to a high-dollar muscle car.  Over here you had a car that was built by George Barris in the early ‘50s, and over there was a Yugo (I kid you not).

The glare is there at the Hartman Heritage Center Cruise

As the sun sets figuratively on the 2012 car cruise season, the sun was setting literally on the monthly Hartman Heritage Center Cruise in Independence on Saturday night. Talk about harsh conditions for picture taking. It was like I was taking pictures of the sun directly, and a car would sneak in and spoil the shot.

Stifling sunshine aside, there were still lots of great cars there. This was taking place at the same time as the huge monthly cruise in Belton, but they still managed to bring in a good crowd at this weekly event.

Kansas City car shows, car cruises, and car races for September 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 2012

We keep clicking off the car events as we head into the fall, but there are still a few good ones to check out before Old Man Winter checks in.

One of the bigger events in this area will be the Basehor-Linwood High School car show, which always seems to pack ‘em in. You also might want to check out the weekly cruise in Independence, or Cars in the Park at Shawnee Mission Park. Wherever you decide to go, there will be some great cars and trucks to look at, and no doubt several owners who would be more than happy to tell you all about them.

The entire Kansas City-area car show, car cruise, and car racing schedule, plus the NASCAR TV schedule from Dover and Las Vegas, is listed below.

19th Annual Vintage Fabrication car show reveals a serious shop hidden in a vintage Mobil station

I was in time-killing mode Saturday afternoon, so I looked at the old HMC weekly calendar and found out that the Vintage Fabrication open house was taking place in Independence. I wasn’t really expecting that much, but I jumped in the Impala and headed east.

As it turns out, I’m glad I went. Vintage Fabrication is actually a pretty cool place, and the turnout was surprisingly robust. This was the 19th year for this event, and obviously word has spread during that time.

2012 Mid-America - Aces Chevelle/El Camino Show brought big blocks to the Great Mall

 

The Great Mall in Olathe has been the site of some pretty big car shows lately, and that tradition was continued over the weekend with the Mid-America - Aces Chevelle/El Camino Show, which filled the north parking lot with gleaming mid-sized Chevys.

I know the Chevelle contingent has been getting strong around town lately, because I see several of them whenever I hit a car show.  But it’s hard to realize just how strong until you see them all in one place.  It would be hard to assemble a bigger gathering of hood pins, stripes, and Chevy Rat motors.

2013 Ford Fusion test drive review. The happy blend of past and future

Hey, look, there’s an Aston Martin following us! Well, not really. But that was the reaction when I looked in the mirror while driving in a caravan of 2013 Ford Fusions. This does not look like the typical midsized sedan. And with all the attention that Ford put into the development of this car, those looks aren’t deceiving.

Ford is serious about this new car. It will be the most expensive global car launch in the company’s history. And this is a global launch. The Fusion follows in the footsteps of the Focus, Fiesta, and C-Max as another vehicle that should be popular all over the world. In Europe, this new Fusion will be the new Mondeo sedan.

Kansas City car shows, car cruises, and car races for September 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 2012

Some of the bigger car shows may be coming to an end in Kansas City, but we still have a pretty long list of things to do this weekend.

The big Chevelle show is at the Great Mall on Saturday, and there are church shows in Olathe, Independence, and Blue Springs. And there are cruise nights all over town, including big ones in Belton and Independence. Or take in a car race. Lakeside is running a big Modified show Friday and Saturday nights, or head down to Lebanon for a 100-lap Late Model show.

The entire car show, car cruise, and car racing schedule for September 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23 is listed below.

2012 Old Marais River Run. 1,200 photos. Yeah, it was that big.

Generally, you can expect the Goodguys show at Kansas Speedway to be the biggest car show of the year in the Kansas City area.  But I think we might have a new champion for 2012—the Old Marais River Run in nearby Ottawa, Kan.  Nearly 1,700 pre-1972 cars and trucks packed into picturesque Forrest Park for a beautiful weekend of spit-shining and cruising.

This is a dynamic show, with cars driving around the access road all day, people riding the shuttle through the show, and numerous organized cruises and activities throughout the weekend.  This is the 26^th year of this event, and the Over the Road Gang has obviously learned a thing or two about putting on a good show in all that time.

7th Annual Shawnee Wheels and Dreams Car Show was bigger than I bargained for

On Sunday, I had this bright idea that I could go to 10:30 church, partake in a heaping plate of fake Krab salad from the Golden Corral buffet with my family, go home, get the truck, dart over to Shawnee to snap a few quick pictures of the 7th Annual Wheels and Dreams Car Show, and still make it to the awards ceremony at the All-Truck Nationals in Riverside at 2:00.

Kansas City car shows, cruises, and races for September 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 2012

There are lots of car events all over Kansas City this weekend, but most of the classic car world will be focused on Ottawa and the Ol’ Marais River Run. This is a monster show, with some 1,500 cars packing it into Forest Park. If you want to see something special, take that short trip south of town.

Other significant events of note include the Shrine Swap Meet in Lee’s Summit, the Basehor Boys cruise on Friday night, the Platte City cruise on Saturday night, and the strong cruise at the Hartman Heritage Center in Independence.

Check out the entire schedule of Kansas City car shows, car cruises, and car races for September 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 below the break.

2012 Midwest All-Truck Nationals is the place where truck owners come together

If you own a Camaro, Corvette, Mustang, Thunderbird, or Chevelle, there is a big, model-specific car show in Kansas City just for you. Now, I don’t own a Camaro, Corvette, Mustang, Thunderbird, or Chevelle. I have an old truck. Not even a pretty old truck. So the chances of me hitting a show that I would fit in at are few-and-far between.

The Kansas City car show, car cruise, and car racing schedule for September 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 2012

As the summer winds down, lots of big car shows fire up in Kansas City. See tons of really great trucks from all over the country at the Midwest All-Truck Nationals in Riverside. Check out a couple of big Johnson County car shows in Shawnee and Merriam. See an all-Dodge show at Olathe Dodge, or an all-Chevy show at Heartland Chevrolet.

Whatever you like to see or do that involves cars, you’ll probably be able to find it in Kansas City this weekend. Check out the entire Kansas City car show, car cruise, and car racing schedule, plus the NASCAR events at Richmond, in the schedule below.

2012 Greaserama: Heaven in hell

 

Greaserama.  This is the Devil’s car show.   Hundreds of rusty, crusty cars crammed door-to-door in a sea of tepid muddy water.  Dangerous-looking people listening to loud, grungy, angry music while they suck down copious quantities of Pabst Blue Ribbon.  How do you want to die—by rubbing up against a car and contracting tetanus, or getting stabbed because the owner saw you get too close?

2012 Goodguys Mid-Western Nationals Sunday: Here comes the sun

The Goodguys Mid-Western Nationals is typically the biggest car show in Kansas City, and Saturday is usually the biggest day.  In 2012, this was still the biggest show in town, but rains on Saturday kept most of the cars away until Sunday.  Bright sunshine ensured that the car count was more like what people have come to expect on the final day of the show.  They also open up this day to allow later-model vehicles, which obviously adds to the festivities.

2012 Goodguys Mid-Western Nationals Saturday: Here comes the rain again

Every year about this time, the car show world descends on the infield of Kansas Speedway for the Saturday installment of the Goodguys Mid-Western Nationals.  This is the biggest car show of the year in this area, and Saturday is the biggest day.

But not this year.