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.
There are so many nice ones that it’s hard to pick favorites, but I’ll give it a shot anyway. I really liked David Jamis’ ’70 SS, with that all-important 454 big block under the cowl induction hood. This car stood out not because it was perfect, but because it wasn’t. It looked mostly original, and had the scars to prove it. But it was obviously used and enjoyed over the years, as evidenced by the aftermarket headers and very old B.F. Goodrich tires. I can barely remember when those Radial T/As even looked like that. In a sea of beautiful, perfect, restored cars, this one just spoke to me for some reason.
There weren’t a ton of wagons, but there was a handful of
worthy long-roofs. My pick had to be
Rich and Natalie Cummings’ 1965 SS two-door, which featured some pretty cool
modifications. First of all, it was
painted in a lavender hue that Chevrolet called Evening Orchid with a white
interior. And I’m comfortable enough in
my manhood to admit that I think it’s a gorgeous color. When new, the top engine in one of these
wagons was the 327-c.i. small block V8, but this one was very tastefully upgraded
with a 427 and a four speed.
And behold this black-over-red ’67 SS that Jack Jenova
brought to the show. This baby had
everything going for it. It’s the
perfect color. It has a four speed. There’s a 396 big block between the front
wheel wells. And those little hubcaps
and redline tires look simply awesome.
And the Hicks Brothers dealer badge on the back indicates that it was a
local car, which makes it even better.
This was the first car I spotted when I walked into the lot. It just has that kind of instant appeal.
Sometimes cars that you wouldn’t have given a second look
to several years ago seem to stand out from the crowd now. Take this little ’66 Malibu two-door
hardtop. At first blush, there isn’t
much here to get excited about. It's not flashy. Those full wheelcovers were, um,
homely. It isn’t even a spectacular
color. But it does have a 396 with a
four speed. That silver paint is
laser-straight. And the wheelcovers are
so unusual now days, they’re even growing on me. Time has been pretty good to this old car.
If I could make one change at this show, I’d open up the
field to 1970-1988 Monte Carlos. They’re
a pretty close cousin to the Chevelle, and share a great deal of
components. I’ve always been a big Monte
Carlo fan, and even though there are a few around, there never seem to be
enough to start their own club. It’s not
really a big deal just something I think about whenever I see these cars
together.
The omission of Monte Carlos obviously didn’t deter me
too bad, because I still took 307 pictures.
They include two ’57 Chevys and a ’75 Caprice convertible that were
there to see the show. As usual, you can
check out the entire slideshow below, or click this link for a better version.
Well... I can't get the whole slideshow to play, but thats OK. I can still tell that there were a metric tonne of cool cars there and appreciate the coverage. And I ask you ; are there many things automotive better than a marina Blue 67 Chevelle? Of course, the answer is no...
ReplyDeleteFinally got to go thru the whole show - thanx again. Some really great cars, and I think every 4 speed car left in the world was there! Hafta say tho...that Orchid 65 wagon takes the cake for cool[est] imnsho.
ReplyDeleteAnd who at the mall did the signage?!? Putting a 70 RoadRunner / GTX on a sign advertising a CHEVELLE show?!? :)