Nice little gathering at the Cars in the Park Show at Shawnee Mission Park

The Cars in the Park show at Shawnee Mission Park is a pretty nice place to go if you want to spend a relaxing day with a few nice cars. This is a fund raiser for Special Olympics, and the parking area near the boat docks is a nice place to spend some time.

This is the fourth year for this show, and it has the potential to be relatively big. But the Basehor High School show is held at the same time 15 miles away, and that’s where most of the old cars seem to want to go. If they were to schedule this a little differently, I think it could really take off.

I forgot to look at the exact year, but I think this is about a ’58 Rambler American two-door sedan. It’s a cute little thing, isn’t it? When these were new, you could buy a loaded one for less than $1,800. And the open wheelwells looked a little more modern than the tubby, skirted openings in previous years. The little gauge pod in front of the steering wheel was also a neat touch. Of course, that 90-hp, inline flathead six isn’t going to set any speed records. But that wasn’t the point. This was meant to be an inexpensive, sensible commuter in its day.

Of course, I must admit, given the choice I’d be more inclined to pick this Nassau Blue ’66 Corvette roadster. That blue leather was some really pretty stuff, and the redline tires set it off nicely. I even like the standard wheel covers for a change. With small-block power and factory air, this car would make a very nice driver as compared to some of the tire-shredding monsters that you typically see from this era. I know I would like my friends to see me in this one.

The owner of this ’53 Cadillac Series 62 Sedan loves to talk to people about it. You see, his dad bought it in 1961, and it has been in the family ever since. It has a little very old rust repair that took place shortly after this family acquired it, but a big chunk of the car is original. He even let BHo sit behind the wheel. The car is a nice old heirloom, and something to be proud of. Plus, 1953 was a pretty darn nice year for Cadillac styling in general.

Did you know the first Chevy Corvair rolled off the line on October 2, 1959? To celebrate the Corvair’s birthday, here’s a very nice ’62 Corvair station wagon. This car was upgraded with a 140-hp Monza engine from a 1965 model, and it has other modifications like front and rear sway bars and large (for a Corvair) 15” aluminum wheels. This is just a nice little car that had a lot of quality work done to it. If you never thought a Corvair wagon was something to get excited about, you’ve probably never looked at this one in person.

There were several other worthwhile cars at this event, including this ’56 Mercury Montclair, a drop-dead gorgeous ’46 Chrysler Town and Country convertible that I’ve highlighted in an article here before, a ’58 Dodge Coronet convertible, a new Callaway Camaro SS convertible, and one of those Gone in 60 Seconds Eleanor Mustangs. There was definitely something for everybody here.

You can see that for yourself when you look at the 153 picture slideshow below. Or click this link for a nicer version of the slideshow.