Festival on the Trails Car Show worth the trip to Gardner

I learned something about Gardner on Saturday.  It is a lot farther away from Parkville than I thought.  My plan was to just “run over there” and shoot some pictures, and 45 minutes later, I was still running.  They were having their Festival on the Trails celebration over the weekend, and while most people were probably excited about the Tracy Lawrence concert, I was naturally more interested in the car show.

I have to admit, there was one car in particular that really made the trip worthwhile for me.  I probably shouldn’t admit it, but I was completely drawn to this Knight Rider KITT Firebird.  I really liked that dumb show, and still watch it with my son on DVD occasionally, and this looks exactly like the one on TV inside and out.  Heck, if you told me this was on the show, I’d believe it.  I actually remember looking at a Knight Rider press car at the Omaha World of wheels in about 1983, and I guarantee you that this car is in better condition.

I’m a sucker for car models, so I thought this was a neat combo.  It’s a ’54 Chevy two-door sedan with a matching 1/6-scale remote control toy painted up to look just like it.  I remember when they sold these models at places like Wal-Mart and always thought they were interesting, but I like it even better since it matches a real car.  It even has hand-painted pinstripes and “Adrianne” (the owner’s daughter) on the trunk lid, just like the real deal.

Here’s a wild thing.  It’s obviously a full-sized sprint car, just like what the World of Outlaws were running at Lakeside last Saturday night.  But the treads on those massive Hoosier tires didn’t look like what they’d use on the dirt track.  Closer inspection revealed tiny taillights and turn signals.  And sure enough, the owner claims that this short-track terror is street legal.  That has to be a crazy sight coming down the road.  I doubt that it’s recommended for use in an automatic car wash, however.

And now from wild to mild, here’s a beige ’53 Ford Customline two-door sedan.  The owner had a sign on it that claims only 41,000 original miles.  That’s not a lot of miles, especially for a 60-year-old car.  It isn’t completely original, but a big chunk of it obviously is, and the condition is outstanding.  In spite of the bright red flathead under the hood, the full wheel covers, and fender skirts, this car was far from flashy.  But it still commanded some attention based on the condition.

I took 144 pictures.  Take a look-see in the slideshow below, or click this link for a nicer version.