Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Beautiful Sunday at the JDRF Advance Auto Parts Car Show in Shawnee

It seems like there aren’t as many organized car shows on Sundays, but there was a look one last weekend at the new Advance Auto Parts store in western Shawnee.  This was a benefit for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and they did their cause proud with a parking lot that was overflowing with shiny machines.  It was a great opportunity to get out and enjoy the perfect weather, check out some great cars, and maybe even pick up a case of oil or a pine tree air freshener.

This ’69 Dodge Charger turns up at car shows from time-to-time, and each time it does, it absolutely steals the spotlight.  This car doesn’t just stand out at a small show like this—it would be the top-dog at most big shows too.  Perfect black paint, perfect red interior, and just look at the way the grille and bumpers were molded in flush with the body.  There’s a Hemi under the hood that looks more like a model than an actual working piece of machinery, but I know that’s not the case because I’ve seen this car on an autocross track before.  I would be afraid to drive this thing anywhere, but luckily the owner is willing to get it out and show it off.

This ’69 Camaro RS Z/28 wasn’t any slouch either.  You see a lot of white and orange ’69 Camaro pace cars, so this white and red combo is sort of jarring in a good way.  The Z/28 was designed to be the best-handling Camaro you could buy, foregoing the huge big-block power plants for a potent but not over-potent 302 small block.  These were tough competitors on the Trans Am circuit back when they were new, but the road-going versions were also popular with performance-oriented buyers.

And take a look at this Sunbeam Tiger.  Similar to the Cobra, Carroll Shelby was partly behind stuffing a 4.3-liter Ford V8 into these small British roadsters from 1964-1967. They actually have a lot of ’57 Thunderbird influence in the styling with those hooded headlights and pointed tailfins.  This one seemed really special to me, because it didn’t look like it had been restored.  The interior was definitely original, and even the paint might have been.  These cars were made famous by Don Adams when he drove a red one in the goofy TV spy series Get Smart.

I love old Corvettes, but I have trouble telling ’70, ’71, and ‘72s apart.  I think this is a ’72, judging by the orange parking lights in the grille. The color on this one is throwing me off a little too.  They had something called Elkhart Green, but it was a little lighter than this.  Whatever the story, this car shined like an emerald in the sun.  454, red line tires, and side pipes completed the package.

This was a fun little car show on a nice day.  And while you can’t feel the sunshine and cool breeze, you can see pictures of all the cars there.  Just check out the slideshow below, or click this link for a better version.

2 comments:

  1. Craig, you're right-on regarding that Charger, its a traffic stopper and I talked to the owner about it at this show and he was very approachable. Nice to see a high-end car with a down to earth owner.

    Mad Max

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  2. You are correct - 70, 71 and 72 Corvettes are indeed difficult. 70 and 71s are externally identical - the only way to tell the difference is by looking at the VIN or peeking inside at the engine data plate there at the rear of the console behind the shifter - 71 was the compression ratio drop, so those numbers will tip you off. The way to tell a 72 is by the park/turn signal lights. The 72s had amber lenses down there with clear bulbs. 70s and 71s have clear lenses with amber bulbs...

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