Monday, March 31, 2014

One last trip to the KC Classic Auto Display in Lenexa

When I first moved to Kansas City in the 1980s, one of the first places we visited was KC Classic Auto Display in Lenexa. My dad and I were always on the lookout for old cars, and they had a bunch of them in the old industrial warehouse off 435. The place is pretty fun to look through, as they always have a fun mix of both high-end and affordable cars in their inventory. As I’m nearing the end of my time here in Kansas City, my dad and I decided to take one last visit and check out what’s on sale now.

Here’s something you don’t see every day. It’s a 1965 Dodge A100 pickup. These always looked like they’d take a nose dive if you hit the brakes too hard, which is why the wheelie-standing Little Red Wagon drag truck seemed so strange to me. This little guy here wasn’t quite as intense, but it did have a V8 lurking beneath the cab. They were asking $16,900 for it, and someone must have thought that was OK, because their website says this one is sold.

Staying on the MOPAR theme for a minute, I suspect that this ’70 Plymouth Superbird was the most valuable car in the building, with an asking price of $179,000. That’s quite a bit more than the pickup, but I suppose it is more desirable. No Hemi here; this one was equipped with a 440-c.i. V8 and three two-barrel carburetors. It also had a bench seat and a pistol grip four-speed. The contrast between this Superbird and that A10 pickup is exactly why it’s fun to go to this place.

These ’69 Toronados are kind of funny. I remember when I’d see one running around as a kid, I thought they were hideous. They always seemed to be missing their hubcaps too, so those big, awful wheels were sticking way out there. But I guess they have more of a grown-up appeal, because I really like it now. This one looked like a decent car that maybe went through a sympathetic makeover somewhere along the way. It’s got a 375-hp, 455-c.i. V8 powering the front wheels, so an asking price of under $20,000 seems pretty reasonable.

You might not think of a ’79 Malibu station wagon as much of an enthusiast’s car, but this one might change your mind. It didn’t have many options, but two of them stand out. It has a 267-c.i. V8 under the hood and it went through a four-speed manual transmission. Now I don’t think anyone ever said that 267 was the best engine Chevy ever made, but it was better than a six. And this clean old grocery-getter looked great sitting on a set of Rally Wheels with ’67 Chevrolet center caps. $14,900 takes this unusually equipped ‘Bu home.

There wasn’t a lot of information available on this Packard convertible. I think it’s a ’39 Model. It looked pretty original considering its age. It looked like they were in the process of wet-sanding out the paint, so it wasn’t quite ready to go yet. The leather interior was really nice—maybe my favorite part of the car. I wouldn’t call this car super fancy by Packard terms, but it was stately, simple, and high-quality. You might confuse me for an 80-year-old man if you base it off of some of the cars I gravitate to.

I went ahead and took more than 150 photos from our latest visit to the KC Auto Display, and you can see them in the slideshow below. Or, click this link for a nicer version.

1 comment:

  1. We will miss your stories from K C. But we will look forward to your comments and stories from Nashville when you settle in.
    Roger Grotewold
    Larchwood, Iowa

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