Old Skool and New Kool Car Show survives the storms

As I was pulling into the neighborhood to check out the 2nd-Annual Old Skool and New Kool Car Show at the Life Church/Broadmoor Family Worship Center, the rains came. I don’t mean a light shower or sprinkle, either. This was a deluge. I could barely see two inches in front of my face, not much less get out and take pictures of all the old cars that were sinking in the grass. But the thing about Tennessee rain showers is, once they do what they’re going to do, they’re done. It didn’t take long for the faucet to shut off, the sun to come out, and the car show to resume.

’55 Chevy Nomads always look good, and this one was no exception. This Sea Mist Green with India Ivory top example was a pretty example of would could arguably be the most beautiful station wagon ever built. You know, the original concept for the Nomad was done on a Corvette. It actually was pretty attractive too, but I’m kind of glad they didn’t go that direction. These two-door wagon Tri-Five Nomads had that concept car look anyway. I can’t imagine how exciting it must have been in 1955 for them to come out with a striking new car, an incredible new powertrain, and then slam the public with this radical wagon. I’ve never seen a new car introduction like that in my life.

Here’s a nice, bright red 1970 Mustang Mach 1. They didn’t have a Mustang GT starting in 1970, so this would sorta fit into that spot. Besides, Mach 1 sounds pretty cool—danged near supersonic! Sometimes I don’t pay a lot of attention to these old Mustangs, but I think it’s because they still look contemporary today. Their styling still looks fresh 40+ years later. These Mach 1s were available with a variety of engines, including the 351, 390, and big ‘ol 428-c.i. V8s. They were just finishing drying this car off by the time I got to it, and you could tell it received nothing but the best care.

This one’s a ’64 Dodge Polara 500. These had some pretty neat little bits of trim, including the machine-turned inserts in the body side moldings, cool plastic emblems in the front fender tips, and the double shadow chevrons on the sail panels. If you think that side trim looks fancy, it may be because it was designed by George Krispinski, who formerly worked in the design department of Packard. I’m not sure which is under the hood of this one, but they came with either a 318-c.i. V8 or a 383-c.i. V8. This was a clean little car, and a nice change of pace from the usual show field of Mustangs and Chevelles.

As it turns out, not all late-‘70s Trans Ams are black. Take this sharp, white ’78 T/A right here. This was as tough as Pontiac muscle got in 1978, with a 6.6-liter, 200-hp V8 rumbling beneath a shaker hood. This one did not have T-tops, but it did have a four-speed manual. You can tell that someone ordered this car for performance. You’ve got to love these cars. They’re just so over-the-top. It’s like a bodybuilder on steroids. Bumps, flairs, and stickers everywhere. And how about that fire-breathing bird covering the entire hood?! You tend to think of this as commonplace because you see these pretty often, but look at it—it is not commonplace at all.

I trudged through the squish and took 83 pictures at the Old Skool and New Kool Car Show. Check them out at the slideshow below, or click this link for a nicer version.