Thursday, February 20, 2014

History of the Chevrolet Vega - the little car that did everything well

In 1981, my mom had a ’76 Vega Kammback.  I distinctly remember the night during a particularly cold, Omaha winter, when she wanted to come home from her job at Norman’s Shoe Store and the orange wagon wouldn’t start.  Dad and I went out to rescue her, and between the bitter cold wind, darkness, and rage-filled swearing coming out of my dad, I learned to hate the Vega.  At eight years-old, I didn’t know about the car’s reputation, or the recalls, or the safety concerns.  I just knew that the air conditioner wouldn’t cool off in the summer, and it wouldn’t start in the winter.  Of course, now that I’m older, I’ve developed a bit of a soft spot for the Vega.  They were great-looking little cars.  They were actually pretty innovative.  And everyone seemed to have one.  That’s why today we’ll take a look back at “the little car that does everything well.”

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

54th-Annual Kansas City World of Wheels. The cars were clean in 2014

Valentine’s Day was last Friday, and Kansas City car folks had a lot to love when the 54th-Annual World of Wheels rolled into Bartle Hall over the weekend.  Around here, this is the first big car show of the year, and it was just what the doctor prescribed for cabin fever.  From a live appearance by Richard and Kyle Petty, to a top chop by old time customizer Gene Winfield, to hundreds of cars and motorcycles of all kinds, this was the place to be in K.C.  As you may have guessed, I had my camera with me.  Let’s check out some of the fun stuff that made the show.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Monster Jam Kansas City 2014. We just keep going

As you may have guessed from the high-octane TV commercials lately, there was a Monster Jam event in Kansas City’s Sprint Center over the weekend.  They’ll sell you the whole seat, but you’re only gonna’ need the edge.  It was pretty exciting stuff in the ad.  And for like the 25th year in-a-row, I witnessed the February mayhem.  I actually had a pretty fun time, although there are some things about it that make me wonder why.  This might not be the best show in the country, and the ticket prices are flat-out ridiculous, but I’ve been waiting all winter to hear racing engines and suck up some carbon monoxide.  Let’s check out some of the stuff that was going on Friday night in downtown KC.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Bring on the Spring

That’s it.  I am tired of winter.  You may have noticed that I haven’t been writing as much lately.  That’s because there just aren’t that many car events to go to right now.  This snow needs to melt, and the grass needs to start growing again.  And speaking of grass, let’s green things up around here a little.  I’ve got spring on the brain, so I decided to look at some green cars from various car shows around town.  I have shared a green album before, but this is new version, with some 150 more pictures.  I’m hoping that this will help everyone get in the mood for spring.  Because even  though it doesn’t seem like it now, car show season is just around the corner.