Monday, April 27, 2015

2015 Gallatin Square Fest Car Show

The annual Gallatin Square Fest is a fun event for the whole family. All around the historic downtown square you’ll find food trucks, craft booths, and live musical acts. There’s going to be something there for everyone. Of course, in my case, that something was the Gallatin Square Fest Car Show, which draws in a nice assortment of old iron to a parking lot adjacent to the actual festival. This year, the weather forecast was a little ominous, which no doubt kept a few participants home. But in reality, the rain stayed away, and it was a perfectly nice day for this popular gathering.

Few cars are more appealing than a Rio Red ’58 Impala two-door hardtop. I like the solid red here without the white two-tone roof. They did a good job with a lot of the details, including the fact that they painted the wheels the correct silver color and not red. The area between the grille and bumper would have also been silver like the wheels from the factory. This car was highly accessorized, sporting a correct continental kit, fender skirts, quarter panel portholes, dual antennas, and a traffic light view finder. This looked like a nice driver that you could really have some fun with.

This ’46 Chevy two-door sedan isn’t what I would consider to be pristine or anything like that, but it has a charm that only time can duplicate. This isn’t your typical high-buck hot rod. This is what a high school kid on a high school kid budget would have put together in about 1952. It has a home garage paint job, simple, old, and effective red seat upholstery, and Moon Spacer type wheel covers. One splurge would have been the Fenton dual carb intake. I can totally see this car in the Reader’s Rides section of a vintage Hot Rod Magazine.

I’ve seen this ’65 Mustang fastback at a few car shows already this year, and I can see why the owner wants to show it off to people. The workmanship on this build is exceptional, with deep black paint and perfect vinyl upholstery. The newer-style dashboard is a nice touch. The mirrors, the wheels, and really all the little details are what make this one stand out. I normally don’t get that excited about customized first-generation Mustangs, but it would be impossible not to like this one.

If you ever look at pictures of the old cars driving around Cuba, you might see something similar to this ’52 Pontiac Chieftan. The bright blue paint, velour seat upholstery, and thin line radial tires contribute to that Cuban look. The difference is, those cars have been used hard for 60 years and held together by any means possible. This particular car had a much easier life. Overall, it was a solid sedan, with the original flathead straight eight under the chrome-streaked hood. In Cuba, this baby would probably be powered by a rebuilt four-banger from a junkyard Toyota Echo. But if I were casting the cars for a movie set in Cuba to be filmed in Nashville, I’d need to get this guy’s number.

I’m a sucker for first-generation Monte Carlos, so I naturally gravitated toward this Placer Gold ’72. This one had all the options that I like, including a 350 small block, factory air, and bucket seats and a console. And I actually think these are among the few cars that look better with a vinyl top, which was obviously present here. This one had Rally wheels with aftermarket spinner centers and Chevelle SS-style dual exhaust tips. I used to own a ’72 Monte Carlo, and it was one of the most enjoyable cars I ever had. I have no doubt that the owner of this one is getting as much enjoyment as I did.

And speaking of enjoyment, I hope you enjoy looking at car pictures. I took 170 of them from the Gallatin Square Fest Car Show, which you can see in the slideshow below. Or, click this link for a nicer version.

2 comments:

  1. Always enjoying.....Tom

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  2. Another great show and awesome photos..............RogG

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