Friday, October 16, 2015

28th-Annual McKendree Village Car Show in Hermitage

For 28 years, the Exchange Club has been hosting their annual car show, and when I found out it was at McKendree Village in Hermitage, just five minutes from my house, you can bet that I was in. Not only was it convenient, but it had a bunch of nice cars. And not only did it have nice cars, but it had nice weather. And not only did it have nice weather, but it raised money for the Exchange Club, which helps abused kids. This is the kind of situation that’s impossible to pass up. Of course, if you couldn’t make it, don’t worry. I’ll show you some of the stuff that was there in this story, and you can make sure to attend the 29th-Annual Exchange Club Car Show next year.

I didn’t have to think too hard to pick my favorite car. It was this ’65 Impala Super Sport. The Regal Black paint was so straight and perfect it looked like you could swim in it. And that paint contrasted beautifully with the Starlight Silver interior. Is that a 396-c.i., 325-h.p. big block in there? Uh, yeah. It even had a four-speed. I also liked the wire wheel covers, which were paired up with the correct bias-ply tires. The one option that maybe would have put it over-the-top would be air conditioning, but this car was pretty freakin’ cool without it.

This ’65 Mustang fastback won the big “Best of Show” award, and you can certainly see why. Rangoon Red looks great inside and out. And yes, that’s an a/c compressor attached to the 289-c.i. V8. Some of these early Mustangs are better than others, but when you combine the color, options, wheels, body style, and condition of this one, you know you’re looking at one of the best. This one just proves than an old Mustang does not need to be a Shelby to make an impact. It may have been a secretary’s car, but it’s a pretty secretary’s car.

Here’s a looker for the hot rod crowd. This ’29 Ford roadster has that late-‘40s dry lakes style. The combination of the channeled body, custom-formed sprint car nose, stance, and tire and wheel combination all contribute to the look. But don’t let those nerf bars and straight axle fool you. There are some modern touches here too, like late-model Chevrolet power, and a deeply contoured and styled seat. You can tell that lots of time and money went into building this car. When this thing arrived at the show, every single head turned in its direction.

This Vitamin C Orange 1970 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda had all the Mopar guys excited. AAR stood for All-America Racing, and was designed to race in the SCCA only in 1970. You couldn’t get a Hemi in one of these, as all AARs came equipped with a 290-hp, 340-c.i. V8 with three two-barrel carburetors. If you do the math, that’s where the “six-barrel” designation comes from on the air cleaner lid. With stripes, hood pins, side-exhaust, and air deflectors, the AAR looked every bit as racy as it was. There were just over 2,700 AAR ‘Cudas produced, so if this was a real one, it’s a pretty rare sight.

Finally, let’s look at this ’64 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 two-door hardtop. Other than some larger wheels and maybe being lowered a little bit, this car looked fairly original, especially inside. These had 394-c.i. of Oldsmobile “Rocket” power, so there was plenty of muscle to move this full-sized hauler. Cashmere Beige wasn’t one of the flashier colors on the pallet that year, but this one is sure nice. This car was impressive because it was so neat, tidy, and well-detailed. These aren’t as popular as, say, a ’64 Impala, but they’re a little nicer cars that you can enjoy for a little less money.

I entered my truck in this show, which means I had all day to hang out and take pictures. There are 227 of them in the slideshow below, or click this link for a nicer version.

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