Friday, November 20, 2015

Late coverage of the Mt. Juliet Chick-fil-A Cruise

I hate to admit this, but I’m so far behind writing these stories that I’m more than a month in the rears on some of them. Unfortunately, that’s the case with this Mt. Juliet Chick-fil-A Cruise coverage, which was all the way back on October 9. That’s not the cruise’s fault, though. There were lots of great cars, fun people, and tasty chicken sandwiches. But don’t worry. Eventually, I get to everything I take pictures of. So, better late than never, let’s get into last month’s jam-packed cruise with the world’s crabbiest D.J.

Here’s a nice ’72 Pontiac Lemans convertible. This one is finished in a smooth coat of Anaconda Gold paint, and includes the desirable Endura nose option, which replaces the chrome bumper and grille with this sporty look. Sure, it looks like a GTO, but it isn’t. That’s OK, though, because you could have one of these for a lot cheaper than a GTO, and still have all the swagger. Well, you probably couldn’t get this one cheaper. Still in the same family since new, it’s unlikely that it will be for sale anytime soon. And good luck finding another one this nice that someone hasn’t tried to turn into a fake GTO.

I noticed this ’63 Impala the moment it drove into the lot. Now as far as old Chevrolets go, this one isn’t exactly a blue chip collectable. The Vs on the front fenders imply that it’s just a 283 car. It’s not a Super Sport. It doesn’t even have fancy wheel covers. But there was a time when an Impala like this was as popular as all the Camrys, Accords, and Altimas on the road combined. It’s a great example of what common cars used to be like, and compared to what’s out there today, it seems like an interesting time. This Ember Red Impala had some rust issues it was working through, but the overall package was enjoyable to look at.

Why am I showing this ’85 Chevy Silverado? The lighting is bad, and I didn’t even manage to center it in the frame. But I want to talk about the paint scheme for a moment. In most two-tone versions of these trucks, the paint was broken in the traditional way with moldings. This has the one-year-only Custom two-tone option with this paint arrangement broken by tape stripes. They didn’t build many this way, and I used to have this theory that they would become collector’s items. I don’t think that has happened yet, but here’s one in a car cruise, so that’s a step in the right direction. Plus, this one had that great black and silver-broken-by-a-red-stripe look three years before Dale Earnhardt did it.

These little Corvairs are getting better looking all the time. 1965 was the first year for this sleeker new design, which really did change the look from frumpy to sporty. This Maderia Maroon ragtop was especially sharp with a set of wire wheel covers in lieu of the much less attractive full wheel covers. Corvair owners tend to really love their cars, and I suspect that goes for the owner of this one too. These cars were truly fun to drive, they look good, and you don’t see that many of them. It would be hard not form an attachment to one.

This is one sweet little ’65 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 two-door hardtop. Who wouldn’t want this Cutlass-based killer? We’re talking about a 345-hp, 400-c.i. V8 under the hood. We’re talking about a four-speed shifter and tachometer in the console. We’re talking about Nocturne Mist paint, wire wheel covers, and redline tires. In General Motors terms, this fit right in there with the Pontiac GTO and the Chevy Chevelle SS, although the Olds was a nicer car than either of those. This particular Olds was one of the nicest cars, if not the nicest car at this cruise. There are no judges at this event, but this car would hold its own if there were.

You know the drill. I took 192 pictures. You can see them in the slideshow below, or click this link for a nicer version.


4 comments:

  1. I like looking a past model cars just as much as the next person, so thanks for all the great pictures. But this series, the best picture is not a picture of a car, but of the sheet of paper for the 72 Le Mans. I read it over and over. I was amazed that the enduro bumper option was available on any V8. Also, that the 350 2 bbl was rated so low! I was born in 1961, my first car was a 1967 Cutlass with a 330 V8. By the time I was 18, in 1979 these older cars we not on my radar, but today, I absorb this type of infomation like a sponge and love it! Thanks for the pictures!

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  2. You are correct in saying that the 442 was a nicer car than its Chevrolet or Pontiac cousins. The oldsmobiles may not have won all the drags at a national level [neither did the Pontiacs, but man did they have the ad/PR thing happenin] , but they were always the best driving and best built of the GM A bodies. 65 also just happens to be my favourite year and I like the colours on this one too. SWEET car... [oh, btw, I have owned an example or two of the Olds cousins also]

    thanx for the pics, and man...your area there is apparently where ALL the 4 speed cars have gone to!

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  3. Nice display, nice pics!

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  4. All pics are amazing, blog is also knowledgeable.

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