Buncha' crazies at the Green Hill Church Red, Hot, & Blue Community Celebration and Car Show

It was so hot on Sunday that nobody in their right mind would spend the afternoon outside. And yet, 105 cars and trucks showed up for the Green Hill Church Red, Hot, & Blue Community Celebration and Car Show, and every one of them was brought there by deranged people. In their defense, they did have a nice, shady place with a giant tree and a picnic shelter, and there was a band and grilled hamburgers and stuff to help keep their minds off the weather. Mt. Juliet dignitaries like the fire and police chiefs gave out some plaques, and there were some better-than-average door prizes provided by the show sponsors. Overall, they did a really nice job putting this event together. But the heat—blech!

Now here’s something really different. The fact that this Mayfair Maize ’65 Pontiac Lemans was restored to this high level and not turned into a GTO is pretty amazing. But the fact that it still retains its 215-c.i. inline-six is a flat-out miracle. This car was a real eye-catcher, especially with those beautiful Parchment Morrokide bucket seats. The owner dolled-it-up a bit with a set of rally wheels and redline tires, leaving the steelies and dog dishes at home. This car probably received more attention with that six under the hood than if would have if it were a full-fledged GTO. I don’t recall ever seeing one quite like it.

This one’s really a time capsule. It’s a ’62 Plymouth Savoy two-door sedan that not only survived 57 years without rusting away, but actually managed to stay in almost perfect condition during that time. Our little Sandstone Plymouth was spec’d-out as a police car, and originally went to Tulsa, Okla., to be the fire chief’s ride. The story goes that the chief didn’t care for the Plymouth’s homely styling, so instead of actually using it, it just went into storage. So it might not have a lot of history racing to fires and saving lives, but it gives us a good idea what one of these cars was like brand new. And whether you like the polarizing look of a ’62 Plymouth, you can’t help but appreciate this particular example.

Here’s a sportier Plymouth from three-years later. This ’65 Barracuda features a 302-c.i. V8, bucket seats, and even a racy stripe down the middle. The Barracuda arrived on the scene at about the same time as the Ford Mustang, and as the Mustang was built on the backbone of the Falcon, the Barracuda was derived from the econo-minded Valiant. It is a pretty neat little fastback, and definitely a lot cooler than a Valiant. It wasn’t quite the beast-monster that it would morph into a few years later with the Hemi-‘Cudas that everyone goes nuts over. But for its time, there’s a lot to like here. I love the airiness of the cabin thanks to that big rear window, and thanks to add-on air conditioning, this one will stay as cool as it looks.

You know I love these first-generation Buick Rivieras, and this Regal Black-on-black ’65 was a fine example. The interiors and dashboards in these were absolutely spot-on, and that 445-c.i. Nailhead kept this personal luxury coupe lumbering along with ease. This one was pretty original. It looked like it had some miles on it, but they were miles of love. From the Road Wheels to the wood grain on the center stack, this Riv had it all. There were so many great details here, like how the taillights are integrated into the rear bumper, or how the headlights hid behind those awesome clamshell covers. There’s not one bit of this car that wasn’t perfectly designed. Thanks, Bill Mitchell.

Here’s one that’s big, black, and classy. It’s a 1937 Fleetwood Series 75 Town Sedan, which was the factory limousine of its day. This originally would have come with a 346-c.i. V8 with 135-h.p. Fleetwood was the company that made the body for Cadillac back then, and they utilized a lot of old-school, hand-craftsmanship that made these cars particularly exceptional. A car like this cost more than $3,100 in 1937, compared to a Ford sedan that would have set you back about $650. This one looked mostly stock and/or original, with a little sympathetic wear here and there. The hood wasn’t open, but with the modern automatic shifter poking out of the floor, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was something a little newer motivating this baby now. The old car looked good, though, no doubt about it.

If you want to see some more good –looking cars, you’re in luck. I took 249 pictures of the 105 cars at the Green Hill Church Car Show, and you can see them all by clicking this link.