15th-Annual Fall Redneck Rumble

When you schedule a car show on a day as nice as it was Saturday, you are going to have a huge turnout. That was the case over the weekend for the 15th-Annual Fall Redneck Rumble, which roared into the Wilson County Fairgrounds with the always-popular car show and swap meet. If you could survive not getting run down by an ATV or golf cart, which seem to multiply every time they have this event, you will enjoy one of the more unique automotive events in the Nashville area. I was there for quite a while and took a lot of pictures, so if you read all the way to the end you may check out the album.

Here’s something unusual. It’s a ’62 Studebaker Lark Daytona. A convertible version was used as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 this year. This couple was obviously a very original, unrestored example. It was overall very solid and straight, with just a little (dare I say it?) “patina” to give it some character. Similar to the pace car, this one was finished in Studebaker Ermine White with Studebaker Blaze Red inside. The Daytona model included bucket seats and a console, which was a pretty popular, racy feature in the early 1960s. This one was nice enough to get your attention, but not too nice to enjoy.

Speaking of pace cars, here’s a ’79 Pontiac Trans Am done up in limited edition Daytona 500 livery. The ’79 500 was one of the most well-known races in the history of NASCAR, and ended with that big crash and fight with Cale Yarborough, Donnie Allison, and Bobby Allison. I know you’ve seen the replay. Pontiac made 7,500 of these pace car replicas, which featured silver and charcoal paint with a matching interior, a hood bird that was so big it spilled out on the fenders, and nearly every option available to a Trans-Am buyer at the time.

There were several of these International K-1 trucks at this show, but most of them look like they were just dug up out of a field. Not this one. Someone lavished a great deal of time and money here, and they made an exceptionally nice version of what would normally be considered a workhorse. This had a lowered stance, a fancy Brandywine-colored paint job, and a rare Knox utility bed with diamond-plated sides. The chrome wheels, spider caps, and wide whitewalls suggested a ‘50s custom style, but the gearshift lever, air conditioning vents, and seat upholstery indicated a modern street rod core.

I thought this was a pretty sharp looking ’55 Chevy. Black paint, black pleated interior, and black wheels gave it a sinister look. Wide whitewalls, spider caps and rings, and some subtle pinstripes brought us back to the ‘50s. This one was completely nosed, hood ornament and all, and almost decked with the exception of the trunk key hole. I suspect there was some modern stuff going on under the skin. The seat upholstery was more 2020 than 1960, there were some new-style A/C vents under the dash, and the gauges were a product of today. All of these upgrades obviously encouraged driving, because the leading edge of the hood was covered in dead bugs.

When was the last time you saw a ’58 Buick Special Estate Wagon? They only made 3,663 of these, so it has probably been awhile. This is a lot of car, and it takes a lot of work to make one this nice. I don’t know what’s under the hood, but originally it would have been a 364-c.i. “Fireball” V8. It needed plenty of power, because there’s more chrome on the back doors and quarter panels than the entire metal content of a new Corolla. Radir wheels were and interesting choice here. They do match the shininess of all that chrome.

If you don’t like shiny, there were plenty of rusty, crusty cars to look at for the rat rod crowd. I took 800 (that’s EIGHT HUNDRED) pictures, so you can lust over whatever you like by clicking this link.