I haven’t been to enough car shows lately, but I’m sure glad I didn’t miss the 25th-Annual AACA Wilson Bank Spring Meet in Mt. Juliet over the weekend. This is always a good show, and this year’s edition didn’t disappoint. There were cars crammed in every little crevice of that place. It has been quite a while since there was a local AACA show, and I think everyone decided to get out of the house. This was in spite of it being a cloudy, somewhat rainy day.
Feast your eyes on this classy beast. It’s a 1964 Buick Wildcat convertible in Granada Red with a black interior. This thing was loaded with tasty features, like factory air conditioning and a humongous, 360-hp, 425-c.i. V8 with dual carburetors . I don’t have any firsthand experience, but I get the impression that this car sucks up quite a bit of premium fuel. But I also think it would be worth the wear-and-tear on the old AMOCO card to get to drive a car like this.
With all the stellar cars at this event, you might not think a lowly ’72 Chevy Nova would win the coveted “Best of Show” prize, but when you look at this one, you realize it was well-deserved. Placer Gold isn’t a flashy color, but it looks great on this little car paired up with its dog dish hubcaps. It’s also an SS, and features a perfectly-detailed 350-c.i. V8 under the hood. You get all that, and a four-speed to boot. This may be one of the best ’72 Novas I’ve ever seen. It looks like it just rolled out of the showroom, right down to the window sticker.
Parked right next to the Nova was another sporty old GM cruiser, this 1967 Pontiac Firebird convertible. Wearing a smooth coat of Regimental Red paint with complimentary redline tires, this is the one everyone wants. Of course, ’67 was the first year for Pontiac’s pony car, and although it shared quite a bit with the Camaro, it still had its own personality. I actually kind of liked the fact that it wasn’t a Camaro. Don’t get me wrong, first-generation Camaros are great, but it’s nice to see the Camaro’s illusive sibling for a change.
I can’t seem to get out of this era, but here’s another notable Pontiac. This one is a 1970 Grand Prix Model SJ, and it had a crowd around it all day. Drenched in a deep coat of Starlight Black paint with a matching black genuine leather interior, this was the epitome of the personal luxury car era. The only thing it was missing was factory air conditioning, but that was rectified with a modern aftermarket air conditioning system. I don’t blame them for adding it—that’s a lot of black!
I think the nicest truck on the lot was this ridiculous ’66 Ford F-100. When people say today’s trucks are too fancy compared to the old days, they haven’t seen a truck like this. This Custom Cab truck is absolutely carlike in its amenities, with red bucket seats, a machine-turned applique on the dashboard, two-tone paint, and full wheel covers. It also had a big 352-c.i. V8 for a little go to go with the show. The paintwork and restoration here was absolutely top-notch. It is such a nice example of a vintage luxury truck.
This one is different. It’s a ’55 Studebaker Commander. Think about this in the context of other cars on the market in 1955. Compared to a Chevrolet Bel Air or a Ford Victoria, this car is pretty sleek. It also had a 259-c.i. V8 with 175-h.p., which was pretty stout at the time. This looks pretty close to Studebaker Romany Red to me, and that contrasts beautifully with its stark white interior. This one has a Hurst four-speed shifter poking out of the transmission hump, signaling the Stude’s sporting intentions.
Sometimes I have a hard time finding enough cars at one of these shows that I really want to write about, but this time I had to decide which ones to leave out. This was a great show, and I think you’ll agree when you look at the pictures.
There are 500 photos in the gallery, and you can see them all by clicking this link.
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