Plain Ol' As featured at the City Market's Art of the Machine

If you haven’t been to Kansas City’s City Market area on a Sunday morning, you might want to check it out.  They really seem to be trying to make it a fun place to go, with several activities for adults and kids alike.  The big draw is the farmer’s market, where you can buy everything from fresh fruit to flowers to spices.  But there is also a little flea market or community garage sale or whatever you want to call it, and they offer barrel train rides to the kids.

Cadillac Club brings the bling at the City Market's Art of the Machine

How can you like cars and not dig old Cadillacs?  Even the emblems are cool.  I mean, you look back at those big fins and all the chrome doodads and you can't help but smile.  They're just so lavish ... almost to the point of being ridiculous.  I love 'em.

And so, I made it a point to be at the City Market on Sunday, where the Cadillac Club of Kansas City was the featured display for Art of the Machine.  No, it wasn't the biggest display of cars I've ever seen, but there were some good ones.  And old Cadillacs are such that even a small number of them gives you plenty of little details to study.

Heart of America Model A Club celebrates the history of one of America's great cars at Kansas City's City Market

This is a story of what may very well be the best mass-produced car ever made. Bulletproof, stylish, and timeless, the iconic Ford Model A continues to be an American favorite, and that claim was never more obvious than at Kansas City’s City Market over the weekend.

When the Model A was introduced in 1927, it had unbelievably large shoes to fill. This was the car destined to replace the Model T, the car that almost singlehandedly put America on wheels. In order to follow an act like that, the Model A had to be exceptional.

And it was. For an average of $500, customers could choose from more than 15 body styles and a multitude of colors throughout the A’s five-year run.

Cadillac Club pours on the glamour during the Art of the Machine display in Kansas City's City Market

Old Cadillacs are certainly photogenic. The fins; the chrome; the ornaments; the leather—these cars were unabashed eye candy. So when you have a chance to see a few pristine examples parked together in a neat little row, you take it.

Kansas City had just such an opportunity when the City Market Square hosted the Kansas City Cadillac Club during their eclectic Sunday farmer’s market. While the health-conscious perused the locally grown veggies, and the bargain-hunters sifted through the Community Yard Sale, the car-lovers marveled at some of the most opulent vehicles ever to travel America’s highways.