Park Place Cruise-In

When I was at the Hendersonville Cruise the other night, someone handed me a flyer for a Thursday afternoon cruise-in at the Park Place Retirement Home in Hendersonville. This event was mostly for the residents of Park Place, and they had a nice set-up with root beer floats and popcorn. Truth be told, it was too hot out for most of the residents to come out from under the awning to look at the cars, but a few of them did venture out of the shade. Late-model Corvettes dominated the show field thanks to a strong club participation, but there were a few other interesting things out there as well. This wasn’t a very action-packed car show, but it was a nice little thing to do for the people that live there.

Vettes, Hot Rods, and Families brings 'em back to the Corvette Assembly Plant

Corvettes. You know I love ‘em. So when I heard that there was a car show at the Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green, the birthplace of every Corvette since 1981, you know I had to check it out. I even entered my own ’93 Corvette in the show, even though there was no chance that I was going to win one of those awesome trophies. It was just cool to be in the shadow of a place that produced so many cool cars. The Vettes, Hot Rods, and Families Car Show had a pretty decent turnout, and the entry fees went to the American Cancer Society. It was a good way to spend a Saturday.

Car owners brave the clouds at the Hendersonville Cruise-In

On-and-off rain and overcast skies are not what you want on the night of your car cruise, but unfortunately, we can’t control the weather. The Hendersonville Cruise-In made the most of those conditions Friday night. Sure, the car count was a bit down, but the rain actually held off for the most part, and the cooler temperatures were a welcome change. You can always tell the die-hards on a night like this, and there were more Logan’s Roadhouse peanuts to go around for everyone. If you were one of the unfortunate majority that didn’t make this one, I suppose I’ll fill you in on some of the nice rides you missed.

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.

Vintage cars from the 2014 Greater Kansas City International Auto Show

When you go to an event like the Greater Kansas City International Show (GKCIAS), you expect to see the latest and greatest new cars, trucks, and SUVs.  What you might not expect to see is a first-rate classic car show.  But if you were in Bartle Hall over the weekend, that’s just what you saw.  Several groups had vintage iron on display, including the Kansas City Automotive Museum (KCAM), the Art of the Car Concours, the Heart of America Corvair Owners Association (HACOA), and the auto show itself.  So if you’re one of those people that says, “they don’t make ‘em like they used to,” there was still something for you at this event.

Bring on the Spring

That’s it.  I am tired of winter.  You may have noticed that I haven’t been writing as much lately.  That’s because there just aren’t that many car events to go to right now.  This snow needs to melt, and the grass needs to start growing again.  And speaking of grass, let’s green things up around here a little.  I’ve got spring on the brain, so I decided to look at some green cars from various car shows around town.  I have shared a green album before, but this is new version, with some 150 more pictures.  I’m hoping that this will help everyone get in the mood for spring.  Because even  though it doesn’t seem like it now, car show season is just around the corner.

Wrecked old cars and crashes

Most of the new cars I have been reviewing lately are so loaded with safety features, you wonder how anyone can crash them at all.  I mean, with lane departure warning systems, traction control, backup cameras, and crash mitigation braking systems, what excuse do you have for running into another car?  And yet, we still manage to do it.  They don’t keep running those traffic reports on the news for nothing.  This is nothing new, though.  Take the old cars in these pictures.  They were equipped with nasty biased-ply tires, fail-prone drum brakes, and lethargic manual steering.  These weren’t the pampered classics we see at car shows today.  People drove these cars, and sometimes, they wrecked them.

Cars of the 2013 Parkville Days Parade

As residents of Parkville, our family likes to try and hit some of the local parades and festivals.  Each year, they have Parkville Days, which includes a carnival, vendor booths, and a parade down Main Street.  The parade consists mostly of area high school bands, but between the tuba playing and baton twirling you might actually see an interesting old car or two in there.  So as per usual, here’s a look at a few of the noteworthy rides that braved the heat last Saturday morning.

Went to Roxanne's for breakfast and a car show broke out

So Saturday we were eating breakfast at Roxanne’s Cafe in Parkville when a bunch of people showed up with Ferrari outfits on.  One guy even had a Ferrari logo on his phone.  It was pretty obvious that there was going to be a bunch of Ferraris parked outside.  So, when we finished eating, we went around the corner, and there they were.  Bam.  Instant car show.

HACOA Corvair Owner's Meet recalls the past

Many years ago, Vickie Ireland purchased a pea green ’60 Corvair sedan from the Hover Motor Company used car lot. It was all of $75, and really wasn’t much of a car. It had several problems, for which she brought it back to get help. One time, the steering wheel came off in her hand while she was driving it to lunch.  Young Jim Hover took a shining to the girl, and began leaving notes on the windshield of the Corvair as it was parked around Manitou Springs.  Eventually, Jim and Vickie would get married and have two kids—a result that I’m especially pleased with, because I was one of them.

The car that started it all (at least for me). History of the Chevrolet Corvair

Finally—a story that my mom can appreciate!

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article on the history of the Volkswagen Beetle. What you may not realize is that Chevrolet built a car to compete head-to-head with the popular German compact. And while you might not think about it in the same way as the Beetle, Chevrolet’s Corvair was one of the most innovative, advanced cars of its time.