Nice start to the KSI Auto Show

The KSI Auto Show took place this weekend at Hendersonville High School. Kevin Stephens Interiors and a handful of sponsors came up with quite a bit of prize money for participants, and a portion of the proceeds were to go to the Hendersonville High School football team. There was great participation from the football team, and relatively decent participation from car owners. This was the first shot at this show, and it has potential. They could maybe offer more different classes, and tighten up the schedule a little bit. But the lot is actually very well suited for this, and the Hendersonville Cruise-In confirms that there are plenty of cars in the area. There were some pretty nice ones at this show to be sure.

Snow couldn't stop the 7th-Annual Tennessee Motorama

The State of Tennessee declared a “state of emergency” because of the weather at the same time the 2018 Tennessee Motorama was setting up at the Wilson County Fairgrounds. Those conditions do not lead to a super successful car show. But give Both Barrel Productions credit—they didn’t cancel it. For their efforts, they were rewarded with a reasonable number of vendors, and about 10 show cars. You might think the cars would be beaters because people would keep the high-end stuff out of the snow. But as it turned out, most of them were so nice that they came in trailers anyway. So there weren’t many cars, but the quality was outstanding.

Never-ending fun at the Hot Rods on Beale Street Cruise

Former president Jimmy Carter was spotted on Tuesday night checking out all the great rides at Hot Rods on Beale Street. That’s the power of staging a car cruise on one of the most iconic streets in America--you never know who might show up. And why wouldn’t they? This is one of the most exciting, highly charged car events I’ve ever been to. It’s more like a big street party. Sure, the cars are great, but it’s the food, the music, and the people that make this one special. That doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore the cars, though. As usual, I snapped and bunch of pictures and have a few opinions on several of my favorites.

Bailey Roddy Benefit Car Show packs 'em in at the Snow White Bar-B-Q

When I saw the announcement that there was going to be a car show at the Snow White Bar-B-Q Drive-In in Lebanon, Tenn., I was expecting ten guys sitting in cars eating lunch. When we got there, I was quite surprised to see an event so huge it required the police to be there to direct traffic. This was a benefit for Bailey Roddy, a 7th-grade girl who had brain surgery for arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a disease that affects the flow of blood from the heart to the brain. It’s nice to see such a big turnout of car people for such a worthy cause.

Ponies for Patriots honors veterans with Mustangs at Kansas City's Liberty Memorial

The Liberty Memorial is Kansas City’s monument to honor those who fought in World War I.  That’s a pretty good place to turn our attention on Veteran’s Day, and it even makes more sense here because the festivities were car-related.  The Mustang Club of Greater Kansas City hosted “Ponies for Patriots,” where club members and the Wounded Warriors High-Five Mustang all came out to show their support.  There were Mustangs in and out of here for two days, so this club was obviously very committed to this display.

The stars were aligned for the August North Kansas City Cruise

With only one North Kansas City Cruise under their belts, the Golden Oldies Car Club headed into August with perfect weather and the full support of the Mustang Club of Greater Kansas City.  And everything came together beautifully to make this one of the best cruises in this area for years.  Swift Avenue was lined on both sides as far down as you could see with a full selection of Kansas City’s nicest rides.

The KC Classic Auto Display has cars that are fun to look at and fun to own

I really do like looking around at the KC Classic Auto Display in Lenexa.  And when you get a weekend like the one we just had, there really aren’t any car shows around here.  That’s where a place like this really fits the bill.

This place typically doesn’t deal in blue chip collector cars, although sometimes a Shelby Mustang or GTO Judge does find its way into the dank warehouse.  More likely, you’ll see cars that you can have fun with; cars with character.  This isn’t Saturday night at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction.  This is Friday afternoon at the Adesa Kansas City Specialty Car Sale.  And in some ways, the cars are more interesting to look at because of this.

Nearly 200 fine Fords occupy parking spots at the Bass Pro Shops in Olathe

Kansas City has a lot of great automotive traditions.  From our auto assembly plants to our local car racing, this cowtown keeps the wheels turning.

We also have several significant, long-running car shows here.  And for 28 years, one of those shows has been the Mustang and Ford Show, presented by the Mustang Club of Kansas City.  Held at the Bass Pro Shops in Olathe, this is the show where all the high-interest Blue Ovals, both old and new, gather each and every year.

Carroll Shelby dead at 89

One of the most colorful and revered figures in automotive history has passed away.  Carroll Shelby died on May 10 at Baylor Hospital in Dallas, Texas.  He was 89.  The cause of death was not disclosed.

For more than 50 years, Shelby's influence has been clear on race tracks, in the performance car world, and more recently in the realm of classic cars.  Let's take a quick look at the career of this giant of the automotive industry.

2012 Chicago Auto Show, and a Blues Brothers update

Chicago, Illinois. A bit of our automotive history died this week near the windy city, while the world got a glimpse of our automotive future.

The biggest story, of course, is that demolition has finally begun on the Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, Illinois, near Chicago. Even if you don’t recognize the name, you probably know this mall because one of the most memorable car chases in movie history was filmed on location there. Who can forget that crusty ’74 Dodge Monaco barreling through the Toys ‘R Us and leveling kiosks in the 1980 hit The Blues Brothers?

History of the Ford Mustang ... because I never write about Fords

I asked a friend, who happens to be a regular reader of this blog, what he thought a good car-related topic would be to write about. He said, “You never write anything about Fords, why don’t you do something on, say, the history of the Mustang for a change.”

Never mind that I just this year I drove the new Focus and F-150, posted about the all-Ford show in Olathe, did a history of Carroll Shelby, and lamented the passing of the Crown Victoria; I never write anything about Fords.

Well here it is, brother, the story you’ve been waiting for—the history of the Ford Mustang.

Why are all those Shelby Mustangs and Cobras worth so much at Barrett-Jackson? The story of Carroll Shelby

For the better part of the weekend, I’ll have my TV glued to the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz. This is a similar to the Mecum auction held in Kansas City’s Bartle Hall earlier this month, but the eyes of the collector car world tend to focus on this big dollar dog & pony show.

One name that pops up regularly, both at our auction and the event in Scottsdale, is “Shelby”. It’s almost like every other car is either a Shelby Mustang, a Shelby Cobra, or some kind of fake Shelby (the experts like to call these “tributes”, “clones”, or “recreations”, but let’s just call a spade a spade here). And one thing you quickly realize when watching these events is that tacking that word to a car is similar to selling it with a briefcase full of money in the trunk. Shelby cars tend to bring the big bucks. But why? What makes a Shelby Mustang, for example, worth exponentially more than a basic Mustang? What is the appeal?