West Bottoms Car Show rises from the dead

Last May, the folks down in the West Bottoms decided to throw a car show.  The expectations weren’t all that great; maybe they’d get 20 or 30 cars.  But it turned out to be one of the biggest car gatherings of the year.  So when organizers decided to hold another one last Saturday, they thought it would be a sure-fire hit.  They must have handed out 100,000 flyers.  They had vendors and contests lined up.  There’s no way it could have missed.

2014 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT 4X4 test drive review. The luxury car that works like a truck

Let me just put this out there.  If I had 50-large to spend on a new vehicle right now, I’d be mighty tempted to order a new 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT 4X4 exactly like the one I just finished test driving.  Bright red?  Absolutely.  20-inch chrome wheels?  You bet.  Z71 off-road suspension?  Sign me up.  Honestly, if you’re into cars, and appreciate a modern interpretation of the classic American pickup, there’s not much to dislike here.  Allow me to explain.

Platte City Cruise wraps it up for the season

If you were looking for old cars in the Kansas City area last weekend, you were going to find most of them in Ottawa.  But it also happened to be the final Outta’ Control Hot Rods Pizza Shoppe Cruise of the year in Platte City, and I really wanted to check that out too.  Surprisingly, it wasn’t a complete bust, as the owners of several nice cars and trucks decided to stay closer to home and have some pizza instead of braving the sea of chrome and billet down south. 

27th-Annual Old Marais River Run. The place where the entire Kansas City car scene comes together

As we have proven here time and again, there are tons of car shows and cruises in the Kansas City area.  We look at quite a few of them here, and have the chance to check out cars all over town.  You tend to see different cars in North Kansas City than you do in, say, Gardner.  But regardless of which part of town they are from, it seems like all of them headed straight for Ottawa, Kan., over the weekend for the 27th-Annual Old Marais River Run.  This is, without a doubt, the biggest show in this area.  With nearly 2,000 pre-1972 cars and trucks, this is the who’s who of the Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita car scene. 

The Gladfest Car Show has nothing to do with Gladfest anymore, but it's still a great event

For years, the Gladfest Car Show was one of the crown jewels of the Northland.  But they eventually outgrew their location, and last year the event dropped from the schedule.  Don’t get too upset though, because it was back again this year and better than ever.  They moved it to the Antioch Worship Center, and despite the name, it is on a different weekend than Gladfest now.  If you were there, you know that moderate temperatures, copious sunshine, and plenty of space made for a top-notch event in Happy Rock.

Perfect conditions at the Turkey Creek Car Show in Merriam

Car shows can suffer from all kinds of problems—heat, rain, location.  But every once in awhile, everything comes together exactly like it should, and what you’re left with is a huge turnout of nice cars.  That’s what happened on Saturday for the annual Turkey Creek Car Show in Merriam, Kan.  This was a massive event, complete with sponsors, a mini swap meet, and hundreds of shiny rides sparkling beneath the comfortable Johnson County sunshine.  Conditions don’t get much better.

KCI Airport Cruise: nice cars, nice prizes, nice weather

As summer comes to an end, we start getting more “must attend” car events to wind up the season.  One of those is the KCI Airport Cruise, which took place last Saturday night at the Ambassador Building near the airport.  As usual, there were tons of cars and tons of great door prizes.  Add the beautiful weather, and you’ve got the recipe for a huge event.  The Hovers did their part, as my dad brought out his old Corvette and parked it right next to my truck in the crowded parking lot.

Adesa Corvette and Specialty Car Sale is a well-kept Kansas City secret

Here’s one you might not have known about.  Adesa has a huge auction house in Belton, Mo.  Normally, they sell late-model cars for manufacturers and rental companies to dealers.  That’s where a lot of the cars that you see on the used lot of the local new car dealer come from.  But a couple of times a year they have a Corvette and Specialty Car Sale.  It is still only open to dealers, but in this case they have an interesting mix of classic and special interest cars.  It is hard to find information for, because they don’t publish it on their website.  But my dad works out there, however, which is why I can share some of it with you.