Going to a hot rod show

Sometimes that is all there is locally and I have always had a good time at a hot rod show. I felt very welcomed. They are often for a good cause and always have good food. Firstly the sports car is different so draws some attention and then these car folk have often owned one at some point. Then the contacts about where to get that show quality paint job, engine rebuild or upholstery can be invaluable. I am drawn to the more older original models and will enjoy seeing this class.

Cheers Ron

I think there's two kinds of car guys: the ones who like their car, and the ones who like cars.

If it's the first group, it's never any fun. Even if you have the same kind of car, yours isn't as good as theirs somehow.

If it's the second group, it's all good.

I think it would depend on MY car. If I had something like a Sunbeam Tiger, I would have no trouble taking it to a predominately hot rod show. A "classic" sports car....I'd feel maybe, a little bit okay, if it's from the same period as the hot rods.

Several of the smaller car shows I've been to, feature cars from all time periods, because they are small. A big show with few hot rods more than 10-25 years old....I'd stay away from taking my car, except as a ride.

There is a show in St. Louis Easter weekend that divides the two groups - hot rods in one area, classics in another. When I go I always slowly stroll through the classics and glance over at the hot rods.

I voted "no" but Ron brings up a good point - the local shows, here in Wisconsin, are mostly muscle car shows. Not that I have "show" cars but I do like showing them off, and people should see what else is out there.

Peter Egan once wrote that it tis the duty of classic car owners to get them out in the public just so they are seen by the masses.

If I go to a mixed car show, I'm likely to take my 1800S, which is far from pristine. It'll probably be the only one there, though, so it's interesting for others to be able to see what one of those is all about.

If I go to a Volvo meet, there will be 40 other 1800s that are all prettier than mine, and I'm likely to be drafted as a judge to sort out exactly which one makes mine look the worst in comparison.

One is more fun than the other...

I go to all kinds of car shows, even shows for cars I don't like all that much, like hot rods, and I've been to a few exotic shows and so forth.

Car shows in general are populated by car people, so I usually get along. I try to avoid asian market oriented shows, or shows that showcase technology, eg stereos, over cars, etc.

Baxter's right about people who like cars and people who like their cars, its a striking difference.

I think Baxter got in nailed. I go to different types of shows and run across that often. It always amazes me that people stay away from the unrestored survivor on display. I like them no matter what type or condition they are. When I'm with my friend and his Midget, people always look at it because its small. People always have some type of comment about my Opel GT. Seen one (or friend has one) with a V8, had a friend that had one that will peg the 160-mph speedo, you ought to put a V8 in there, is that a vette?, etc.... Yeah right (while biting my lip). At shows other than Brit/Euro, always get the question "who makes MG?" or "who makes Opel?" but those are kinda understandable since they have been imported in a long time.

I still get "What kind of Jeep is that?" And "Who makes Land Rover?" And of course "Nice Land Cruiser."

I have heard stories of Series Land Rover owners trying to strike up a conversation with a Range Rover owner and hearing "This is a Range Rover, not a Land Rover."

To which the answer should be, "Well, I'm sorry about that, but I thought I'd talk to you anyway"

I've found a huge contrast in taking different cars to the same sort of shows. Around here, we have 'cruise' shows which are mostly hot rods and muscle cars, most street driven, not many trailer queens (thank gawd). When I had my Fiat Spider, not too many people paid much attention to it. With my mostly original but somewhat tattered old Ford pickup, I get a few comments from those who like them but it mostly gets ignored because it's not 'purty' enough (I too much prefer survivors to restored cars).

And then I got the Mini.

OMG, what a bunch of fun that thing is. Women adore it. Most men find it amusing, a few see it is technically interesting. Several hate it, mostly because their high dollar, wrote=a=check=for=it hot rod is unfortunately parked beside it and gets totally ignored thanks to my Mini. I can't tell you the number of people who have told me they know where I live because the car is parked in the driveway sometimes. It's a wonderfully approachable car because it's not perfect, and I encourage folks to sit in it, particularly when they say "I'd never be able to fit in that".

"wrote=a=check=for=it hot rod"

Great term!

And we all know exactly what you mean!

When I go to local cruise nights or shows with my MGB, I sometimes get those "Do Not Touch" signs as I enter. I always scratch out the "Not" part.

~This Place~ is just down the road from me, so we go all time in the Summer. Great fun. In NJ, there's a cruise night somewhere every night of the Summer.

We have also taken our Mini to a few cruise nights and local hot rod shows. It always gets a crowd, and this isn't a 100-point car. As others have said, it's our civic duty to expose people to our cars. Plus, like puppies, the cars seem to enjoy the attention.

The hot rod show in NJ that we especially make a point of attending (sort of...) is the "last Friday of the month cruise night" at the Jackson Outlets (x16 off I-195).

The organizers walk around wearing t-shirts that read: "What part of '73 AND OLDER AMERICAN CARS ONLY didn't you understand?"

So we make a point of showing up with as many old Volvos and new MINI's that we can muster... and then park in a group just outside the tape, but well within view... It's amazing the crowd a few old 1800s can attract... I plan to make a few appearances with my '78 Spit 6 as well.

The other hot rod shows we've attended have all been benefit events, and they don't care who shows up or how old the car is.

I always take an old car to a car show, you get the best parking spots.

mike

Yea, I have some of those types of pictures too. A friend of mine brought his MGB the same night (it's in front of mine) so we had two weird cars at this local NJ cruise night.

I had one guy tell me my GT6 would fit into his Impala's trunk.

Or, that car is so cute.

For me its the contrast in ideas and design from the same time period that just crack me up.

Little zippy machines with decent power vs huge metal monsters.

Frankly I'd take one of each.

A.

Went to a local car show yesterday. My wife's friend from college (shes a major gear/motorhead) and my mother and father in law (both well into their eighties) plus my wife and I had a good time. Nice, friendly, local car show with a good mix and all the lowriders were outside not w/ the other cars. I saw exactly what Tim had said about two kinds of people at these shows. One older gentleman took me all over the show looking for the driver of a Model T, just being very nice. Then there was the 'Vette owner that literaly gave me the cold shoulder when I thought he owned the Mustang parked next to his car. He was kinda a butthead.

I attend several shows every year with my 1973 Capri. I do have a problem sometimes finding an appropriate class. The sports car class seems to be the best fit if there is one, but sometimes it is restricted to 2 seaters or ends up being 90% Corvettes.

The hot rod guys in general don't seem all that interested in my car, but on the other hand I am not really into street rods either unless they have flatheads or vintage speed equipment, so I have no problem with that. Although most of the cars are hot rods or musclecars, the owners are nice and friendly enough even though they are more into their own cars. I do find there is sometimes a lot of interest in my car with the other spectators at the show.

First, I am guaranteed to have the only one there and as they are very scarce these days, sometimes people that had one themselves or had friends/relatives with one get very excited and tell me "I never thought I would ever see one of these again!" and how much they liked it back then. It is fun to see people tell their kids that "Dad had one of those" or the younger crowd that had never seen a Euro Capri before and don't know what it is. I put a sign on in the window concerning the history of the Capri and find that people really like reading that kind of stuff on cars that are a little unusual.

Also just imagine a classic car show with 20 some old '64-'70 Mustangs and Shelbys. Many of these are high dollar perfect restorations way out of my league, but if you have the 10th best one, no matter how nice, it will get little attention since there are so many others on display. My Capri on the other hand, even if it is not nearly as valuable or collectable,is the only one there.

I do get real tired of every DJ at car shows constantly playing "At the Hop' and other 50's music all the time since most of the cars these days at shows like that are owned by guys who were not teenagers in that era.

I don't usually see much snobbery at the shows I attend. The only exception is a big aircooled VW show in Ypsilanti, Mi.I went to as a spectator. I saw one guy trailer in a mint 1977 Scirocco (that I had seen before) and they wouldn't let him bring it in since it was watercooled and I saw him driving out of there with it still on the trailer a few minutes later. It wouldn't have harmed anything to just let him put on display even if it wasn't eligible for judging etc. It would have made a nice contrast with some of the later Karmann Ghias. My Capri by the way is listed in Readers Rides under Ford in this forum and under Mercury in the GRM forum if anyone is interested.

Just out of curiosity, why Ford here and Mercury there?

I go to a few car shows around my area, and Ive been in a 914, tr8,caterham7,and opel rally car. The 914 gets NO respect,the tr8 a little ,because it can be described as "buick" powered,the caterham,a little cause it kind of looks like an old school hotrod,and the opel none,because as you know,rally cars look wierd. I get a lot of NARP comments about the 914,too. It seems way more people claim to have owned 914 sixes than the 3000 or so built. All the hot rods around here have names too, like "sly fly"for a yellow one or "deuces wild"for a chevy 2. Ditto on the all car-MY CAR comments too. I like to look at all of them, but might not want to drive some.

Just out of curiosity, why Ford here and Mercury there?

In reply to Tim;

Tim, Concerning my Capri.

Well the car was a Ford in the rest of the world, but was sold as a Mercury in the US since Ford already had the Pinto and Mercury dealers needed a small car. The car had neither Ford or Mercury nameplates, but was just badged as Capri.

I did the RR profile in GRM first and Mercury was available as a choice.On the CM site there was no Mercury option, so Ford was my only choice there.

In reply to null:

"I think it would depend on MY car. If I had something like a Sunbeam Tiger"

A Tiger fits at so many shows. British, Sports, Ford, Shelby, even muscle as it could run with any other mid 60's Mcar.

Steve

I like hot rod shows. I fit in there better than the one marque, in my case Jaguar, shows...as my car is just a little unusual.

Most of the shows have both sports cars and hotrods and I do both.

The 120 I have is an old SCCA racer converted to SBC in 1957. I bought it in 1973 and restored it as it raced. Finished in 10/2006..all new underneath..350-375HP..T-10 etc. So..the car is the Heretic 120..but I wouldn't have it any other way..!

Sadly, the "air-cooled" snobbery against water-cooled VW's is about as bad as the the anti-BMW MINI animosity we get from older classic Mini owners...

For the VW's, this begat "Waterfest"... an event often held in NJ that can make me ashamed to own a VW... Could make it tough for someone with an older, stock, water cooled VW to fit in.