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Lets start outside the U.S. I'm in the Museum Konstanz in Bodensee, Deutschland. Not really a "car show" but a breathtaking region in Germany where a friend and colleague of mine, Manfred, owns this auto museum. The pictures to the left include me with a line of Ducati's that a local aficionado owns -- 1 for every year made. Also pictured is the Opel Admiral, a popular ride for the Wehrmacht. 13 of them made for you-know-who as a gift to his 13 admirals. It was creepy. I sat in it too. But not likely one of the 13. The Admiral was a model made from '37-'39. The cool thing about the museum is they have a full bar and dining area (Italian) as well as a dance floor -- Crazy! I had lunch and a few beers there. Also in the picture carousel are a couple of other cars not traditionally seen in the U.S. Can you identify them? Here is a link to a good friend I met while there. Achim has the restoration business in Konstanz.
While in Germany in 2012 we went to a Ferrari dealership and Manfred took this snap of me in a Scuderia. I couldn't go on a test drive due to what I believe was reverse discrimination -- not my country of origin, but my gender. A young blond girl came in and talked with our sales rep (Sie sprach Deutsch) and within 10 minutes she was screeching around the corner in this very brand new "rosso" Italian screamer. But interestingly, they also had an underground garage of *other* brands -- Bugatti, Rolls, Koenigsegg, etc. All I can say is that blond didn't get to see that part! Danke, Manfred! I've seen some other shows in Australia and Costa Rica (off-roading around the volcanos), but didn't take any snaps.
Here I am at the BMW Welt in Munich. The gentleman next to me with the Isetta is Manfred -- the owner of the museum in Konstanz. I'm on a BMW RR wishing it were in my garage. The Welt is a cool place, for sure -- an indoor car show. You can take delivery of your US based BMW at the Welt and drive across Europe to a western port for shipment to the U.S.
I entered the Chevelle in the annual Car Craft Summer Nationals in 2010 after I completed the first restoration. I didn't fix everything (Exhaust in the wrong place, needed transmission work, etc.) but it was on the road. There is just a ton to see here and is an excellent place to get ideas about your own custom or restoration project. Joining me that weekend was John and Meg who are also car enthusiasts -- albeit more from an applying stickers perspective, rather than actual repair and restoration. It's also where I ran into the company that I ultimately purchased a 4-post lift from. Car clubs enjoy coming to the show and displaying their member rides. I'm parked with the Chevelle club the day this picture was taken.
The most famous, and largest show in MN (and perhaps the U.S.), is the annual Back to the 50s show in St. Paul. Here cars up to 1964 are entered for a show and cruise over the father's day weekend in June every year. It's mostly just me and some car friends that go these days -- the family believes they have seen all the cars now, so what's the point.
An every-Saturday show in the summer is in Anoka County -- In the Northwest corner of the Twin Cities. This regular show, along with the Friday night show in St. Paul, draws a big crowd every week. They have food vendors, bands, auto vendors, ice cream. We always have a fun time. At the left is my granddaughter Maggy, Christy (in the baby cart), my son Bobby, and Gracey behind him at the Anoka show around 2015/16.
We had a great show for a while on a lake in a small Western suburb of the cities known as the 10,000 Lakes Concours -- Wayzata, MN. This setting was to die for and they also had antique boats. The draw was usually '40s and older vehicles and was a neat show. A lot of the participants would dress in period correct clothing. Stickers and I went to this show a couple of times.
Cita actually goes to a car show every 10 years or so! Here we are at the Goodguys Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa. It takes place over the 4th of July and there is a lot to do at the show, and in town as well! There is also an Iowa Cubs game every year on/near the 4th where they have fireworks and a really nice naturalization ceremony of new U.S. citizens.
It's a bit obvious where I am in this shot -- North Carolina at the Kings museum and workshop. Some shots of his rides along with some full size versions of "The Cars" movie. And a shot of them loading one of the #43 cars into the trailer for a race and a bit of their auto shop.
A little closer to the Morris home is a car show in Alexandria, MN. Surprisingly large with food vendors and such. Lots of big tree shade too. Gracey is standing next to the '59 impala -- one of my favs. The rest of the gang is admiring this Ford Coupe Custom.
Another show in the North end of town attended by myself and Michael from Tria, Germany. Someday he may own an old timer -- just not yet. And on the right is another friend and colleague -- this time hailing from Portugal. Pedro is here next to the Ford GT at the Minneapolis Auto [new] Car Show. It's sometimes fun to look at the new rides coming out. I wonder if new car shows are becoming a thing of the past....
That is Stickers (John) and Meg with one of their SRT Challengers on the left. He had another Purple Hellcat as well. But he unloaded both of them after a few years or so. John hits the refresh button frequently... But I stand by my assertion that his favorite ride is a '67 Chevelle -- pictured on the right. You can't fake a smile like that!
I'm saving a spot here for Tom to add a picture of us (I don't think either one of us ever took pictures) at the Mopars in the Park show in Farmington, MN. A favorite of both Tom and me limited to all things Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, Ram, and a few others I suppose... Jeep, etc.)
Above are pictures from the Barrett Jackson auto auction/car show that takes place every January in Arizona. My daughter joined me for the trip and her pictures flank Todd (left), Mr. Camera Shy, Markus (middle) and myself. While hard to believe, the Phoenix area had a storm/flood while we were there and some minor damage to cars and equipment at the show.
I take the Chevelle to shows and cruises during the summer. The shot on the left is a show in Carver, MN I went to in 2020. The shot in the middle and to the right has a bit of a story to it. Go to a Old Timer show sometime and chat with some vehicle owners. Nearly all of them have at least 1 or 2 good stories to tell around/about their favorite ride. Here, the picture was taken by my friend Joe, who owns a wine business in town, during the Route 65 classics car cruise. He is in his restored '67 Chevy pickup (now sold) he had back in High School. This picture was taken around the Columbus area (about 3/4 of the way through the event) moments before my engine blew up. I was just running low and slow around 45MPH when engine noises started to happen -- and got really bad really fast. I pulled into a strip mall and Joe took me home so I could hook up the truck and trailer and come get the crippled Chevelle. Stickers and Meg were on the cruise as well but they wanted to keep driving with the rest of the cruise participants and catch the band concert following the cruise rather than help me. [in all honesty, they did offer, but it makes the story better if I said they didn't]. The engine had something like 12:1 compression and needed race gas to prevent detonation (knocking) so... looking on the bright side, it needed a rebuild anyway? The tear down showed bent rods, broken valve spring retainers, ... You should also know that after the engine rebuild (performed by a professional, not me) Tom and I put the engine back in the car and it ran for about 10 minutes during the break-in process before we had to pull it out and get it repaired yet again. A plastic cam plate broke this time -- more bent rods.
I don't remember the year -- possibly 2011 or something where I started a car show in Burnsville to coincide with their summer festival in the town square by the new Burnsville Performing Arts Center/ Nicollet Commons Park -- Burnsville Fire Muster. It was held on the top floor of the parking ramp there. Here you can see I brought the Jeep. The Chevy was there too.
I considered this a car show. It's a shot of a '60s Wolseley that I saw in Melbourne, Australia lined up in a parking area of a number of older cars. In Australia there were a lot of vehicles that were new to me -- and not just right hand drive versions, so I added a blurb about it here. And my friend and colleague, Jenny, took me around and showed off her home town. Yes, I saw some kangaroos -- as well as the play "Jersey Boys" at the Princess Theatre. I also stopped at Rod Laver Arena at the Olympic Park for a championship game of AU rules Football. I splurged and got a meat pie. The event experience was so much more fun than an American football game. Nobody swearing, getting falling down drunk (at least until after the game) -- and was very family friendly. I highly recommend.
In June of 2012 we tried to set the worlds record for the largest car cruise. We set off in at the AutoMotorPlex in Chanhassen, MN where you can store your vehicle in a castle, if you have the wherewithal. I think we came up a few cars short... On the left is the Chevelle at the "Plex" and on the right I'm just leaving the complex on the cruise.
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