THE REDNECK RUMBLE 2017

The 2017 edition of the Redneck Rumble took place on September 16th in Lebanon, Tennessee. Here’s a few pics for those who could not make it.

KRIS KRINGLE’S KAR KLASSIC

One of my favorite local car shows in Nashville is Kris Kringle’s Kar Klassic that takes place at the Williamson County AgExpo Center in Franklin, Tennessee. The show is “invite only” and features some rare and unique vehicles that you don’t see at other shows. This year’s gems included everything from a 1962 Cadillac Town Sedan to a 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite to a 1958 Ford Skyliner to a 1936 Auburn Boattail Speedster… and a lot more. In fact there were so many cool cars that I am not going to attempt to post all of the photos I took here. Here is a sampling but keep an eye on MY FACEBOOK PAGE in the next few days to see tons more pics!

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WILSON BANK & TRUST OCTOBERFEST CRUISE-IN

Cruise-Ins pretty much dominate my summer. There are very few weekends between May and September that I’m not at least doing a quick walk-through at one. And then there’s winter… when car gatherings are few and far between. At least I don’t live “up north” where people are forced to put their vehicles in storage for months but still, I hate winter and it’s impact on the car and motorcycle culture.

Every year, there is one show that kind of represents the end of the cruise-in season to the locals in the Nashville area. It’s put on by Wilson Bank & Trust in Lebanon, Tennessee and typically draws a huge crowd… partly because enthusiasts know it’s one of the last hurrahs of the year. I spent a few hours wandering this year’s event today and took a ton of photos… and it was awesome! Here are 9 of those photos. I’ll post more on my Facebook page. it’s been a good summer!

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CLASSIC AUTOMOBILES AND VINTAGE MOTORCYCLES!

Two of my favorite things in the world are classic automobiles and vintage motorcycles. And when you combine them both into one event… well, that’s a pretty good day. Today I made my way to The Factory in Franklin, Tennessee for the 27th Annual Antique & Classic Car Show, sponsored by the Battlefield Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America. But it get’s better… this years show was held in conjunction with the Music City Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. That’s right… a beautiful day filled with classic automobiles and vintage motorcycles…. all in the same place. I could go on about how heavenly that is, but I’ll just shut up and let you enjoy some of my photos.

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STREETSIDE CLASSICS NASHVILLE – GRAND OPENING

Streetside Classics opened their Nashville showroom several weeks ago but today they made it official by hosting their grand opening car show. Nashville is the fifth location for the Charlotte, NC. based business. Other locations include Atlanta, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Tampa. Specializing in consignment, purchase, and the sale of classic and collectible cars, the Nashville showroom (as well as the other four locations) keeps a literal warehouse full of inventory and will ship worldwide. Enjoy my photos from the show and check out Streetside Classics on-line at www.streetsideclassics.com.

TOUCH OF GOLD 2016

I love Corvettes. It’s a passion that started when I was in high school and continues to this day. This is evidenced by all the useless Corvette facts rolling around in my head… the several trips I make each year to the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky (CLICK HERE to read about my recent visit.)… the countless hours I spend on-line, looking at Corvettes for sale across the country… a wall full of Corvette “junk” hanging in the man cave… and the fact that about 80% of all the T-shirts I own have something to do with Corvettes or a Corvette event. My wife claims I have Corvette-Radar… able to spot a Corvette miles in the distance on most every drive we take. Probably true.

So of course, one of the area shows I look forward to each year is the “Touch Of Gold” show which is organized by The Nashville Corvette Club and features America’s sports car. This years event was held on the campus of O’more College of Design in Franklin, Tennessee on September 10th… and the weather was perfect. There were a lot of great vehicles on hand but three in particular stood out to me… a 1972 LT-1 in Sunflower Yellow (1 of 1,336 produced), a 1963 fuel-injected split-window couple in Riverside Red with gorgeous side pies and rally wheels, and a 1978 Silver Anniversary (2-tone without the Pace Car graphics) that was originally purchased by none other than country music legend Waylon Jennings. You can pick them out below.

Thanks to the Nashville Corvette Club for a great event.

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“Touch Of Gold” is not just about Corvettes. Other makes and models are also welcome. Here’s a few pics for the non Corvette fans.

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DUBFEST 2016!

When I was a little kid, my father had a 1969 VW Bug as his daily driver. I remember a few things about that car specifically… like the fact that the heater did not work very well…haha. Dad would carry an ice scraper and use it on the inside of the windshield as he drove down the road in order to see. (What’s a defroster???) I also remember that when many other cars would fall victim to the Chicago snows, that little bug would plow right through… never getting stuck. But what I remember most is how much I loved that car… and though I have never personally owned one, they always catch my eye at local car shows. They’re just cool!

These days there are a lot of VW enthusiasts and clubs to support the “Bug” addiction. One such club is the Wolfsburg Alliance in Middle Tennessee. Each year they hold what is Middle Tennessee’s only all-Volkswagen car show and swap meet, affectionately known as “Dubfest,” and today was the day for this years event. The weather was great and Daniel Edwards and the entire Wolfsburg Alliance crew did a great job of hosting a lot of cars and fans.

Here’s a few pics from Dubfest and if you want to know more about Wolfsburg Alliance and what they are up to… check out facebook.com/wolfsburgalliance

GATEWAY CLASSIC CARS OF NASHVILLE

I made my way to Gateway Classic Cars of Nashville last weekend to take part in their Cars & Coffee cruise-in. If you are not familiar with the Gateway folks, you are missing out. With 14 showrooms across the country (with more on the way) and over 1,400 classic vehicles in their inventory… they are fast becoming the “goto” source for classic car buyers. Here’s a few pics (inside and outside) from my visit… and if you want to learn more about Gateway Classic Cars, check out the video at the bottom of this post!

THE NATIONAL CORVETTE MUSEUM

General Motors had a problem with their St. Louis assembly plant back in 1980. Production of America’s only true sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette, was booming and they needed more room. Unfortunately, there weren’t any expansion possibilities where they were located on Union Blvd. so GM executives began contemplating a move.

Meanwhile, the city of Bowling Green, Kentucky caught wind of the bow tie company’s predicament and were sure they had the solution. Having just inherited a 1 million square feet abandoned air conditioning plant from Chrysler, the city council offered GM a lease deal on the building that they couldn’t refuse and the rest is history. Corvette production began in Bowling Green, Kentucky on June 1, 1981 and continues there to this day.

Further solidifying Bowling Green as the official home of Corvette was the opening of the National Corvette Museum in September of 1994… just 1/4 mile from the assembly plant. Today, the National Corvette Museum serves as a hub for all things Corvette and attracts nearly a quarter of a million enthusiasts each year from all over the wold. Fortunately for me, I live close enough that I get to visit the museum 2 or 3 times a year. And let me tell you, if you have a passion for Corvette’s like I do, you must make the trip no matter how far away you live.

The National Corvette Museum takes you on a tour of the history of America’s only true sports car. You’ll find yourself engulfed in historical information that dates back to the 1954 Worlds Fair, where Corvette was first introduced to the public. You’ll learn about the influential men and women whose perseverance (sometimes even against the will of GM) launched and maintained the model they were so passionate about… the Chevrolet Corvette.

Of course, Corvette’s history could not be told without highlighting men like Harley Earl, Bill Mitchell and “The Father of the Corvette” Zora Duntov who is responsible for taking Corvette from a docile roadster to a serious sports car that would challenge Porsche, Ferrari, and Maserati. You can even take a look at Zora’s personal 1974 Corvette.

Part of the museum is dedicated to the nostalgic era of Corvette, including the 1950s, 60s and 70s models. A reproduction full-service Mobil gas station highlights the simplicity of generations gone by when life was simpler and Corvette was beginning it’s domination of the sports car world.

Another area gives you a peek into the world of Corvette research and development. There are even a few one-of-a-kind concept cars that you won’t see anywhere else… like the 1968 Astro-Vette which was used to study aerodynamics and would eventually see it’s chrome-less front and rear bumpers in production later in the mid 1970s.

The Indy Concept Car below was used in 1986 to develop advanced technology for systems and components that would also find their way into production models in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Another interesting thing about this car is it’s mid-engine design. This car could still be influencing production models we are yet to see!

The National Corvette Museum is also home to the Corvette Hall of Fame which was established in 1998 to confer official recognition upon the most influential individuals in the history of the Corvette and honor their achievements.

Racing is a big part of Corvette’s history and The National Corvette Museum pays homage with a significant display of historical Corvette race cars like the one below. This ZR-1 Corvette with a stock 1990 engine made history on March 1 & 2, 1990 by setting three world records plus seven FIA International Class records during the trials at Fort Stockton, TX.

A line of Corvette Pace cars circles the indoor Sky Dome to demonstrate Corvette’s rich history in pacing some of the biggest races in North America… including the Indianapolis 500 which Corvette has paced a record 13 times over the years.

As you’ve most likely heard, The National Corvette Museum made worldwide news in 2015 when a natural sink hole opened up under the Sky Dome and damaged 8 classic Corvettes. (Google it if you don’t know what I’m talking about. Fortunately the museum was not open at the time and nobody was hurt.) The new “sink-hole” display was just opened this year and documents the entire event for visitors with a reenactment, a display of the 8 cars that were damaged, and the completely restored and rebuilt 1-millionth Corvette that was part of the “great eight” involved in the carnage.

Of course everything I’ve talked about to this point is great, but the real treat of visiting the National Corvette Museum is the cars you get to see! Depending on when you visit, rare and classic Corvette’s await you. Display cars change often but on my last visit, a few week ago, I was able to see a 1957 Corvette SuperSport that was built to participate in international races, Grand Sport and Collector Edition 1996 models, a 1969 Riverside Gold 427 survivor with 36,000 original miles, and the one and ONLY 1983 Corvette.

Grabbing a quick bite to eat is no problem while you visit The National Corvette Museum. Enjoy a salad or burger at the “on-site” Corvette Cafe (at a very fair price I might add) and get back to the good stuff as quick as you can! You’ll also want to stop in the Corvette Museum Library & Archives office to pick up a copy of your cars build sheet (back to 1981) or complete your research on any particular year or Corvette model. They know their stuff!

And finally… you must drop by the Corvette Store (or as I like to call it… the money pit) before you leave. This place is Corvette heaven and offers everything you can imagine Corvette including cool shits, hats, models, puzzles, cleaning products… and more, and more, and more! It’s a Corvette enthusiast shopping spree just waiting to happen.

Can you tell that I love this place yet? I could go on… but let me just stop here and tell you that if you are a Corvette enthusiast like me, you HAVE to visit Bowling Green and The National Corvette Museum. Put it on your bucket list. Make the extra effort to get there and find out why I have re-named it “My Happy Place!”

1941 CHEVROLET RAT

OK… I admit it… I’m a RAT fan! There’s something way-cool about a vehicle that was produced through blood, sweat & tears in someone’s back yard with available parts. I recently attended the Southeastern Truck Nationals and spotted this beauty. It’s a 1941 Chevrolet truck with a 4″ chop, a custom bed, a 1935 grill and Caddy tail lights. Pretty sweet!