COMBINING MUSIC AND GREAT CARS IN NASHVILLE

Everybody wants to be a Rock Star… right? Well, most of us don’t have the talent required but maybe we can be treated like one when buying a classic, sport or luxury car. That’s the vibe at Nashville’s Rock Star Motorcars. Boasting one of the largest indoor showrooms in Music City, the Rock Star staff includes professional musicians, Nashville songwriters, and other music professionals… and get this, there is a pro-quality recording studio on-site. The music and cars theme is everywhere… and speaking of the latter… the inventory on the day I dropped by was quite impressive and included everything from 1960s muscle cars to BMWs to Corvettes to classic trucks to a Tesla Roadster, and just about everything in between. I’ve never purchased a vehicle from Rock Star Motorcars but if if a classic, sport or luxury car is on your want list, you might want to check them out. They also have a great website that showcases their current inventory. Check out www.rockstarmotorcars.com.

SOUTHEASTERN TRUCK NATIONALS

I’m a huge GM truck fan so I feel fortunate that the Southeastern Truck Nationals are held each year right here in Nashville, Tennessee. This year’s event took place on July 16 and was held again at the White House, Tennessee city park. It was the sixth annual celebration and the folks at the C/10 Club of Tennessee did a great job planning and organizing another great show. There were lots of vendors and swap meet booths… and of course, some great looking GM trucks. Here are just a few of my favorites. Check out www.gmtruckshow.com for more info. I’m already looking forward to the 2017 show!

FORD THUNDERBOLT!!!

I made my way to Gateway Classic Cars of Nashville this morning for their monthly cruise-in and wandered around for an hour or so. There were a lot of classic beauties to drool over in the parking lot… as well as inside via the huge inventory in Gateway’s massive climate-controlled showroom. One of the cars that showed up outside (via trailer) was this “racecar-looking” Ford Fairlane. I’d seen the car before but today I took the time to talk to the owner.

I didn’t know it but this car is a rare classic and is one of only 110 produced… by Ford! No joke… Ford built this car. It’s not like a Yenko Camaro or such where a dealer was authorized to hotrod factory cars, this is a 1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt and came straight from the factory pretty much as you see it here, race ready. Crazy!!! Ford included a fiberglass front clip, rear racing slicks, a H.I. Riser 427 and more. It was so scary fast that potential purchasers had to document that they were legit racers before Ford would even sell them one. (Many had to bring newspaper clips of their victories to the dealership in order to verify they could handle this beast!)

The current owner showed me tons of documentation he has that verifies this car is the real deal. According to him, the first 10 were produced in this maroon color and the rest in white. This is actually number 25, so it was originally white, but a PO converted it to the maroon color when he repainted it. It’s in immaculate condition.

I certainly enjoyed seeing this car and grabbing a few cellphone pix of it but I also learned a good lesson today. When you’re at a cruise-in… don’t just wander and look. Talk to the owners and get the story on these vehicles. You just might get an education… like I did today on the Ford Thunderbolt!

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1960 EL CAMINO – FIRST GENERATION

I’ve always been an El Camino fan of sorts but my affections were primarily based on the fact that the El Camino was essentially a “truckster” version of the iconic Chevrolet Chevelle muscle cars that I grew up loving. But what I didn’t know in my younger days was that the El Camino actually had a previous life… pre-Chevelle if you will.

The El Camino was first introduced in 1959 in response to the success Ford was having with their Ranchero model but unfortunately Chevy’s counterpart did not sell all that well and they discontinued production after the 1960 model year… just 2 year into the El Camino’s first life. Four years later Chevy decided to give the El Camino another go and then successfully sold the Chevelle-based model through 1987… but perhaps the rarest El Caminos are the 1959 and 1960 first-generation models.

I spotted this fine 1960 El Camino at a recent show in Nashville and when I saw it I couldn’t help but wonder why Chevy couldn’t sell these beauties. Great body lines, a sporty vibe and a futuristic dash all add up to a “way-cool” vehicle in my book. What do you think?

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FANTASTIC SUBURBAN!

Those that frequent this blog know that I am a big fan of 1960 to 1966 Chevrolet/GMC pickup trucks. My passion for these trucks started in the mid 60s when I was a just a little kid… when my uncle purchased a brand new ’64 model in gorgeous Light Red. i loved that truck and the passion continues today with my own 66 Stepside in the same color.

Chevrolet’s lineup also included the Suburban model during these years (the first SUV???) that essentially offered a fully enclosed version of their their hugely successful truck. The meticulously restored example you see here is a ’64 model and is one of the finest 5th Generation Suburbans I have ever seen. I spotted it at Goodguys Nashville and was so taken aback by it that I had to get as many pictures of it as I could to share with you. Enjoy!

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1966 C2 SURVIVOR… IT DOESN’T GET MUCH BETTER!

When you go to a show like Goodguys, you can easily get lost in the beauty of the perfectly restored vehicles on display. The level of craftsmanship that goes into some of the classics and customs at these larger National shows is astounding for sure… but I also keep an eye out for any true survivors that might be in the crowd. Especially when we are talking about Corvettes… and in particular, 2nd Generation Corvettes. There is something special about a 1963-1967 Corvette that is unrestored, a little flawed, not quite perfect… and yet beautiful in all of it’s original glory. A true survivor of times past. I spotted this 1966 survivor at Goodguys Nashville this spring and of course, even in the midst of some of the most beautiful high-dollar customs in the world, this beauty stole the show for me.

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1927 FORD HOTROD… THE REAL DEAL!

I’ve been to a lot of car shows in my day… it’s kind of what I do. You know, I grab a camera bag and head out to capture something cool and unique. It’s not just a job, it’s a passion… and in the end I always seem to find something that stirs my inner car buff.

But as you can imagine, just like with any job, sometimes you get to a point where you’ve kind of seen it all before and it’s easy to find yourself in a rut. It happens to me, for sure, but there are other times when a show is just off the hook and I find a whole show full of vehicles that remind me why I fell in love with cars in the first place.

Last weekend I got the chance to hit up Goodguys in Nashville, Tennessee and I sure am glad I did. The show was fantastic in general but there were three or four customs/classics that were beyond words. Cars that just made my jaw drop. I plan to share them all here… and to start, I want you to see this absolutely pristine 1927 Ford Hotrod. A perfect throwback to 1970’s Southern California… I spent literally 30 minutes just studying this beauty and trying to capture it as best I could with a digital SLR. Hopefully, I did it justice.

I didn’t get a chance to meet the owner and/or builder but I would love to have gotten the full story… and set up a legit photo shoot. Maybe next time! (BTW… I did not get in this car, I just have long arms… haha!) Enjoy!

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GOODGUYS NASHVILLE 2016

I look forward to the Goodguys show in Nashville every year… and 2016 did not disappoint. Here are a few of my favorites on the day!

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SOUTHERN TRADITIONS

I got to check out the Southern Traditions (Spring Redneck Rumble) this weekend. Here’s a bunch of photos. Lot’s of trucks this year!

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A DEDICATED RACER

Those that know me, understand that I am a third generation Corvette fanatic. It goes way back to when I was 17 years old and a ’69 model my father owned… but anyway, I love to photograph C3 Corvettes  every chance I can.

This car took part in an autocross event I photographed recently and of course immediately caught my eye.  But after talking to the owner, the car became even more special. This car was brought brand new in 1978 and was immediately put on a trailer to be used as a track car. The car has literally been a dedicated race car it’s entire life. Pretty cool.

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