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.
]
“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.
————————
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!
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!
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!
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?
—————
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!
———————-
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!
——————
FIRST CRUISE-IN OF THE SEASON
The first cruise-in of the season is always a special one. Everyone is “itching” to get out and brush the dust off the rides… and just hang! Well, today was that day for me. I made my way south of Nashville for the Gateway Classic Cars of Nashville customer appreciation day. The weather was perfect and turnout was fantastic… and included the local Corvette, Chevelle and Mopar clubs… as well as solo car geeks like me. Here are some of my favorites. Happy cruise-in season everyone!
——————
BRAGGIN’ ON NASHVILLE AND GUSHER CYCLES
Please allow me to brag on my hometown for just a minute. Widely known for county music, Nashville is much more than most people think and among other things, has a rich history in the hotrod and motorcycle culture. Those traditions continue today and there are a host of talented builders (of both the 4-wheeled and two-wheeled kind) that currently call The Music City home.
One of those talented individuals is J Ryan of Gusher Cycles. I first met J Ryan about 8 years ago at a local bike show and since then have seen him out and about once or twice a year. It’s to the point now that I look for him at any show I think he might be at… just because I know he will have something stellar on display.
Last weekend I attended a show at the Nashville Fairgrounds and sure enough, J Ryan was there with another one of his smokin’ hot creations. You’re going to have to believe me when I tell you that these photos don’t come close to accurately reproducing the gorgeous paint job on this bike (show lighting is always so awesome!) but even so, you can see that J Ryan has perfected his painting and fabrication skills to a level that most will never reach.
Take a look and then jump on over to gushercycles.com to see more of J Ryans creations. I’m jonesin’ hard to have him paint my Sporty project bike for me and if you’re looking for custom work yourself (paint, fabrication, bars, etc.) you should definitely check out what Gusher Cycles has to offer.
—————
SPRING IS IN THE AIR!
The Spring Thaw! That’s what they call the motorcycle and car show that my friends over at Both Barrels Promotions do every March to kick off the “official” ridding and cruise-in season here in Nashville. It’s the show we look forward to all winter long… knowing that it signifies that the “Dark Months” are officially behind us and we can move on to more cooperative weather for our motorcycle and hot rod habits. It’s an awesome feeling… and today was the day. I never miss this show and this year brought out some real gems. These are a few of my favorites. Look for more in depth features on some of them in the near future… but for now, enjoy the re-cap.
—————
AACA – A DIFFERENT KIND OF CLUB
There are a lot of car clubs around Middle Tennessee. Most are brand/model specific but the Antique Automobile Club of America is different. AACA is a National organization that dates back to 1936. There are chapters all over the USA and they are open to all brands, models and years of vehicles. In fact, you don’t even have to own a vehicle to be a member of AACA. You basically just have to love cars.
Because of these guidelines… AACA car shows typically draw a very wide range of vehicles. I attended one today, just outside of Nashville, and saw a little bit of everything including classic muscle cars, vintage Jaguars, “A” Model Fords and more. Here’s a few pics.
————————–
FIRST GENERATION BEL AIR
About a year ago, a good friend of mine acquired a 1953 Chevy Bel Air in a trade deal that involved a few vehicles. He flips cars for a living, so it wasn’t around for long, but that car made a major impact on me. Up until that point, I had not paid a whole lot of attention to the early ’50s Chevrolet’s, but something about that car really grabbed my attention. I love the smaller body (compared to the more popular late 50’s models), and the subtle, yet somehow pronounced, fender bubbles add to the appeal for me. Throw in an art deco dashboard and it adds up to one bad little car in my book.
I’ve done a little research since then and this is what I have discovered. The body style I’m referring to was produced from 1950 to 1954. First year production numbers only reached a dismal 76,662 (despite a low $1700 selling price) as American auto buyers were still cautiously evaluating the new-look Chevy. By 1954, that number had jumped to over 450,000 across the model lineup. 1954 engine options included a 92hp 216.5ci or 105hp 235.5ci with a 4-barrel.
The 2 photos you see in this post were taken this weekend at a local cruise-in. Two beautiful specimens for sure! I’ll continue to be an admirer and student of the first generation Bel Air… and who knows, one day there may be one parked in my garage!
*sources include www.myclassicgarage.com, www.50classicchevy.com, and others.
———————-
A BUSY SUMMER
Wow! I just realized that I haven’t made a post here in a few months. I’ve been pretty busy this summer with work… often working 8 to 5, then starting up after dinner and working more until 10 or so. I have made time for riding and driving though. Here’s a few pix from some of the cruise-ins and shows I’ve attended.
One of the coolest trucks I’ve seen in a while was at a local truck show a couple of months ago. It’s on a NASCAR frame with a NASCAR motor. Pretty dang bad!
I made it up to Champagne, IL. for the Bloomington Gold Corvette show this summer. Some incredible cars there but maybe none as cool as this 64 model. This is an unrestored, survivor car with less than 4500 actual miles on it. Just like it came off the showroom floor!
Otis on display at the local truck show.
Another cool one from Bloomington Gold. This car was just in attendee parking.
Gotta love the BIG BLOCK mid-year Vette’s!
Love, love, love this car!!!!
——————–
2014 HUNTERS CUSTOM AUTO SHOW
Had a great time at the 2014 Hunters Custom Auto Show in Nashville this weekend. Here’s a few pics but you can see more at: http://swag.zenfolio.com/p432688490
——————-
bikerswag.wordpress.com 