Antique & Classic Cars Blog

Just plain cruising in a classic is plenty fun. If any readers want to add a sporting destination, there’s a pro bicycling event with stages at various Minnesota locales this week.

The Great River Energy Bicycle Festival’s Nature Valley Grand Prix (a mouthful, granted) has races in St. Paul (Weds. 6/11; Fri 6/13), Canon Falls (Thurs 6/12), Minneapolis (Fri 6/13), Mankato (Sat 6/14) and Stillwater (Sun 6/15).

If you’ve never watched a professional bicycle race in person, it’s a lot of fun. The race area itself will likely be too congested for much driving, but there’s very pleasant roadway along the river in the Twin Cities and back roads to Canon Falls, Mankato and Stillwater should offer nice miles too.

And hey–how much of an excuse does a person need to cruise around in a classic car?

(photos: Matt Moses)

At the classic car show the Buick Club hosted at the fairgrounds last Sunday, I talked with David Johnson about his very nice and very original 1964 Wedgewood Blue Buick Skylark (see two posts down).

David posted a good suggestion: Bring a kid to a car show.

As during all eras, there are plenty of things for young people to waste time on and get in trouble with. Cars and car shows give restless minds a positive outlet. They’re all about the cars and the joy of finding, driving, fixing, polishing and discussing them with other enthusiasts.

The hobby teaches hard work–to find parts and information and make repairs.

Fiscal responsibility–in determining parts and service costs, earning, saving and purchasing.

Discipline–to apply the parts and knowledge and make things work right.

Ingenuity and self-confidence–through encountering challenges, working through them and making what doesn’t work, work.

Humility and respect for others–as you gather insights and receive help from those with more knowledge and experience.

And a sense of fellowship with people of all ages. As anyone in the hobby will tell you, car shows bring together people from all views and income levels to share a common interest. How you vote, what you do, where you studied, how much you earn, what you read, whose music you like….None of those things by which we judge and are judged in the everyday world hold sway among a group of people who love cars. The rat rod built for six grand is just as legitimate and interesting as the half-million dollar Bugatti.

There is a young crowd taking an interest in the skills to be learned and camaraderie to be enjoyed in the car hobby, but there’s room for more. Next time you head out for a car show, see if any young people in your family or neighborhood want to tag along. Maybe someone will take an interest in the history, the hard work, and the satisfaction all those vehicles represent.

If I were a headlight, I’d be a low beam, probably 6 volt. The Buick Club hosted a car show at the fairgrounds today and I went over to poke around. A friend is in the club and was helping count ballots, so I stopped to ask the gate man where that was being done.

He asked me if I was “the computer guy.” I told him no. We talked a moment longer and again he said, “aren’t you the computer guy?” So again I said I wasn’t.

Only later, walking around and talking to people about their cars and the blog did I realize–the blog! Great Scot! It appears on “the computer.”

I couldn’t understand what computer guy they’d be expecting in the middle of a car show on machinery hill… So, if you read this, um, yes, I am the computer guy. Sorry a few cylinders weren’t firing when you kindly inquired.

One of these years I’d love to put together a classic car for racing and take advantage of a killer track like Brainerd so close to home. The members of the Vintage Sports Car Racing Club do that every year when the snow melts.

I crashed their kick-off party at Mark Brandow’s shop, Quality Coaches, in South Minneapolis. As always, Quality has neat cars in various states of disassembly, repair and restoration to gawk at; add some folks to talk racing with and a little chili for the event and it makes for a pretty good Saturday morning. Better than all the ones spent shoveling combined.

Cars on hand ranged from the relatively common (by classic standards) to the unusual and race-modified.

As an MG owner most of my life, seeing an A with removeable hardtop behind Mark’s B GT with Wabasto sunroof across the street from a right-hand-drive B GT, in front of a drop-top later original-style Mini (not, of course, an MG) is a fine sign of summer’s classic-car pleasures ahead.

One of the rare birds onhand in the shop is this Alvis shooting brake, a woody designed for transporting hunting parties.

The hood ornament stresses the hunting theme with a new spin on the fox and the hound.

For this party, Mark had his MGA race car on hand getting prepped for another season on the track. The key with vintage racing is for the car to be outfitted basically as it was when built, with, of course, various safety features to minimize risks from accidents and fire. This car is obviously an MGA, though the engine has been ramped up for more than sleepy track times. Though I cropped it out, there’s a Chevy 350-powered MGB drag car sitting behind it. It would not be allowed to run laps with the VSCR club.

While I was writing this an unexpected surprise showed up outside my window. An eagle! Looks like a juvenile bald eagle, one of few, I reckon, in South Minneapolis. Unfortunately, I had set my camera to low resolution for internet photos and forgot to switch it back. Had I, this shot out the bedroom window would have been a lot clearer. Still cool though. Hope it returns.

Little plug here for a shop anyone in the Twin Cities who owns or wants to own a British car should know about. On November 3rd from 1-5pm, Quality Coaches is having an open house with music and refreshments to celebrate 35 years in business. Anything Moss Motors carries you can order from Quality for the same price as the catalog and you can look at cool cars and projects in every direction while you do it–classics, race cars, a rare Devin kit car on MG chassis with Buick aluminum V8 power…. Plus customer cars of every stripe always worth a gawk.

Quality’s a source for even out-of-production parts, as owner Mark Brandow has a lot of those around. I know because the front license plate holder on my MGB GT, the bumper mounts and lower shock mounts on my TR6, and various other doodads and gewgaws came from there. I’ve also had mechanic Randy troubleshoot a problem for me in 30 seconds because he knows these cars inside out. If you got a Brit or are thinking about one, stop by on the 3rd and meet your best local parts and information connection for British cars.

When the world’s largest car book publisher throws open its Osceola, WI, warehouse and fills it with discount books, and then lines the surrounding grassy acreage with classic cars, it’s good. Real good. Add outstanding, if simple, food like top-shelf brats with homemade sauerkraut, natural casing hot dogs, and ice cream, and you’ve got yourself a worthy Saturday afternoon.

Boss 302 was a Pennsylvania rust bucket, but six years of restoration effort yielded a worthy ride.

Ahh. A nice feature on Boss 302s is a stock four-speed transmission.

The little lady and I climbed into my ‘69 MG and made the roughly one-hour drive past Stillwater and into the land of rolling hills, cheese and Packer fans. As the car ads say, NO DISAPPOINTMENTS. Respecting the old journalistic formula, Picture = 1 x 10[3 superscript] Words, here’s some highlights.

If you don’t like first gen. Vettes, you have a serious problem. Consult your doctor immediately.

A flock of DeLoreans prepares for takeoff.

“Dude, where’s your trailer?” “This is my trailer. It’s also my race car.”

When Cadillac owners complained that they couldn’t get a twelfth set of golf clubs in the trunk, the manufacturer offered the continental kit to shift the spare tire to the rear bumper.

Ford station wagon sports collapsible tent. Folding picnic table mounts to back bumper. Cool.

One of the quickest ways to increase your home’s value is to add a Yenko Chevelle to the garage.

This Studebaker Dictator sat disassembled in a field for 50 years. Its fortunes have improved.

Many beautiful Triumphs were on hand, which I single out because I have one.

We followed a ‘69 MGC GT for many miles. Most passersby probably thought it and my ‘69 B GT were identical, but rare C has a factory six-cylinder engine.

On the way back, the missus and I took 35 south on the Wisconsin side. We had fun following a near-identical ‘69 MGC GT (only the bulged hood gives away its six-cylinder power) for many miles. Then a faster crowd showed up. Five black cars–three Porsches, a Ferrari Dino, and a Pantera–zoomed past, flexing a little more torque than the MGs could muster.

My wife loves aggressive engine notes and she laughed loudly at this show of raw horsepower. Unfortunately for these low-slung road missiles, a row of slower vehicles kept them to a modest fraction of their explosive capabilities. Oh well–more oggling for us.

Motorbooks was recently sold, so this may have been the last Wheels & Wings (the latter name coming from an airplane show down the road). If not, don’t let this gig pass you by like a string of sports cars next year.

Motorbooks, world’s largest car book publisher, is hosting its annual Wheels & Wings show tomorrow in Osceola, Wisconsin. I’ve harped a lot on summer’s looming end and the need to get your classic out on the roads a few more times.

Well, this is your best opportunity remaining in 2007. Pull off the car cover, fire up the classic and point it toward Osceola, where you can spend a morning, afternoon or day admiring a wide array of cars–powerful, beautiful, curious, rare and familiar–and hanging out with fellow enthusiasts. The grounds are inviting, there’s food and drink, and if you keep a car library, thousands of titles are discounted at the show. People from the Twin Cities can go home on the Wisconsin side, which is a scenic, relaxing drive worth the trip on its own merits.

If you see a red MGB GT with wire wheels, that’s likely mine, and my mug is on display through the link to the right of my blog page. Say hello and tell me about your cars and bikes. I love meeting fellow enthusiasts; every one has something cool to share and teach. (Wheels & Wings details and directions on the link, above.) KP

It’s over. The coolers are empty, the chairs are packed, the rods are back in their respective states, driveways, garages and carports. It’s the Ones again—or whatever you call the first decade of a century. The Fifties are gone for another year.

The Star Tribune hasn’t had a presence at the event before and it went pretty well. Thousands of car fans thought a classic-Buick bedecked calendar-poster would make a nice bedroom, shop or garage wall addition. A few folks stopped by to say a kind word about my car writing for the paper, and some left with my book, Dream Garages. Thanks to all of you–and to Paul Brand**(see below) and WCCO for having me on air for a bit of car gab.

Those who know this show know it’s one amazing experience, filling the venerable Minnesota State Fairgrounds completely with nearly 12,000 cars. Loosely (under)valuing these cars at an average worth of $10,000 means event-goers got to feast their eyes on over $100,000,000 in vehicles, all in one place.

You can’t see them all, you can’t talk to everyone, you can’t get all the good stories and photos and tips. No chance. But too much of a good thing is better than too little. At least here.

Paul Brand asked me if it was legit to just buy a car and come here knowing nothing about how to work on them. He was goading me, of course, having fun. There are always plenty of wrench turners to trade stories with, but if you just love the ’50s– had your first drive or date or kiss or, uh, other fun stuff, during that era, it’s a dear one and you don’t have to be a shade-tree mechanic to love its cars and music.

It’s not at all uncommon to have two or three generations on hand sitting, talking, reminiscing about the days when cars boasted style and craftsmanship and artistry from every piece of steel and brightwork.

Another remarkable thing about this gathering is the goodwill and mutual respect. Over three full days, tens of thousands of people baking in the sun, contained by the crowds, immersed in burbling engines sniffing exhaust fumes, I heard not one harsh word. Saw no fist fly, no shoving, no shouting, no strutting. No clash of egos.

The people at the show ranged in age from infants to elders in their 80s or beyond and in income by many zeroes. No one cares. That’s the beauty of the car hobby. It isn’t about class, it isn’t about “success,” it isn’t about schooling or background or age or income or business or looks or where you live or where you came from or where you’re going. It’s about machines. Beautiful machines that moved our parents and their parents and their parents. Machines that shrunk the nation and pulled the mountains and the seas and the winding coastal highways within reach of most any family with a desire to see this vast country.

It was a great collection this June. Amazing. A truly fine gathering of cars and car enthusiasts. Thanks to everyone who brought a car or just laced up a pair of shoes to come and take part in this event.

Back to the ’50s is one heckuva show.

**My friend Paul Brand, host of AutoTalk, was giving away signed copies of his book, How to Repair Your Car, to attendees who donated to the Scott Townsend fund. Scott has helped Paul at remote broadcasts for many years. This past winter, Scott was struck down by ‘Guillain-Barre Syndrome,’ which left him completely paralyzed and on a ventilator. He is now able to breath on his own and is making slow progress towards recovery, but faces at least a year of hospitalization and therapy. If anyone left the show a double sawbuck ahead and would like to contribute to this fine gentleman’s medical expenses, please send to:

“SCOTT TOWNSEND/AUTOTALK FUND”
c/o WELLS FARGO BANK
7000 BASS LAKE ROAD
CRYSTAL, MINN. 55428

The Fifties had some great cars and great music. But let’s face it, a lot of people buying, driving, wrenching and dreaming on the car scene weren’t around in the 1950s. If fond memories of drives and dates and races fuel the hobby, how do you keep it going year after year?

Ya get younger people involved, of course. The Rochester Student Street Rod Association is one connection between today’s youth and yesterdays rods. President, Ilya Leontovich, says the kids got involved indirectly. The school had a program where area residents could donate a car, which the school would then sell to raise money for things like shop equipment.

One of the vehicles that came in was this ’64 Ford truck. Rather than spiff it up and sell it, someone (like maybe Gary K., a former mechanic who now teaches) got the idea of rodding it as a project for the kids. The idea took off.

Today about four Rochester area schools are involved. Students (and recent graduates) participate and work on the truck. They’re forming a limited liability partnership to own it collectively, with some strict rules about driving records and obeying the law. Sponsors dig on the idea too, and have donated lots of parts and expertise to help the young motorheads turn out a mighty fine truck. Beats video games.

For younger drivers, this big-scale slot-racer-style track provides a little high speed fun and wheel time. If you can’t drink beer, you don’t have your own rod project to talk about and source parts for, a little track time is a pretty nice diversion.

We’ve all seen the amazing concept cars crafted for the dazzling Motorama shows in the 1950s. Manufacturers teased us with these cars and solicited public feedback, but seldom did they build the vehicle in display form. A lot of these magical cars went back to a Detroit special vehicles department and disappeared—crushed at top brass instruction, or maybe scuttled out a back door to become a subject of myth and lore.

Such was the case with the original Nomad show car, crafted from the first generation Corvette. Evidence suggests the original is gone forever. But this one is very, very, very close. Zane Zander has gathered every detail and photograph he could gumshoe on this car. This is his loving recreation.

With a few minor compromises—air conditioning, shift knob (the original had no evident shifter–and no engine), steering wheel center—this car is as identical from every angle, including the ribbed top, chrome-stripped tailgate, and unequal-split seat, as Zander could make it.

A few people ask whether it’s a Blue Flame six, the original Corvette engine, under the hood. Nope. It’s a small-block Chevy V8. The show car had no engine at all though, so call no foul. This is one stunning tribute to the true predecessor of all those fine Bel Air-style Nomads oozin’ cool at the fairgrounds.