Remember back when I talked about how we were planning on doing a car show at someplace where our more chronologically advanced citizens could easily access and appreciate them? Sure you do. I realize that despite all of the efforts by organizations like the Freemasons and the Knights of Columbus (in an extremely rare show of solidarity, I should note) to attempt to make sure the event didn’t happen, we prevailed, and I’m delighted to report it was a big success. A triumph, even! And there was a Triumph there, so you know it’s true.
I’m extremely impressed by the remarkable variety of cars that showed up; it was so eclectic I’m not even sure I’ll be able to pay the eclecticity bill this month; that’s how much eclectical power was used for this. The spectrum of cars ranged from my Citroën 2CV and Pao to a Panoz roadster to a Lancia Delta Integrale to a daily-driven early ’90s Civic to a very rare VW kit car and so much more.
Oh and let me thank the Orange County Department of Aging for hosting this and helping to make this happen! Cars are for everyone, no matter how long you’ve been on Earth!
Here, I did a quick walk-around of all the cars that showed up in a reel; forgive the terrible auto-captions, I wanted to get this up fast to include in here, and you’ll just have to trust that I know that Karmann-Ghia isn’t spelled “karma gia.” Okay, check out these cars:
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Holy crap, right? That’s so many incredible cars! Here’s some more good pics from the early part of the show, prior to all the pizzas being devoured:
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I’m also glad for that particular post because there’s pics in there of that fantastic yellow Lotus Elan that I somehow didn’t get pics of in here? Oops.
The woman who brought that fantastic Lotus also came with this very fun tiny RC UAZ 469, which was a treat to play around with.
This ’71 Ghia was absolutely perfect. Incredible condition, an intense orange color so vivid I think it cured my scurvy just by looking at it, and check this out:
See that funny extra tank on the right there? That’s for ATF, because this a fairly rare semi-automatic Ghia! Hot damn!
Here’s that Triumph I mentioned, by the way; it’s a TR3 and it’s just lovely. It could be between 1955 to 1962, I’m just not familiar enough with these old Triumphs to know the year for certain, but it’s got so much charm and character it hardly matters.
Look at this! A Morgan! A Plus Four, I believe. It’s always a treat to see one of these ash-framed lovelies burbling around like some glorious anachronism.
Our own Autopian hero Buzz Killington drove all the way from Kalamazoo in my old Scion Xb that he’s turned into a fantastic rally car! Is there any among us walking the walk as much as this dude? I don’t think so.
An Avanti! Someone brought a damn Studebaker Avanti to the show! I adore these incredible Raymond Lowey team-led designed cars, so strange and sleek and ahead of their time. And, remember, the Autopian logo was inspired by the Avanti badging!
Our pals at Triangle Rad showed up en masse, as they like to do, and included such fantastic rides as this Ram 50 (a captive import Mitsubishi) truck with 80stastic sunset graphics.
And look at this Suzuki Alto! It’s so menacing and fierce yet still tiny, like a kitten with a switchblade. And, yes, that’s a Geo Tracker next to it!
Look at this lineup of Japanese icons: a 300ZX, NA Miata, a ’93 WRX, and a lifted Subaru Brat!
This one was really special: this is a very uncommon VW-based dune buggy kit, known as the Ocelot SS, manufactured by a company called Sand Chariots and marketed as the “Ferrari of the Sand.” The owner of this one has had it since the mid-’60s. It’s like a cartoon made real.
A Panoz roadster! Barely over 200 of these were made! These used 5-liter Ford V8s in a really pleasingly minimal body. It’s sort of the Cobra formula, modernized a bit.
At the other extreme of the sleekness spectrum, we have this AMC Eagle. The owner showed me a very tidy modification he made to the old factory radio that let it be used for Bluetooth, but only used original switches and controls to work. I can’t remember the last time I saw one of these driving around.
This Escort GT is another throwback I haven’t seen on the road in ages. This one has a massive turbocharger on it, and makes well North of 200 hp, about double what it had originally. And it still looks stock, asymmetric grille and all!
I haven’t seen an Allanté this clean and nice in since I didn’t have such a prominent bald spot. It looked fantastic, and the color, that slate blue, is just perfect.
Also, I still think the Allanté had one of the classiest third brake lights ever. It’s like subtle jewelry!
Also, it’s worth remembering how delightful these early ’90s Civics were with their drop-down tailgates. Why isn’t this still a thing?
See this little Fiat 500? It’s one of the 1957 Edition ones, with special wheels and a white roof and mirror caps. And it belongs to my 90-year-old mom, who is so tiny it’s like an SUV for her.
This Econoline pickup was meticulously restored and absolutely stunning. Why do we still have hoods on pickup trucks! Cabover is the way! And I don’t even want to hear anyone talk about “safety,” I’m not going to have my joy ruined by all that reality.
A Lancia Delta Integrale. Here. At our Old Folks car show. The owner bought it in San Francisco and drove it across the country to North Carolina. What a legend! It’s incredible.
Do you like Nash Metropolitans? Of course you do, what are you, a monster? This one, though, is even better because it’s a Hudson Metropolitan. Of the roughly 100,000 Metropolitans built, about 4300 were Hudson-badged. I’m not sure I’ve seen one in person before?
A Nissan Cima! This is one of the icons of the Japanese Bubble Era, and it still commands a lot of presence and respect when you see it today. What a class act!
Look at this super clean first-gen RX-7! It’s worth remembering just how clean and uncluttered and handsome these early RX-7s were.
This 1975 MGB GT is especially interesting; there were only 751 actually made, and hardly any ended up in America. This one was originally destined for a dealership in Belfast, but this was during the era of The Troubles, and the dealership was bombed. As a result, the owner had the car delivered to his own home, where it sat, with just delivery miles, for decades.
The current owner got it a few years back and it’s an incredible time capsule. Happily, it’s a time capsule he actually drives, though, so after all these decades, this lovely machine is finally getting to do what it was always meant to do.
There were more cars, of course, but Pete is hounding me to get this wrapped up, already. I want to sincerely thank everyone for coming out to this show, to the Seymour Center for having us, for the people who just came to look and to everyone who brought their incredible cars, sometimes from absurdly far away.
What a community this is! I love it. We’ll do more of these, so, old folks of America, you’ve been warned!
Pray for mercy from Puss…in Boots.
Ooh… a datsun roadster…
I had one years ago but sadly had to sell when I moved to NYC… Miss it dearly…
Always wanted one.
I had an RX-7 that looked almost exactly that, same color and everything. Loved everything about that car until the rotary gaskets sapped my will to live.
Seeing as how i live in the demographically oldest county in the oldest state in the union (Lincoln County, Maine) i will expect one of these in my neighborhood soon.
It should be hosted at the Owls Head Transportation Museum. Mercedes would love that since there are other crazy transportation items to view. I’m in the northern part of Cumberland county (unfortunately), but would happily attend an Autopian meet up.
Get that party started!
That would be amazing but the more likely candidate would be the cluster of nursing and assisted living facilities on the Miles Hospital campus, which has the additional distinction of being next to my house.
On the Karmann Ghia subject: last week I was getting on the freeway Mequon Wi south to Glendale WI..On the ramp was an absolutely perfect condition Karmann Ghia in robins egg blue. My heart sang, even though it was a hardtop it was na actual color!!!. In a sea of white/black/grey/platinum/with a pattering of supposed red green/blue that were so dark or mixed with DarthVader pigments to be indistinguishable as colors popped this tiny blue speck of colorful joy. My first ever car a 200$ rusty 39 HP KG Convertible came flooding back. Car designers and colorers have failed us miserably and that is beyond sad. And the story of resale value is pure BS: I double dare y’all to try and find an Orange New Beetle Convertible at the cost of any other colored version.
It was a bit of a haul for me, from ATL, and we’d just returned from travel. But that’s a heck of a line-up, and thanks for making this happen.
It would be a bit of a stretch for me to enter my 2019 Volt although fewer than five thousand were made (you all know the story: GM finally worked out all the bugs and issues of the second gen Volt only to kill it once it was more-or-less perfect).
Wow, you weren’t kidding! Great line up.
TriangleRAD rolled in en masse because we started out at Caffeine & Machines at Triangle Town Center and caravaned a dozen or so vehicles the 35 miles to Chapel Hill.
It was a blast and I was glad to be able to help fill the lot. Thanks for the shout-out!
One highlight of the event for me was meeting the AMC Eagle owner who just moved to NC from Oregon.
Another highlight was eating pizza off the hood of the 2CV, then getting to drive said French people’s car around the lot.
Let’s do it again soon, Torch!
I did a double-take at the Oregon plates in the photo.
Well heck, I could’ve brought my oh-so-80s Truck.
Bring it to the next TriangleRAD event!
Old Folks! Harrumph!
Cloud Shouters! Dagnabbit!
Just want to revisit this comment:
” it was so eclectic I’m not even sure I’ll be able to pay the eclecticity bill this month”
Not an exaggeration! So the exageracity bill will be less to compensate, at least.
( Or is it the hyperbolcity bill? )
What a wondrously diverse showing! Wish I could’ve made the scene this year. And maybe I missed it, but no Corvettes or Tri-Five Chevys? Maybe we Boomers aren’t hopeless.
There were two Vettes, a C4 and a C7.
Ah well.
I would have loved to bring my El Camino there, but Google Maps says the fastest route is 1,075 miles and that’s a long drive in a vehicle with no cruise control and no A/C.
I might be able to swing a Detroit or lower Michigan old-folks-car-show next year. I’ll be 56. Is that old nowadays?
Ni that is not old these days, said the guy over 70
So nice to see the great diversity of classics next to each other. I am a member of a facebook group called WRENNIEOB (Wie Rijdt er Nu Nog In Een Oude Bak, roughly translates to Who Still Drives An Old Car These Days) and my classic is a very modest almost boring classic amongst the wide spread of type of cars between the attendants.
I have been to these events locally and they are hit. Both for the residents and the families. The team I go with has a mix of old classics *1930 or younger to Mclearans* This is one of reasons we collect, to make people happy.
Disappointed by the lack of Xtronic-equipped vehicles… multiple Nissans, even, all betraying their kind. Shame.
Must you ALWAYS whine?
I would call it more a pleasant hum, a mechanical song, a reminder of my benefit to you in all ways could be imagined
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/60/00/f6/6000f6b08eeb4003ceb43f96141e4b21.gif
That’s how you know he’s working.
Sorry:
“working.”
It was a fun show and I’m happy to report that the xB drove great. It averaged about 26mpg with probably 4-500 pounds of tools and tires in the back, at 70-ish mph for around 1500 miles over two and a half days. Cruise control would have been really nice to have on this trip, but I don’t think it will ever see this kind of extended use again.
I had hoped to get the xB running while Matt was visiting Detroit, but it still had a busted transmission in it at that time. This show was the motivation I needed to get it out of my barn and driving again, plus the fact that I had found a new (90k miles used) 5-speed transmission in my area. Those things are rare!
With the street tires on it, you’d never guess that the xB had been jumped repeatedly, driven through a 40-foot shipping container, or just generally hooned in ways it was never intended for. It was just a regular, somewhat slow car that felt like it could easily do another 330,000 miles as long as it doesn’t meet any more deer between now and then.
Thanks for putting this show on!
was a blast to attend!! i hope another one of these is less of a wait than the last one!!
I can’t write enough praise for this typa event. As a Brooklyn denizen I am assaulted by rapidly proliferating “look at me” hipster car events which -while I appreciate the owners’ passion- have morphed into something I am not as attracted to anymore. If it’s at an exclusive location, charging an admission fee and / or Nike shows up or some collabfluencers pose around, then I’m out. Disclaimer that I am somewhat chronologically advanced and maybe the lack of a lawn makes me grumpy but still …
Grateful y’all keeping it real and there’s not enough horsepower to oversteer into bystanders while leaving the scene.
6 lug wheels on the Brat? I’m curious now…
I talked with the owner of the Brat. She mentioned that the Subaru 4-lug bolt pattern spacing is the same as a …something (Toyota? Nissan? I don’t remember) 6-bolt. You can drill the hub and add 2 lugs for a relatively easy 6-bolt upgrade.
https://offroadingsubarus.com/subaru-6-stud-conversion/
Oh that’s cool, I wouldn’t have guessed it would be that easy!
Looks like it was a great show. I tip my Karma Gin to the Autopian crew!
I drove almost half way there (about 140 miles) the day before, and stayed with an old friend Friday night. I would have gone the rest of the way Saturday, but there was absolutely no further discussion of this event after the first two brief mentions, so I got the feeling it wasn’t going to happen or wasn’t going to be much. Please keep this in mind for the next one! It looks like I would have had the only TR6 there.
So bummed I missed this! I was in Greensboro for the NC Comedy Festival Wednesday-Friday, but couldn’t stick around the area for the weekend. Definitely do it again and I will drive something I probably shouldn’t drive out there.
I had hoped you might be able to make it. Next time!
Lancia Integrale. Drool.
Driven CROSS COUNTRY.
Wow, what a trip!
That’s the kind of courage America needs right now.
This. There were a lot of neat cars, but seeing the photo of the Lancia made me feel things I didn’t know I could feel anymore.
Wow that parking lot is in great condition, very few cracks and the paint is hardly faded. Either it’s newer or they take their civil infrastructure seriously.
None but the best parking lots are suitable for The Autopian!
What kind of unfeeling person doesn’t take their civil infrastructure seriously?
Someone needs to champion the underserved parking lot enthusiast community, and I applaud Space for stepping up to make our voice heard. For too long have we been deprived of the proper setting to enjoy a slab of fine blacktop and crisp marking lines without some weirdos gawking at a bunch of old clunkers dripping oil on it.
There needs to be a show where one can take in the immaculately restored parking surface, the graceful curves of the drainage crowns, and the clever layout of the aisle placement with like-minded enthusiasts. Marvel at the parking space dimensions back in the golden era of parking lot design, from all the great design houses. The beauty is right there under our feet, folks. It’s not just a place to leave your car, it’s a place to make you feel alive.
The receptionist at the senior center was very nice. It was a great venue all around.