Sorry, I meant to post this earlier this week but got caught up applying for jobs and working on the front end of my car. I have a little video from that I'll put up this week.
Anyway we went to the Cincinnati Ault Park Concours D'Elegance a week ago today. As usual it was great. But at the same time it is a strange show. I say that not because anything out of the ordinary happened but because it is extremely overwhelming for me. I am used to the casual atmosphere of drive-in car shows and parking lot meets where people show up pop their hoods and hang out. There is certainly a lot of showing up but people are certainly not as laid back.
I have to say one of my favorite parts of the show is simply walking up to it through the park. The park is beautiful but the cars parked along the walk are a show in themselves. There are always some 1970's British sports cars, M series BMW's of all forms, a Ferrari or three, muscle cars and some oddballs that are parked outside the show. The car that stood out the most outside the show was a modified BMW 2002. I am sorry, I have no pictures. But it was very cleanly customized with form-fitting fender flares, a slightly lowered stance, nice wheels and a racy interior. Oh yea and it had burnt orange paint!
Once inside the show it is almost overwhelming. There are so many rare and valuable automobiles that for me the significance of each car gets lost. I can never really take in the true significance or importance of each car because it seems that there is no time. It also seems to me that I am always looking toward the next one and the next one to get my fix of amazement and each seems to fail to deliver. I think that's how addiction starts! Oh well the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem...My name is Austen and I am an auto addict.
The show is set up in tiers. The top tier holds an art show and sale and some sponsors. My favorite Cincinnati radio station WNKU was broadcasting there that day and I quickly bombarded the D.J. and manager asking for a job. I got no where but it was still great to meet them.
The sounds of the show were really odd. Classical music, think "Rise of the Valkyries," plays over PA speakers, a rumble of people talking about the history of x car, originality and the orientation of running board screws hums beneath it. In the distance muscle cars and restored race cars get revved up and spit and roar with loping cams, long stroke cranks doing most of the talking.
It really is an experience. Unfortunately my nice camera had dead batteries. ARRRG! But I did manage to use my dad's IPhone to capture some pictures so here are the details I got...
That was painted on a vintage dragster. Metal flake anyone?
Indian Motorcycle tank, I am really starting to like bikes.
I guess I'm a sucker for fog lights and you can't hate the Aston grille.
I think British Cars and boats may have been the featured vehicles. The previous two pictures are from a widebody 1980's MG race car. It has a 400hp V8 in the back.
I loved how the Austin Healey looked with the windshield laid down.
I walked up on this Crosley and the owner was explaining the engine to some people. The pistons have something like a 2.5 inch bore and it revs to 8,000 RPM. Pretty cool.
The valve cover certainly tells the story of small displacement.
Still a hotshot! I like how they were thinking.
Ever wondered what the DB in DB9/DBS stood for?
This was pretty cool. It's a German made Lloyd Van. It could carry eight, even with lawn mower-esque 600cc power.
Very early split beetle. I believe it was a 1947.
There were also a few cars that seemed out of place.
Case and point. A stock S2000, really? No disrespect but at a Concours D'Elegance?
Vtec love, but still really?
Also a Miata and an NA MR2. Again, really? At a Concours D'Elegance?
The guy who owned this fiberglass bodied Kiser Darrin restored it all himself. The picture makes it look a bit light. It was really a creamy lime green color.
I was excited to see this ride. It's probably the fastest road car there and it's got a Honda engine.
This was also cool to see. It's the famous Airbox Corvette that Velocity did a special on last year.
I just read up on it through the link above and it is pretty interesting. It was basically a factory race car that was bought in St.Louis and the owner brought it back to Ohio.
Of course there's the airbox.
Alright, I will be back later this coming week with a video on how I diagnosed my front end shimmy. I'll give you a hint. This time it wasn't brakes.
No comments:
Post a Comment