Thinking About Better Weather And Hitting The Road

As I write this we are getting snow outside so it's weird to be thinking about summer and car show season. However, the NASCAR drivers raced in the Daytona 500 today and ESPN2 is showing their coverage of the Winternationals from Pomona, CA.  The official start to car show season is fast approaching. Here are some big events for the year. 

My goal for 2010 is to attend at least one National Car show event so that means start planning now! Here's a few events that I have penciled in for reference -

Hot Rod Power Tour

Dates - June 5 - June 12, 2010

Route - 

• Saturday June 5 - Iowa Speedway, Newton, IA
• Sunday, June 6 - Downtown Springfield, Springfield, IL
• Monday, June 7 - DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, DuQuoin, IL
• Tuesday, June 8 - Warren County Airport, Bowling Green, KY
• Wednesday, June 9 - Chattanooga State Community College, Chattanooga, TN
• Thursday, June 10 - Regions Park Stadium, Birmingham, AL
• Friday, June 11 - Downtown Mobile, Mobile, AL
• Saturday, June 12 - U.S.S. Alabama, Mobile, AL

Other Stops - TBA

Registration Fee: $70.00

For those of you that don't know, the Hot Rod Power Tour is an organized event where car enthusiasts from the hobby drive a pre-planned route or "tour" through parts of the United States. The Power Tour began in 1994 when Hot Rod Magazine staff members decided to take some of their project cars on a cross-country drive from Los Angeles, CA to Norwalk, OH. Thousands of people participated along the route, but only seven participants (other than staff members) made the entire journey and were inducted into the original "Long Hauler Gang". Since its inception, the event has continued to gain in popularity and is now one of the most anticipated automotive events each year. The Power Tour is usually scheduled for six to eight consecutive days and is typically held during late May or early June. During the last few years, the Power Tour has evolved to become a Dylanesque "never ending tour" around the United States. Organizers have started the event in or near the location where the tour ended the previous year. Each stop along the Power Tour route is organized around other events or activities that vary as much as the participants themselves. See the Hot Rod Power Tour page for the magazine's 2009 coverage of the event or the main Power Tour page for coverage from previous years. 

I don't see myself attending this event this year unless it's for the couple of days that it's in Illinois. 

Carlisle All-Ford Nationals 16th Annual Event

June 4-6, 2010

Carlisle Faigrounds

Carlisle, PA

Adult Admission: Th.-Sa. $10 /Sun. $7  
Child Admission: 8 and under - FREE 
Gate Times: Th.-Sa. 7am-6pm / Sun. 7am-3pm

The Carlisle All-Ford Nationals is a three day event featuring the largest gathering of Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles in the United States. Everything from rare to common vehicles are featured as well as a marketplace full of parts and accessories. See this link for a recap of the 2007 event. Although it would be nice to get together with other Cougar owners from around the country, the problem with this event is the distance from home - over 750 miles and over 12 hours away. 

Car Craft Summer Nationals

July 16-18, 2010

Minnesota State Fairgrounds

1880 Como Ave.

St. Paul, MN

Pre-Registration: $45

The Car Craft Summer Nationals is a three day event featuring over 4,000 cars of all makes and models and attracts over 45,000 people. Ten years ago this event was only drawing 1,200 cars so they're certainly doing something right to triple or quadruple the particpants. Those in attendance can stuff themselves with a basket cheese curds while gawking at the shiny cars and watching the activities along the way. The Summer Nationals features a Miss Car Craft Contest displaying the best bodies, an autocross challenge to determine the best handling car, a dyno contest (a meausrement to see which car makes the most horsepower) and a launch box challenge. Extras include a burnout contest featuring smoking tires and the smell of burning rubber. There is also a car corral, family fun zone, and performance marketplace to look at all things car related. See the Car Craft site for coverage of the 2009 event by clicking here.

This is the event that I could see myself attending this year.  First, I like Car Craft magazine the best of the car magazines that I read. Second, the entrance fee to the event is an affordable $45 and St. Paul, MN is roughly only 9 and a half hours and 545 miles from home.  I have also visited the area and driven most of the route in the past so it's familiar territory.  We could maybe stay in Stillwater, MN like we did last time - there are several bed & breakfasts and a historic hotel in town - the Water Street Inn.

Another option would be to attend one of the various Good Guys events that are held throughout the year. There are a few that are held in the Midwest that are only a few hours from home.

National Car Show Events - 2010

My goal for 2010 is to attend at least one National Car show event so that means start planning now! Here's a few events that I have penciled in for reference -

Hot Rod Power Tour
Dates - TBA
Route - TBA
Stops - TBA

For those of you that don't know, the Hot Rod Power Tour is an organized event where car enthusiasts from the hobby drive a pre-planned route or "tour" through parts of the United States. The Power Tour began in 1994 when Hot Rod Magazine staff members decided to take some of their project cars on a cross-country drive from Los Angeles, CA to Norwalk, OH. Thousands of people participated along the route, but only seven participants (other than staff members) made the entire journey and were inducted into the original "Long Hauler Gang". Since its inception, the event has continued to gain in popularity and is now one of the most anticipated automotive events each year. The Power Tour is usually scheduled for six to eight consecutive days and is typically held during late May or early June. During the last few years, the Power Tour has evolved to become a Dylanesque "never ending tour" around the United States. Organizers have started the event in or near the location where the tour ended the previous year. Each stop along the Power Tour route is organized around other events or activities that vary as much as the participants themselves. See the Hot Rod Power Tour page for the magazine's 2009 coverage of the event or the main Power Tour page for coverage from previous years. The estimated starting date for 2010 should be approximately June 5, 2010 at Bristo
l Motor Speedway.

Carlisle All-Ford Nationals 16th Annual Event
June 4-6, 2010
Carlisle Faigrounds
Carlisle, PA
The Carlisle All-Ford Nationals is a three day event featuring the largest gathering of Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles in the United States. Everything from rare to common vehicles are featured as well as a marketplace full of parts and accessories. See this link for a recap of the 2007 event.

Car Craft Summer Nationals
July 2010
Minnesota State Fairgrounds
1880 Como Ave.
St. Paul, MN
The Car Craft Summer Nationals is a three day event featuring over 4,000 cars of all makes and models and attracts over 45,000 people. Ten years ago this event was only drawing 1,200 cars so they're certainly doing something right to triple or quadruple the particpants. Those in attendance can stuff themselves with a basket cheese curds while gawking at the shiny cars and watching the activities along the way. The Summer Nationals features a Miss Car Craft Contest displaying the best bodies, a dyno contest (a meausrement to see which car makes the most horsepower) and a burnout contest featuring smoking tires and the smell of burning rubber. There is a car corral, family fun zone, and performance marketplace to look at all things car related. See the Car Craft site for coverage of the 2009 event by clicking here.


Another option would be to attend one of the various Good Guys events that are held throughout the year. There are a few that are held in the Midwest that are only a few hours from home.

Inspiration

I started faithfully reading Car Craft magazine a few years ago when my father-in-law got a subscription and started giving me his copies after I would pour over them at his house while we would be there for dinner, visits, etc. I loved the fact that the writers weren't talking down to you and ran articles that appealed to the car enthusiast and weekend drag racer alike. I also liked the comments, jabs and bits of humor (read: sarcasm) thrown in the margins for fun.

Back in May 2006, Car Craft ran an article about buying a car for under $3,500. This was the issue that they introduced the Car Craft AMC Rambler, a bone stock 1967 Rambler that has now become a race car and a staple project car of the magazine. The headline on that issue of the magazine was "Build A $3,500 Street Machine." At the time that a perfect story to be bringing to me. I loved old cars, had used them as daily drivers in the past, and I wanted one of my own again badly! This article only made it worse.

In that issue they also profiled a 1969 Mercury Cougar and a 1986 Ford Mustang. These two vehicles and the CC/Rambler have been in my top five favorite cars that Car Craft has profiled in the magazine in the last few years. The Cougar was also just a slightly modified stock car that someone found locally and started making it their own while using it as a daily driver. The suspension had been upgraded and the top end of the engine updated: carb, intake, distributor, and air cleaner. While I did not like the 1969 Cougar as much as the 1967 or 1968 models this one had a certain something that I really liked. The Mustang that was profiled ran elapsed times in the 12's with a later model 5.0L engine picked out of a salvage yard and other parts cherry picked off some donor cars. Both cars rolled around on good looking Mustang Bullitt wheels. Yeah...that's what I'm talking about!

What I appreciated was these cars were being worked on by normal guys that had to work within their budget and didn't have a stack of cash to throw at a car thereby putting it into the stratosphere so the normal car enthusiast could never afford to buy it. Ahhh…a dose of reality.

Treasure Trove of 1960's Car Magazines

When my parents moved back in 2006 from the house they had lived in since 1980 there was a lot of stuff to move and go through. A long time ago I had found my dad's collection of late 1950's and 1960's car magazines in the basement. He had kept about 10 years worth of Hot Rod magazine, a lot of issues of Rod & Custom, some issues of Car Craft, and some other miscellaneous magazines. After the basement had gotten some water over the years, many things started to collect a film of mold and mildew. At some point I moved them upstairs to my old bedroom so they wouldn't get ruined. After I got married I would borrow a year of Hot Rod magazines from time to time to look at and then return them to the collection. A car culture library of sorts.

When I first started researching older cars to buy and settled on the fact that a Mercury Cougar was near the top of the list, I found the magazine pictured above. This issue of High Performance Cars (Vol. 9, No. 10 - November 1966 - Royal Publications, Inc.) has an article about the 1967 Mercury Cougars and the big block, 390 cubic inch engine that was offered in the first model year.

When they were moving things to the new house I asked my dad if he wanted the magazines. He said he wanted to keep them around (we were recycling many of the magazines that he had from the 1990's and 2000's), but that I could have them. I knew the magazines were still in the boxes so I made sure to grab them and bring them home. I wanted to keep them nice, but not necessarily in archival bags and boards like comic books. So, I stacked them neatly in a sealed, plastic bin in my basement to keep them safe. Now when I see a reprint in Hot Rod or want to research something I just go to the basement and get what I need. Thanks Dad!