Iola Old Car Show
Written by Keith Fudge

For the past twenty-eight years, the folks in the cozy hamlet of Iola, Wisconsin, get ready for July. It is during this month that they prepare for what has become a popular tradition in the Midwestthe Iola Old Car Show and Swap Meet. This event is one of the largest shows of its kind in this part of the country, and one of the larger shows in the nation. With that in mind, Dennis Gage and the rest of the crew got their cameras rolling and headed to “Cheese Country!”

The Iola Car Show has several special exhibits for the tried and true car nuts. Once such exhibit was the Blue Ribbon Cars which consisted of over 300 trophy quality cars. Other exhibits were pre-War and post-War vehicles even military vehicles. The special showcase this year focused on a century of progress of the automobile and there were cars on display from the early 1900s through 1975.

Another interesting part of our visit to Iola was learning how this particular show came into existence. Dennis caught up with Chet Krause, founder of Krause Publications, publishers of Old Cars Weekly. Chet told Dennis that it all began as a local get together for all the people who had old cars in the area. At the time the local Lion's Club was cooking chicken at the village park as a charity benefit. Chet thought it would be a great way to celebrate the launch of his new periodical called Old Cars, to tie the chicken bar-b-que and car show together. And poof, the Iola Old Car Show was born. You can now bet that some twenty-eight years later, it would take a lot more chicken to feed the participants and visitors at this year's event!

With more than 2,000 cars in on display, soon enough, Dennis and the crew were off in search of some truly classic rides, and from what we are about to reveal, you’ll soon discover that they weren’t disappointed. First of all, Dennis met with Gary Esse, the owner of an unusual 1957 Chevy Bel Air, eight door stretch limousine. Decked out in a vibrant red exterior, and powered by a 502 cubic inch, 502 horsepower Crate motor, this is one “bad to the bone” limo. The exterior is slightly modified in that the doors were redesigned for a better fit and the driver’s front seat has been updated thanks to a 1995 Lincoln Town Car; however, the remainder of the limo’s interior is stock 1957 Chevy. Gary went on to tell Dennis that approximately 200 of these 57s were made by Stageway Coaches of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Furthermore, he not only owns this one, but also has two 1955s, and a pair of 1956s. So if you’re in need of a “retro limo,” give Gary a call! Thanks Gary! We’re sure that you’ll keep turning heads with these beauties!

Next, Dennis found Dave Wilcox and an unusual pair of 1956 Fordswell, I should say that one half of the pair is unusual. First though, let’s take a look at the, well, more normal of the two. Dave’s road car is a 1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria. This is a beautiful restoration complete in the original Peacock Blue and Colonial White two-tone paint, but even though Dennis is a sucker for a fine 56, that isn’t the car that lured him here! Parked next to Dave’s 56 Fairlane is another onejust a much smaller version! Dave has built a 1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria Golf Cart! Using original parts from, as Dave put it, “junk cars,” this fairway Fairlane is a duffer’s dream. The original parts, including the dash, hood, trunk, and fenders were downsized using a process called “quarter sectioning.” This process requires that a specific percentage is removed from each part and yet the original lines can be somewhat maintained. It took Dave an entire winter to restore the cart (complete with a functional hood and trunk) but it was certainly worth it! Thanks Dave. That is certainly not the usual type of “driver” found on the links!

Finally, another even that we witnessed later that day stunned much of the crowd. Our crew watched in amazement as a “pit crew” totally assembled a Model Tin less than ten minutes! Talk about your minute mechanics! We had a great time at the Iola Old Car Show and Swap Meet. If you would like information on next year’s event, you can phone them at 715-445-4000, or you can look them up on the web at www.iolaoldcarshow.com. Until our next stop, remember, “Honor the timeless classics. Happy Motoring!”