Route 66 Mother Road Festival
Written by Keith Fudge

Hello and welcome to another season of My Classic Car!  Last September, Dennis Gage and the crew traveled to historic downtown Springfield, Illinois to attend one of the fastest growing events in the country:  The International Route 66 Mother Road Festival.  This year was the show’s fourth, and it was bigger and better than ever!  After he arrived, Dennis caught up with Kim Rosendahl, Executive Producer for the Event.  Kim told Dennis that this year they were expecting approximately 1,000 cars registered and that they were in attendance from all over the world!  Kim also mentioned that the weather had a lot to do with such a great turnout.  Believe us, the sun was shining and everything was great!  Dennis also spoke with the Mayor of Springfield, Tim Dalvin, who told him just how this event is a community effort and that everyone pitches in on the work and reaps the benefits as well.  Tim said that the town of Springfield has a population of approximately 115,000 people, and an event such as this one practically doubles the number of people in the area.  He also said that the event is entirely run on a volunteer basis and that the downtown area is the ideal place for the show.  In addition, Tim said that the downtown area of Springfield is undergoing an extensive renovation process on historic Capitol Avenue that should be completed in the next two years.  He proudly boasted, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!” 

There were plenty of things to do at this event including a City Nights Cruise, a free car show and street festival, a “Restoration Alley” featuring free car clinics, and a host of vendors, fabulous food, and outstanding entertainment featuring such legendary acts as Gary Puckett, Joey Dee and the Starlighters, and Herman’s Hermits!  To make matters more exciting, we ran into some old friends such as Horsepower TV’s Chuck Hanson who was in attendance with several of his Chevelle buddies.  Also on hand was drag race legend, Big Daddy Don Garlits, who signed autographs and visited with fans.  While there were lots of things to do here, the main reason to be in Springfield during this time was the cars.  So, at the first chance, Dennis headed out to see some of these rare and awesome autos!

First, Dennis ran into Bill Anderson and his sweet 1949 Fastback Olds.  Bill told Dennis that there were only 8,749 of these rad rides ever produced.  Wow, was this car something to see!  Decked out in a custom pearl paint complete with flames, this car wasn’t just your granddaddy’s Oldsmobile!  Sporting an older but meticulous Cadillac leather interior, this car was equipped for cruising and comfort on the inside.  Under the hood, this baby was all business with a 350 Chevy equipped with a mild cam, Edelbrock aluminum intake, and a 670 cfm four-barrel carburetor.  Bill told Dennis that these cars are becoming more difficult to find as time goes on.  Thanks Bill!  Next, Dennis spotted Ditmar Walker and his cool 1961 Pontiac Bonneville convertible.  Ditmar told Dennis that he had previously owned a 1962 Catalina convertible.  When he saw this one for sale, he simply couldn’t resist it.  He went on to say that the car was mostly original and featured plenty of power options such as a power top, antenna, brakes and windows.  The color of this classic cruiser was simply stunning, featuring the factory Bamboo Yellow with a Tan top.  Under the hood lurked the legendary Pontiac 389 Tri-Power motor.  With a 124-inch wheelbase, you can bet that this car can do some serious cruising!  For his next visit, Dennis was stopped in his tracks by Billy Hunter’s 1959 custom Cadillac.  This four-door convertible (yep, you read it correctly) was amazing.  With a supercharged 509 cubic-inch engine, you can bet that this bad boy could be a beast of the streets!  Billy told Dennis that they found the car along side a fencerow and even recycled the top to make new floor pans.  He said that the car makes 900 horsepower and 925 ft/lbs of torque!  Now there is something that will make you sit up and take notice!  It also features custom racing seats, a custom console, and an air-ride suspension system.  Oh yeah, since it was a ’59, we have to mention those wild fins!  At the end of their conversation, Billy told Dennis, “I want to be different.”  We definitely think he succeeded!

Finally, Dennis visited with Springfield native, Richard Levi who had his Ford F-650 custom truck on display and let me tell you, this was some truck!  Featuring a Caterpillar 300 horsepower engine coupled to an Allison transmission, this was one serious hauler and cruiser!  Also on display was Richard’s 6,000 horsepower Funny Car that goes from Zero to 300 miles-per-hour in five seconds!  Richard has been a sponsor of top fuel Funny Cars since 2000.

Dennis and the crew had a great time in Springfield at The International Route 66 Mother Road Festival, and next year’s event promises to be even bigger and better.  If you would like to learn about last year’s show or if you want information about next year’s event, you can give them a call at 1-866-RTE-66IL, or you can visit them on the web at www.route66fest.com.  That’s it from Springfield, Illinois.  So until our next visit,

“Honor the timeless classics.  Happy Motoring!”