Wings & Wheels Car Show
Written by Keith Fudge

Traveling all around the country is one of the great parts of Dennis Gage’s job.  In this episode of My Classic Car, he had the opportunity to travel to Owls Head, Maine to see some of the greatest examples of vintage transportation ever produced!  David Machaiek is the Assistant Director of the Owls Head Transportation Museum.  When Dennis arrived, he had the opportunity to speak with David about the museum and the event.  Their conversation was held in the interior of a vintage WW II Jeep, an appropriate atmosphere to discuss the surroundings.  David said that the beauty of this show is that it is for anything vintage in the field of transportation!  Sure enough, when looking around, we saw antique bicycles, planes, cars, trucks, and even antique engines!  Next, Dennis spoke with Ethan Yankura who showed him a truly remarkable reproduction airplane.  This diminutive fighter was a reproduction of a 1916 RAF (Royal Aircraft Factory) FE 8.  This model of aircraft saw a short life as a fighter in WW I.  With the propeller located in the rear of the plane, this allowed a front gun for fighting that gave an advantage in firepower and accuracy.  However, Ethan noted that the rear location of the propeller cost the plane in terms of speed and maneuverability.  This reproduction is still quite active, and Ethan said that it had been in the air for approximately one-half hour during the morning.  While Dennis was in a “vintage airplane state of mind,” he coerced his way for a ride in a vintage plane!  Being a trooper, Dennis donned leather headgear and goggles and even suffered through a flight that had no food and beverage service!

Back on the ground, Dennis turned his attention to a conventional mode of transportation with Bruce Giguere’s sweet 1941 62 Series Cadillac!  This baby was all correct right down to the original color of McKinley Grey paint!  Bruce has owned the car for three years after purchasing it from the museum here.  Sporting a two-tone all leather interior and wool carpet, this cruiser has emerged from a trailer-queen existence as Bruce says he is now driving the car on a regular basis.  With art deco styling including the gas cap being located under the tail light, and powered by the legendary 346 cubic-inch Cadillac Flathead V-8, this sleek ride has a lot of classic cruising left in her!  Next up was Robert Hartson’s 1959 Allard!  A rare hand-built car featuring an all-aluminum body and a 3.4 liter Jaguar C-Type engine, this car is only one of seven made.  Robert is the second owner of the car and has had it since 1963.  He said that everything is original except for the convertible top that he replaced.  Weighing only 2,600 pounds, this Jag-powered ride can get down the road in a hurry.  A rare treat was discovered by Dennis as he ran into Wayne Campbell and his pair of vintage snowmobiles!  The first one resembled a motorized toboggan and was powered by an Indian Scout motorcycle engine with matching tranny.  This antique was guided as the skis in front were steered in a conventional manner.  The smaller of this pair was powered by a 1924 two-stoke Johnson 2 ½ horsepower motor and was liquid-cooled by using ¼ of a Model T radiator!  Wayne says that people have a lot of fun looking at these vintage pieces and that he has them on display often.  Finally, Dennis found a vehicle that he said was “the perfect automobile for Maine.”  Jim Blankman is the owner of a 1947 Dodge one-ton woody delivery wagon.  Originally a sardine packer’s bus, Jim has restored “only the wood that needed it” on this cool hauler.  He said that there was a significant amount of rot present when he acquired the vehicle, but the fact that he was a woodworker helped him to know how to best restore this classic car.  In addition, being towed by the Dodge was a custom woody teardrop camper that was built by Jim.  Jim said that he uses the camper all the time and that he has built several of them!

The Wings and Wheels Car Show was a great event.  If you are into the history of transportation, you will be amazed by some of the things that you will find in Owls Head, Maine at the Owls Head Transportation Museum.  If you would like to learn more about this special place, you can give them a visit at www.ohtm.org.  That’s it from Maine.  So until our next visit, “Honor the timeless classics.  Happy Motoring!”