We drove up to Indy the night before thru some pretty heavy thunderstorms, but it had cleared off by the time we got there and we got to witness one of the hallmarks of this culture; draggin’. That’s not drag racing. It’s draggin’, as in dropping the vehicle’s body on the ground and draggin’ it down the street. Those sparks you see are created by metal-on-pavement, and it’s quite a crowd pleaser.

Altho the weekend weather forecast had been pretty favorable, when I pulled back the curtain in my hotel room at about 6:30 Saturday morning, I was greeted by thick gray clouds and steady rainfall that looked like it had been going on for some time. Never a good sign.

Slamology is in its 8th year, and it’s held at the Marion County fairgrounds. Normally this would be a good thing, but I had visions of these low-down machines trying to negotiate a muddy show field or worse yet, nothing at the show field!

We hung out at the hotel until about 9:00 am in hopes of improved weather, but when that didn’t materialize we figured we’d better get over there and shoot whatever we could. It was pretty sparse when we got there but to my amazement, there was a steady trickle of cars coming in, and there was some pretty interesting, and occasionally outlandish, stuff.

I could tell this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park tho. Between a new band every 30 minutes and the preponderance of insane thumper car stereo systems, audio was definitely a challenge. At some point tho you have to say, “Hey, that’s the scene.” and just roll with it. Which is exactly what we did.

The show ran the complete gambit from mild to wild; although there was a lot more wild. On the mild end, there was a very cool ’59 Merc Monterey. I can’t recall ever seeing one of these. This one was a two-door post, no options car. We’re talking three-on-the-tree, radio delete. I loved it tho. It was completely original (except for the airbags), still sporting its original paint. The owner brought it specifically because he thought I’d dig it, and he was right!

Another interesting ride was this ’84 Ford Bronco II. It was dropped about as far as you could without digging a basement, but what I really liked about it was that it was sporting a mid 50’s F-100 front end and a Ford flathead engine?!? I just thought that was so cool, and it may have been the only flathead I saw all day. This was actually the second incarnation for this Bronco at the hands of this owner, with the previous one being just as cool but completely different. Wonder what he’s got in mind for round three?

I also dug John Jackson’s dropped ’64 Corvair Corvan. John is a freelance automotive photographer and spends most of his time travelling the country shooting cars and car shows. Other than the metal flake vinyl seats and the lowering, this van was a stock Corvan and he’d driven it up nonstop from Houston, TX just for Slamology. That’s dedication; and nominally insane.

Since nobody’s really making a mini truck anymore, Slamologists have had to turn to bigger trucks like this 2005 Chevy Colorado to continue their modification mania. This was an example of how much you could change the appearance of a vehicle with reasonably few modifications. This was pretty much a stock pickup that had been seriously lowered, given trick wheels, a cowl induction hood, and some pretty nice paint & graphics. It was being transformed on a budget with the engine being the next thing on the list, but this truck was also the owner’s daily driver and it needs to get him back and forth to his job so he can continue to finance the transformation.

Rounding out the day was a killer ’61 Impala bubbletop. It was a color similar to Evening Orchid which was used on the ’65 Impala’s, but this version had a lot more orchid and less evening. This car was immaculately done and it came onto the show field low and slow; gliding not more than a couple inches off the ground. However when I found it later, I realized that it had full hydraulics and it was sitting there in an incredibly contorted position, but one that I must say showed off its chromed out undercarriage quite nicely. I’m not sure that the owner was all that impressed with my attempt to imitate the car’s stance tho.

Slamology was a really interesting show. While the vehicles may have been somewhat different than most shows out there, I’d have to say that the people really weren’t. They were still folks that really loved cars and the car hobby. They just practiced it a little differently than the mainstream. This may be a bit of a fringe element, but there are some really creative and talented people in it. I say, don’t fear the fringe! Attend one of these shows and take the introductory course; Slamology 101.

Happy Motoring,

We went down a day early so we could also take in a few of the sights in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter.

The temperature was 102 degrees that day, and I found myself strangely drawn to the signs heralding “Huge Ass Beers”. I can also say with certitude that was not false advertising!

We were looking at the potential of another 100+ degree day on Sunday, which can make shooting pretty brutal, but fortunately a light rain blew thru, dropping the temperature into the low 90’s. Not exactly chilly, but certainly more bearable.

There were about 600 cars in attendance, and the rain certainly didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. Hey, this is New Orleans, and a shower at a car show is a long way from what these folks consider adversity! Their sense of humor was in fine form too as I was greeted early on by a group sporting handlebar mustaches in honor of our attendance. If I’d had a little shoe polish for mine, I could have fit right in.

Another thing that takes a little getting used to is that everybody down there calls you, “Baby”. At first when all these women were calling me Baby, I thought, “Hey, I kinda like this!”, but when I realized that all the guys did it too, its appeal diminished a bit.

But have I mentioned there were cars there?

One that stood out to me was a ‘65 Plymouth Satellite convertible whose new owner had just completed his second tour of duty in Iraq. You don’t see these very often, and this wasn’t an over-the-top restoration; just a really nice driver. And that’s why he bought it, and that’s what he does with it. I hope he enjoys his cruisin’. He’s certainly earned it!

There was a pretty cool ’29 Model AA fire truck that was used up until 1953 by the fire department in nearby Bucktown.

As well as a really nice old school ’55 Chevy Gasser. This was owned by a guy who had been in local law enforcement for over 30 years and hence the name, Lawman.

There was a wide array of T-birds in attendance, but the one that caught my attention was this ’72 mega-bird. You don’t see these very often either. This thing was the size of a Lincoln Continental, and it was largely original. It had the 460 cui engine which it probably needed to haul all that weight around. Perhaps not one of the sexiest Birds ever built, but I bet it’s like driving the living room.

Rounding out the shoot was a nice little ‘36 hot rod Chevy truck. It was an eye-catching peach color with teal contrast, not to mention its heavily chromed, blown engine.

Everybody had a great time at the show, and I’m sure I’ll be working my cholesterol back down for the next couple months after all that deep fried seafood. The next stop is an event called, Slamology, in Indianapolis, and I expect that to be a whole different kettle of fish, so to speak.

Happy Motoring,

Not surprisingly, I went for a couple roadsters; a 1912 National Indy race car and a 1914 Mercer. I guess technically the National wasn’t even considered a roadster. Purpose-built racers were referred to as “speed cars”. This car was part of a five-car team fielded by National in the 1912 Indianapolis 500, and one of those cars actually won the race that year. Unfortunately, this particular car rolled, killing the driver. Still, that didn’t stop me from getting on it when we were out driving. It also seemed appropriate that the road leading out of Jim’s place was gravel. I felt like I had been transported back to the early part of the 20th century… and I was already sporting the perfect mustache!

We actually had a bit of excitement before we even got to the driving. When Jim went to fire the car up first thing that morning, the starter stuck, apparently sending the full current of the battery back thru the solenoid wire and as I was sitting there in the mechanics seat, I looked down and saw smoke billowing out from under my butt!

I leapt out of the car, yanked off the seat cushion, and whacked the solenoid with a wrench causing it to disengage. Ben, the cameraman, said he’d never seen me move so fast. Hey, you would too if you thought your butt was on fire!

The wire running from the solenoid to the battery was completely fried, but there was no other major damage so it was a pretty quick fix, and we were ready to go on with the shoot.

The National was really a beast. Pretty much a big engine and running gear, but little else. The engine was a 700+ cui, dual-plugged, long stroke, t-head design. And man was it loud!

Jim doesn’t baby these cars either, nor did he require that I did. Driving this racer was really something. It was a two-man job too. The driver had his hands full with wheel and the mechanic was in charge of the shift lever and the auxiliary brake. We actually made a pretty good team.

Even tho the Mercer was only two years newer than the National, it represented a significant leap in both design and technology. The Mercer company was founded by the Roebling brothers of Brooklyn Bridge fame, and while they were based in New York City, the car company was established in Mercer County, PA and hence the name. Interestingly, those cars were built about 10 miles from where Jim lives.

While the National was big, boxy, loud, and raw, the Mercer was smooth, sleek, curvaceous, and refined. This was a true roadster and a fairly pricey one, so only people of means owned them back in the day. Actually, the same thing is probably true of them today. You definitely feel pretty grand when you’re rolling down the road in this baby!

The weather forecast for that day had not been good, but the predicted afternoon storms never materialized and it ended up being a great shoot. This will be episode 26 (the last one!) of season 15, and will probably air in late July.

There won’t be much of a break for me tho since we are leaving today for New Orleans to shoot an event this weekend called Back to the Beach, and this is actually already the third shoot for the 2012 season. Come Monday, it’ll be three down and only 23 to go. Wait a minute…23 to go?!?

Happy Motoring,

One of the stars of the show was Tim Kerrigan’s ’62 Impala SS 409; beautifully resto-modded and sporting a two-tone red & faint yellow paint scheme. Tim is the President of Red Line Oil and the particular red he used is a DuPont color called Redline Red. Go figure. The paint theme was carried thru in the interior with the gauge faces being the same faint yellow used on the exterior.

Another fav of mine was a ’54 Chevy custom. I thought the car was pretty slick, but I especially got a kick out of its owner. He was a real character who did a Rodney Dangerfield that was second only to Dangerfield himself. The car had a Shock Top draft pull for a gearshift knob, and he claimed that he had to drain an entire keg at a local watering hole to get it. I got together with him there after the show to help in case he might need another one.

In the hardcore performance category, there was a serious ’69 Barracuda with the rare “Slickback” vinyl top option. The vinyl top was particularly interesting since this was a 10 sec drag car. However, this car could also be outfitted in “street dress” and since the owner was a California Highway Patrol officer, I suspect it was pretty well behaved when it wasn’t on the strip.

One of the weirdest vehicles at the show was a ’60 Jeep Forward Control, which I’d never even heard of. Forward Control was Jeep’s name for a cab-over-engine design. These could be configured differently depending on the application, and this one had spent most of its life as a wrecker in Colorado. You’d never know it tho because it was beautifully restored, and its nine-foot bed was straight as an arrow.

Rounding out the shoot was a really interesting ’68 442. What made it so unique were its interior and exterior colors. The body color was called “ivory”, but it definitely had a hint of green in it, and this was matched with a green vinyl top. The interior was perfect and while it was called “willow gold”, it had a lot of green in it too. The original 400 engine had been upgraded to a 455 out of a Tornado. The green rally wheels from a later model 442 might have been a little over the top (and I’m a green guy!). But you’re not likely to see another one like it, and this baby was sweet.

Next week we’ll be in PA finishing up the last shoot for the 2011 season. I think. It’s all sort of a blur to me. Might be lingering effects from all that Shock Top.

Happy Motoring,

In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I am a known Stude guy, but regardless, both cars were excellently done and fairly extreme, yet completely streetable. The streetable part might be debatable with the ’39 since I’m sure it bumps up against the noise pollution limits of peaceful Glendora, but man what a sound!

I had first run into the Stude and its owner, Leonard Knight, at the SEMA charity car show last year in Pasadena. There were a lot of nice cars at that show, but that one really caught my eye. It didn’t hurt that it was green either. (I’m also a known green-car guy).

I’ve always thought the so-called Lowey Coupe (even tho it was actually designed by Bob Bourke) was one of the best automotive designs ever. It also seems to lend itself particularly well to customization.

Leonard had gone for sort of a Bonneville look. It had a fairly low ride height considering it wasn’t on air. Leonard’s philosophy is that bags are for groceries. It also had two inch chop but that was accomplished by taking most of it out of the cowl and laying the windshield back. That way he was able to still use a stock windshield resulting in much better visibility than you usually get in a chopped car.

The interior was gorgeous with Bentley-inspired insert in the seats and a virtually gaugeless dash.

But it was what was under the hood that was most impressive; a twin turboed LSX block built to a 454 cui with LS9 heads and some of the craziest headers I’ve ever seen. The nose of the car actually had to be slightly elongated to accommodate the turbos and the custom intake. It was a beauty to behold and packed considerable punch at close to 1000 hp!

When we took it out to get the driving footage, I was surprised at how well mannered it was; as long as you stayed out of the turbos that is. Somewhat to my surprise tho, Leonard let me light it up once and that was captured on his son, Jade’s, iPhone. I think the coolest thing about the video is that the tires break loose as soon as I hit the accelerator, but within about 20 feet the turbos kick in and then the tires really start smokin’!

The ’39 coupe was a completely different animal, and indeed, it was an animal. Leonard had owned this car for quite a while and this was its fourth incarnation, with each one being considerably different than the previous. This latest version was sporting 572 with Kinsler stack injection. It was seriously tubbed with at least a foot and a half of rubber on the road on each side. The Detroit Locker rear end meant that it didn’t like slow tight turns, and the 4000 rpm stall converter meant that it was hard to do a slow tight turn. Its Copper Penny and Silver paint scheme was striking and the interior was surprisingly plush considering everything else about this pro-street was all business.

Of course driving this baby was a blast too, and it seemed to get even more attention on the street than the Stude, but I think that’s because it was hard not to notice something that was making that much racket.

I figured if Leonard let me do a burnout in his Stude, he’d probably let me do one with this beast too; and I was right! Jade got this one on the iPhone too. There was no turbo lag with this car, and she lit up immediately and burned till I let off the accelerator. Oh, and Ben, the cameraman, put in for a pair of safety goggles after that one.

The fact that I’m running behind schedule means that you won’t have to wait long to see this episode either. It’s currently scheduled to air June 12th, which is good since I can’t wait to see it myself!

Happy Motoring,

No worries tho, this little town on the Ontario/Quebec border about halfway between Ottawa and Montreal puts on a heck of a show and packed about 700 cars into just about every nook and cranny the town had. It’ll make an episode that all Canadians can be proud of!

The day was a bit chilly, but we were certainly given a warm reception. And they fixed us up with a couple of the coolest golf carts I’ve ever seen to get around in.

One of the challenges tho was that there were probably more French-speaking people in attendance than English-speaking folks. I would have loved to interview a guy who had built one of the most unique motorcycles I have ever seen, but he spoke virtually no English.

We had to settle for exchanging “thumbs up”, and I’m confident the message got thru.

One of the weirdest things I saw was a camper built on a ’65 Pontiac Parisian convertible. This thing was hilarious but amazingly well thought out and functional. It had apparently been across Canada a number of times and was still going strong. Now that’s camping in style!

And speaking of campers, there was also a 1980 VW Vanagon with the pop-up camper option. This interior was completely stock with stove, refrigerator, and sink, and it looked like it would be a blast to travel in. I would probably have bought it on the spot, but the owner said his four young kids would kill him if he ever sold it.

There was a ’62 Dodge wagon with a dual quad 413 Max Wedge under the hood that looked really slick. The ’62 Dodge was not a particularly good looking car (and some descriptions of it are considerably less kind), but as a wagon, this car looked pretty cool. I’m sure it’s plenty quick too.

Probably the most exotic car there was a ’71 Monteverdi 375L. This is an Italian-designed, Swiss-built, 440 Chrysler-powered grand touring car. I just love these cars, and only a handful of them were built. This owner found his in London. The only other guys I know that have these are Jay Leno and Bob Lutz, the Swiss-born former Chrysler and GM executive.

Before we were able to do this interview tho, I had to scale a streetlight pole to silence a chain that was swinging in the breeze and making a clanking sound that our mics were picking up like crazy. 30 years of technical rock climbing experience came in handy here, and I’m sure it was entertaining to onlookers.

And what would a Canadian show be without a Canadian car? The one I went for was this pro-street ’62 Pontiac Acadian. It is basically a Chevy Nova with a different grill, tail lights, and badging. And in this case, a considerably beefier engine.

And in the category of Ford performance, there was this ’86 SVO Mustang. This particular car was one of eight actual Competition Prep cars that were shipped to Canada. These cars had an intercooled, turbocharged 2.3 L engine, double deck rear spoiler, and numerous interior appointments unique to the Comp Prep SVO’s. The engine was amazingly quiet, but it’s also apparently pretty fast.

Next stop will be upstate New York for the Adirondack Nationals in Lake George. The only language barrier I envision there is possibly the occasional Jersey accent. I think I can manage that.

Happy Motoring,

My second thought/concern tho was whether there’d be enough diversity in the cars to make an interesting episode especially since they all share such similar lines. I decided to give it a go anyway and was pleasantly surprised that there was plenty to pick from.

The Datsun 240Z came to the US in 1970, and it was the beginning of putting Japanese performance on the map. They were slick, sleek, affordable, and lots of fun to drive. For most folks, this was the first Japanese sports car they’d ever seen. If you lived on the west coast, you may have been familiar with their predecessors the Datsun 1600 and 2000 roadsters, but not many of these made it very far east. The 240Z however was marketed coast-to-coast.

The Nissan headquarters made a great backdrop for the show and since Franklin is just outside Nashville, the club had also engaged one of the many great local bands to provide the music for the day rather than going the typical DJ route. The band was The Dirty Curties, an all-female group which struck me as appropriate since the Z-cars and the roadsters before them went by the model name, Fairlady, in Japan. The band was great and Datsun was wise to rename the cars for the US market.

Although it was a Z-car gathering with several hundred of them in attendance, there was actually one 2000 roadster there which really stood out. This car was gorgeous tho and would have even stood out in a sea of other Datsun roadsters.

At first glance, this ’67 2000 was stock appearing except for the paint which was an eye-popping orange metallic. But upon closer examination, it was slightly lowered and under the hood it sported a really unique all-aluminum SR20 DTE engine out of an ’01 Nissan Sylvia; a model we don’t even have in the US. 16-valve with variable valve timing and turbo charged from the factory, this baby develops about 250 hp. I suspect it’s a rocketship to drive.

These roadsters are often dinged for being a bit of a knockoff of the MGB from a styling standpoint, but Datsun owners are quick to point out that the ’63 1600 actually came out three or four months before the launch of the MGB. So have that with your tea and crumpets!

But after all, it was a Z-car gathering so let’s get to some Z’s. The most extreme would have to be a Bob Sharp Racing wide body 280ZX powered by a twin-turbo 700 hp V8 Nissan engine. Paul Newman had raced this car back in the day and although it wasn’t all that competitive, it sounded downright angry when it fired up.

There were also a couple other interesting variations on a theme. One was a ’72 Scarab. These were V8-conversion cars created by a company called Scarab Engineering in Campbell, California which sold a few factory converted cars and a far greater number of conversion kits thru the 70’s and 80’s. In addition to the small block Chevy V8, this particular Scarab had flared fenders and a whale tale giving it a particularly aggressive look.

Another Z-mod car also started life as a ’72 240 but was transformed in the mid 80’s for the showcar circuit and sported a number of BSR body mods including a wide body kit and G nose, and then was finished in a very cool paint scheme. It had been restored to its showcar state by its current owner, who also happens to be a Nissan master tech.

Just so you know, there was also tons of bone stock Z’s at the show too, ranging from the earliest 240’s all the way up to the latest greatest 370’s. One that caught my eye was a really clean 1980 10th Anniversary 280Z. Altho these cars had packed on a few pounds since their 240 youth and now had clunkier US-regulation bumpers, they were still decidedly Z’s and still very cool. Only a couple thousand were made in the gold & black anniversary paint scheme and another 500 in an even-more-rare red & black combo. The t-top and gold leather interior combined with everything else to make this a very sharp car.

Our next stop will be West Yellowstone, MT for the Yellowstone Rod Run, and I’m counting on some cooler weather after these last couple shoots in the heat and humidity of the Midwest. And to all my Nissan friends at this year’s Z-Con; Arigato!

Happy Motoring,

I recall driving my ’56 Lincoln and was just hanging out and chatting with people when this black ’64 Merc Park Lane Marauder pulled in. I think I stopped whatever conversation I was in mid-sentence and made a beeline to that car. I don’t actually recall ever seeing one before, and I just thought it looked incredibly sharp.

It was completely stock; jet black hardtop with a white interior and a factory 4-speed. Being a Park Lane, it was Mercs highest trim level so it was pretty decked out. 1964 was also Merc’s 25th year of existence so it had a few additional 25th Anniversary touches too.

There were very few 4-speed Marauders produced and most of them came with 427’s, but this one had an ultra-rare 390 Super Marauder engine with special large-valve heads and unique cast exhaust manifolds. There were probably fewer than five cars like this one made.

The owner, Tom Lantz, had found the car in Montana and although it needed paint and interior, it was a solid car. He took care of the cosmetics but hadn’t touched the engine which was still running strong at about 78k miles.

I fell in love with the car and enjoyed talking to Tom. I could tell he was a pretty serious performance Ford guy, and his attendance at this cruise-in had definitely made my day.

I pretty much lost track of Tom and that car till I got an email from him earlier this year alerting me to the fact that he had just completed another monster Merc that he thought I might get a kick out of. He was right.

Tom had just finished building a ’64 Comet Cyclone lightweight drag car powered by a 427 SOHC engine. And not just any 427 SOHC engine; this was actually an aluminum block CanAm engine cranking out somewhere around 800 HP. This car was true to the factory lightweights from back in the day in every respect, and he had finished it in Ford’s “Peacock” turquoise paint color. Needless to say, I was sold!

I just need to figure out where to fit it into the production schedule, and fortunately a window opened up a week or so ago. We had tentatively set up the shoot for Tuesday but as we got close, the weather forecast was calling for rain both Monday and Tuesday. I got nervous and asked Tom if he’d be OK with Wednesday since the forecast looked better then.

Luckily Tom was flexible with his own schedule, and he was OK with the change. Of course it never did rain on Monday or Tuesday and by then the forecast for Wednesday had started to look iffy. Naturally, Thursday was going to be a beautiful day. Yeah, sure it was.

I just didn’t feel I could play “Casey at the bat” and let another day go by because we had to leave on Friday for another shoot, and if Thursday’s forecast turned out to be wrong (I know, what are the odds?!?) then we’d be completely screwed. So we decided to roll the dice and go for it on Wednesday.

Tom and his daughters drove both cars up from town that morning to the shoot location which was near my place. It was really something to see those cars roll up together. We set them up in front of a lake as a backdrop and got right to work.

The temperature was in the low 90’s as was the humidity, and it wasn’t getting any nicer as the morning went on. Things were going pretty well tho, and we completed the walk-around’s on both cars by lunch time. Ben still needed to get about a half hour’s worth of b-roll of the cars before we went out to do the driving shots, so Tom & I blasted out to Subway to pick up lunch for everybody and got back just as Ben was finishing up.

We scarfed down lunch, but the weather was clearly changing on us. Dark clouds were rolling in from the south, and you could hear thunder in the distance. The thunder got progressively closer and when I started to see the lightning that preceded it, I knew we weren’t going to finish the shoot this day, and it was time to get these cars under roof.

We were only a couple miles from my place so we fired ‘em up and hot-footed it over there. I pulled one of my cars out of the garage and another out of my shed to make room for Tom’s Mercs and just as we pulled them in, the sky opened up. That was definitely a wrap for that day.

Fortunately the following morning was clear, Tom came back up to my place, and we spent the morning getting the driving footage with the Mercs to finish the shoot. (And by the way, they were both a blast to drive!) We wouldn’t normally get away with this because we’d be locked into flights and wouldn’t have had the luxury of a second day, but we really lucked out this time.

The cars were awesome, Tom was a great sport, and it’s going to be a killer episode.
I think the coolest thing for me was that both those cars were at my place overnight, and that’s something I could definitely get used to. When Tom showed up in the morning to finish the shoot, I was considering saying, “Mercs? What Mercs?”, but I didn’t think he’d buy it. Oh well, at least I had ‘em for a sleepover.

Happy Motoring,

Last weekend the state was also the setting for the Northwest Motorfest; Idaho’s largest car show. It’s held on the grounds of the Idaho Expo in Boise, and you don’t have to be there long before you learn that it’s pronounced, Boic-e, not Boyz-e; thank you very much!

In addition to the typical car show stuff, this event also had numerous side attractions; things like holeshot and burnout contests.

I’m not sure, but I think the meteorological term for the cloud that is rising from behind this Chev is cumulorubberus.

It also had things more specific to the Northwest, like V8 chainsaw demonstrations. Now, that’s just crazy!

Throw in the Wall of Death and rock crawling demos, and this was a veritable three-ring circus.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Idaho since I lived at the other end of the state up in Moscow for nearly 5 years and went to grad school at the University of Idaho. Go Vandals! And I’m always looking for an excuse to get back out there.

Southern Idaho is more arid than the northern part of the state and when you look at the smoothly rolling hills that make up much of the terrain around Boise, you can tell that it was once the floor of a massive lake 15,000 or so years ago.

And did I mention it was hot? We shot the show on Saturday, and it was 98 degrees with a bright blue sky. Yeah, I know it’s a “dry heat”, but that’s still really hot! Fortunately there were more than enough cool cars around to keep the whole thing manageable.

This was the 8th year for the Northwest Motorfest, and it’s a really great event. As I mentioned, there’s a lot going on over the course of the weekend, but at the core of it all is a car show that drew nearly 900 cars.

There was everything at this show from the most refined, like this ’54 Buick Skylark, to the most extreme, like this blown ’29 Nash rat rod.

Honestly, I had always felt the ’54 Skylark was a bit clunkier looking than the ’53 Skylark. They had added stuff in ’54 that “heavied” the car up, and it never worked for me. But then I ran across this killer ’54 convertible in Lido green with the white inner fender wells that just blew me away. This rare stock color combo softened everything and really worked on this car.

The rat rod looked like something out of an Ed Roth nightmare; and I’ll bet Ed’s “normal” dreams were already pretty weird. It started out as a ’29 Nash (I think?). There was some pretty interesting frame and drivetrain engineering, and the absurdly-blown big block Ford truck engine was a nice touch. I think it was the “Super Single” rear tires that got me tho. I had never heard of these, but they are apparently the equivalent of semi truck duals in a single tire; and that’s big.

There was a great ’61 Plymouth Fury mild custom that the owner had found stuffed away in a garage two doors down from his house and bought for a couple grand. All it needed was some minor body work and a repaint. He went with a lime green metal flake with a silver large metal flake top. This really set off the wild lines on this car. Still sporting the original interior and 318 engine, this baby is driven everywhere.

A car that I hadn’t seen for a long time was this ’66 Merc Monterey. I had forgotten how long and straight these cars were. This thing is the size of a Suburban. Really cool integration of the taillights and signal lights in the styling, and a stately yet aggressive stance. Ah, Merc; I miss you already! Altho it had been de-badged, the door handles shaved, and a functional Boss 429 hood scoop added, I would say this car was more “personalized” than “customized”. It still had a lot of its already-cool-from-the-factory original design DNA. I really liked this car.

It was hard to miss this ‘37 street-legal drag Topolino. Think about it tho; none of those words seem like they should go together. The Fiat Topolino is a tiny little car, and its name means “little mouse” in Italian, but this baby was more like Mighty Mouse. A custom frame and a crate 350 with zoomie exhaust made it look like it would be a blast to drive. But you better like your passenger, because you are going to be really close to them!

It takes every minute we have at a show to get enough footage to make an episode, but we still have to eat. I usually live on beef jerky during a shoot because it’s quick, packed with protein, and can withstand the elements. Ben, the producer/shooter, on the other hand needs real food to survive. Wuss. Something about lugging around a 20 pound camera all day in near 100 degree heat. Yada yada.

One of the challenges on the road in general, and particularly at a car show, tho is finding something at least marginally healthy to eat. And as we strolled Food Row in the early afternoon in search of sustenance, it wasn’t looking nutritionally pretty, but then suddenly, right at the intersection of Corndog and Funnel Cake, there he was; Chris “Saladman” Olson.

Saladman has been a fixture at events in the area for ten years, and he whipped us up a couple huge crab Louis’ that were to die for. Trust me, the beef jerky will keep till the next shoot; in fact, probably till the next season.

The day was capped off with the Capitol City Cruise. The city had dedicated several blocks of downtown Boise to cruisers only, and several hundred cars took the opportunity to roll past the state capitol building for a couple hours in the early evening under beautiful skies. Life is good.

The show went on again Sunday, but Ben & I blew out of town at 6:30 in the morning bound for E’ville. This week we’ve been in the office finishing the remaining new episodes for the 2010 season and also working on a new project. Next week I’m off to Pasadena for my final SEMA Board of Directors meeting. I’m finally terming out after 7 years on the SEMA Board. I’ll also be attending the SEMA Cares car show while I’m out there on Saturday, July 25. This is a fundraiser for SEMA’s two charities; Childhelp and Victory Junction Gang.

The following weekend tho I’ll be back in the production saddle when we shoot the Z-Car Convention at the Nissan Headquarters in Franklin, TN. I’ve been brushing up on handy Japanese phrases and believe it or not, “dou itashimashite” (which is pronounced an awful lot like “Don’t touch the mustache”) means, “You’re welcome”. I think that phrase is going to come in handy for me in both Japanese and English.

Happy Motoring,