Arlington Show & Shine, June 13th, 2009

I really don’t like car shows. I much prefer to drive my old car. There is nothing as dull as sitting around all day while a bunch of other people sit around all day. I love to look at old cars. But doing so within the context of a show is less than ideal. Don’t get me started on competitive car washing, aka “Concours”… The idea of making a car show into a competition to me is ludicrous.

I make an exception every year for at least one show however, and usually that is my home town “show & shine” which usually falls in early June. They do have a competitive aspect to it, but since my car falls into an oddball “catch-all” category, “Specialty Cars”, I stand no chance of winning anything. Specialty Cars covers everything from imports, military vehicles, tractors, race cars, and golf carts. Really anything that doesn’t fit within the usual domestic classes of *0’s Stock, *0’s Modified, *0’s Hot Rod, Muscle Cars, Rat Rods, etc. I’m not there to win, I’m there to share the car with people and take some photos.

I rolled into town early and found a spot in front of the hardware store. I chose the spot since it had a bench nearby, and since I’m not a car show “regular” I don’t have the usual folding seats and picnic table. I set up the car with it’s “OK to touch me” sign, a small card with instructions on how to open the bonnet, and an open suitcase on the luggage rack with the KZOK calendar the car was featured in a few years back, along with a few other photos of the car.

Then I walked around and shot photos:

Despite what I said about preferring stock examples of cars, I actually like these goofy sorts of presentations. If you’re going to modify, go all the way! This old Rambler was pretty ratty to start with, and then Rat Fink got ahold of it.

Two cars south of my car was a very nice 1960 Corvette. The paint on it is beautiful. This is the car that I posted a cropped photo of the other day as the “name the car” CPotD.

The C1 Vette is owned by a guy who it turns out is my neighbor, living about a mile to the NW of me. We enjoyed a long “car guy” chat while we both sat on the bench.

There were easily over 200 cars all up and down Olympic Avenue. I didn’t photograph much more than what you see above, since there is only so much static domestic steel I can take before my eyes glaze over. After I did a “lap” of the show to shoot what interested me I hung out around my car and talked to people a bit. I kept inviting people to sit in, touch, etc, the E-type, which I think freaked out the guy with the freshly restored Camaro parked between me and the Vette. He ended up leaving soon after. I did photograph one person sitting in my car. I think I made this boy’s day when I invited him in:

I actually left the Jag at the show around mid-day and caught a ride home with Sue. I had some household chores to catch up on as well as brew-up a batch of BioDiesel. John, one of the members of my BioDiesel Co-Op dropped by in th afternoon to bring some veggie oil and pick up some fuel. He gave me a ride back into town. I missed the “awards presentation” so I have no idea if I won anything. I doubt I did anyway. Wrong sort of crowd for a Jaguar.