PONTIAC GTO

Spotlight: American Children’s Home Show-off Show

July 16, 2018 by admin 4 Comments

American Children’s Home 20th Annual Show-Off Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show

What could be better than a gathering of cars, trucks and motorcycles? Not much, unless that function benefits a nonprofit, as it did at a recent event held in Lexington, North Carolina.

Indeed, the campus of the American Children’s Home was both the host and beneficiary of an event that supports approximately 70 youngsters, all of whom need a substitute family. Some of the boys and girls live on campus. Others are in family foster care. All the children are given the help they need now as well as preparation for adult living.

As you might imagine, the mission is critical. And it is an ongoing one, established in 1928 by the Junior Order United American Mechanics North Carolina State Council. Today, the home works closely with county Departments of Social Services, accepting referrals in keeping with its mission.

20th Annual Show-Off

For the 20th consecutive year, the home hosted an annual show-offer of cars, trucks and motorcycles. Rained out in May, the show was rescheduled for July 14. Despite blazing skies and summer traffic, hundreds of entrants and volunteers came out.

Most of the entrants were classic cars and trucks from the 1950s, 60s and 70s, but there were late-model cars and trucks on hand as well. There were also more than a dozen motorcycles and a handful of antique cars.

Entire car clubs came out, including the Carolinas Region of the Porsche Club of America. This club alone raised more than $3,000 for the home.

Ample Time to Show Off

Held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the home, the show accepted entrants throughout the morning. Judges began tallying early on with more than 75 awards offered.

Vendors, food tents, raffles, a kids zone and a silent auction, were also part of the show. Home staff and volunteers ensured a smooth show, with public announcements offered as needed.

By 1:45 p.m., the awards portion began. The first group recognized were the “Top 40” finishers followed by several “best of” categories. The awards ended with both the Best of Show and ACH Choice Award winners recognized.

As for the models on hand, we took more than 300 photos, then narrowed that to about 100 as featured here. More than half are captioned, while the last group has been presented without comment. If you notice an error, we’d appreciate you leaving a comment. Most of the make, model and year information was taken from the entry placard located on the dashboard.

Chevrolet Models

Chevrolet classics. — A line of classic Chevrolets.

Poison Ivy with her equally green Chevrolet Camaro.

But, wait…there’s more!

Best of the Rest:

American Children's Home

Additional Spotlights

Spotlight: 24th Annual Rod & Custom Show Presented by the Stray Cats

Spotlight: Capital City Cruisers 2018 Car, Truck & Bike Show

Spotlight: 2018 Piedmont Classic Chevy Club Car Show

This Week: Fall 2014 Charlotte AutoFair

September 17, 2014 by admin 1 Comment

It may not be known as the “greatest show on earth” but the Charlotte AutoFair has its own notoriety amongst automotive enthusiasts. This week, from Thursday through Sunday (Sept. 18-21, 2014), the latest edition of the semiannual AutoFair gets under way. For more than three decades AutoFair has been drawing people from the Carolinas and well beyond, an extravaganza that mixes the familiar with the new, as well as the eccentric.

Fall 2014 Charlotte AutoFair

Held on the grounds of the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC, the Charlotte AutoFair is marked by new car auctions, private sales, an infield brimming with vendors and special displays, and much more. This week, AutoFair will recognize the 50th anniversary of the Pontiac GTO, America’s first muscle car.

Also presented is an exotic performance vehicle display featuring the rarest and fastest automobiles ever made, including a 2015 Lamborghini Huracán, a 2014 Lamborghini Aventador, a 1931 Bugatti, a 1995 Mercedes Lotec, a 2015 Aston Martin Vantage, a 2008 Porsche GT3 RS and other models. Other events include: a DockDogs canine aquatics diving contest and Terracross UTV racing, each providing something for the entire family.

Terracross Racing

One of the fastest growing forms of racing in the country, the Mystik Lubricants Terracross Championship UTV racing series will be at the Charlotte AutoFair on Friday and Saturday. Terracross is raced on a short, rugged, purpose-built course made for the toughest off-road enthusiast. Multiple disciplines go head-to-head against the roughest and muddiest terrain with extreme track features, including crossover jumps.

Terracross racing will be conducted on the fifth-mile track located behind the backstretch of the 1.5-mile speedway. Opening ceremonies start at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, followed by practice/seeding and qualifying throughout the day. Two rounds of finals will take place on Saturday, with opening ceremonies at 11 a.m. and racing immediately following.

Dealer Auction and a Car Corral

This fall’s classic car auction is brought to the Charlotte AutoFair by Dealer Auctions Inc. As is always the practice, dozens of classic cars will be brought to the Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday and Saturday. Key models up for auction include: a 2009 Shelby GT500KR previously owned by the late Carroll Shelby; a 1969 Camaro Prototype COPO seized by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Department; a 1970 Boss Mustang 302; and a 1987 Porsche 911 Cabriolet and more.

Charlotte AutoFair You can also view as many as 1,500 classic cars on sale in the car corral ringing the speedway. Private sellers are on hand to hawk their vehicles with deals completed right on site. To assist sellers and buyers, the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles maintains an on-site office to process the paperwork throughout the event.

As many as 50 car clubs are on hand for the fall AutoFair, representing one of the largest assembly of clubs anywhere. Harrisburg Cruisers, the 5th Generation Camaros, Queen City Corvettes, Charlotte Motorists, Southeastern GM Toyz and East Coast Cruisers are just a few of the car clubs represented.

Best of the Rest

Families with young kids in tow need not worry about their little ones getting bored. The Charlotte AutoFair provides a play zone located adjacent to the Nationwide Insurance Pavilion featuring inflatables, face painting, the Patriot slide, a carousel moon bounce and carnival games. A petting zoo, pony rides and interactive games are held in the Fan Van. The play zone does not open until Friday and remains accessible until late each afternoon on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Attendees can also take in one of the world’s largest flea market, as 7,000 vendor spaces are filled with automotive parts and memorabilia. Located inside and outside the speedway, you may uncover a rare treasure amongst the many goods featured. Check out the manufacturer’s midway too as distributors and manufacturers of aftermarket parts and accessories are also on hand.

AutoFair tickets run $10 for adults and are free for children 13 and under. You can also secure a 4-day pass for $30. The Charlotte AutoFair will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Photos courtesy of the Charlotte Motor Speedway and Terracross Racing.

Postal Service Teases Us With Muscle Car Stamps

February 25, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

Don’t you just hate the U.S. Postal Service?! Just weeks after announcing that Saturday mail delivery is dead on arrival come August, it releases a fresh batch of postal stamps that are designed to catch the attention of automotive enthusiasts everywhere.

New Release

On Friday, the USPS used the backdrop of the upcoming Daytona 500 race to have seven-time NASAR winner Richard Petty unveil its newest series of stamps: Muscle Cars Forever. Those stamp highlighted five of the hottest muscle cars of a bygone era, coupes released in the late 1960s that still have a big impact on us today. Yes, the release of this series may actually prompt people to start sending letters again. Not!

Petty was on hand with his son, Kyle, and USPS General Patrick Donahue as they unveiled the limited edition series at the Daytona Raceway. Muscle cars are defined as those models equipped with powerful engines, vehicles that began to roll out in the mid-1960s and enjoyed an approximated 10-year run. Stricter pollution emissions requirements and other EPA mandates eventually killed the segment, but a revival has been seen in recent years with the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger now in production.

Muscle Cars

Although the Postal Service featured five cars in its current collection, there is bound to some noise from a certain sector as their cars were not featured. For the record, the USPS served up five capable models: the 1966 Pontiac GTO, the 1967 Shelby GT-500, the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, the 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda and the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS.

Absent from the release were the 1970 Buick GSX Stage 1, the 1969 Chevrolet Z28 Camaro, the early 1970s Buick Gran Sport, AMC Javelin, Olds 442 and Mercury Cyclone CJ. Maybe the USPS has a follow-up collection in mind. If not, then they really should do so.

Richard Petty

Despite the apparent shortcoming in models offered, Richard Petty was gracious in his comments following the series introduction. Said Petty, Just looking at the stamps evokes a feeling of speed. As Forever stamps, they’ll always be good for mailing a First-Class letter anytime in the future.

Okay, we get it the USPS really needs for you to buy these stamps as the postal service is deeply in debt and is struggling to fund its retirement obligations. Although its pension fund appears sound, everything else about the USPS says clearly, Please buy these stamps!

This is the third time that the USPS has featured classic cars, part of its America on the Move series. The Muscle Cars Forever stamps were created by Tom Fritz of Newbury Park, CA, under the art direction of Carl T. Herrman of North Las Vegas, NV. The previous two issuances ’50s Sporty Cars (2005), followed by ’50s Fins and Chrome (2008) were the work of artist Art Fitzpatrick of Carlsbad, CA. Lets hope that there isn’t such a long interval between future releases.

Forever Stamps

Because the new stamps are forever stamps the price is currently fixed at 46 cents each or $9.20 for a sheet of 20 stamps. When you buy forever stamps, you can use them even as prices rise. So, when stamps cost $10 each, these iconic classics can still be used, offering a tribute to the first wave of muscle cars to hit the shores of autodom. Yes, Im buying these stamps too who can resist?!