KrisTV.com (Corpus Christie): Local Man's Car Collection Goes Up In Flames
Share Rating: 12345 0.0 (0 votes) FLOUR BLUFF -- A building fire destroyed several classic cars and bikes this morning in Flour Bluff.
Three structures on the property burned down.
There was also a camper trailer behind the property that burned.
Right now fire investigators are still trying to piece together what happened.
The blaze started in the 600 block of Claride.
Flames shot several feet in the air as firefighters worked through the scorching heat to get the blaze under control.
Property owner Gordon Heath says he and a man he hired to help him out around here were inside his hobby shop when the fire started.
The two tried to get the flames under control.
The reporter asked, "When did you decide it's time to get out of here?"
Heath said, "Right away because it was too hot to hold the hose so I called 911."
The other man inside said he told his employer, "Hey Crunch it's smoking in here you can't see your way out of the building he said grab the hose by the time i got the hose flames were all over the place."
The property owner had a passion of collecting classic cars and bikes and now they're all destroyed.
He said, "I had an antique motorcycle with a side car on it from the Germans back in the war."
The reporter asked, "Are you going to restore your collection?"
Heath said, "No I'll quit I loss everything I don't have insurance or nothing."
Heath says a camper trailer, boat and RV also went up in flames.
The man he hired to help him around his shop lived inside the RV...so he's just as devastated about this blaze.
He said, "I don't got a job. I got three dollars. I don't know what i'm going to do."
The damage estimate is at more than $200,000.
One of the firemen went to the hospital to be treated for heat exhaustion, but he's expected to be ok.
Again, there's no official cause but witnesses say it could be electrical in nature.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Retro Russian Import Lures Older, Easier Riders
Okay, it's a motorcycle, not a car, but coo-el nevertheless.
New York Times Europe: Retro Russian Import Lures Older, Easier Riders
IRBIT, Russia — This is the story of how a dying Soviet-era industry and an aging biker population in the United States met and found happiness together on the streets and highways of America.
Think of it as Easy Rider, the golden years.
It started as a matter of survival for the Irbit Motor Works, which for decades had churned out its signature Ural motorcycle with sidecar attachment, but which discovered that its business was sputtering into the Post-Communist sunset like so many other Soviet enterprises.
Irbit found salvation in an unlikely niche market: older American riders seeking utility, not thrills or spills. Suddenly the sidecar, a seemingly anachronistic product evoking a World War II newsreel, had a new life among the late middle-aged.
The company shifted its sales strategy overseas in the 1990s and today, despite its deep roots in Russia as the purveyor to the Red Army, it sends 60 percent of its output to the United States.
For the target male consumer, the born-to-run ideal of a motorcycle mama on the back has given way to a spouse or girlfriend riding alongside, holding the dog or the groceries.
Irbit and its dealerships say older bikers represent their core market, but the bike-sidecar combination has also begun to catch on with a younger generation of riders, couples who find its retro look appealing.
“In the Soviet Union, our motorcycle was a workhorse,” said Vladimir N. Kurmachev, Irbit’s factory director. “Now it is an expensive toy.”
David Reich, 65, a retired carpenter in Salem, Ore., bought a white Ural Patrol from a dealership there last year.
“It’s something my wife and I can both enjoy,” he said in a telephone interview. They considered buying two bikes, he said, but decided on the sidecar so his wife, Jeanne, would not have to get a motorcycle license. Also, they could chat while touring.
“I am having a ball!” Jeanne Reich wrote in an e-mail. “I enjoy cruising along a few inches off the road with nothing to do but take in the view.”
Peter terHorst, the spokesman for the American Motorcyclist Association, said the average age of its 230,000 members was 48. As people’s strength and coordination wane, he said, “you see them transitioning to the sidecar.”
“Older couples say it’s just not comfortable to double up,” Mr. Kurmachev said during a tour of the shop floor, where sidecars are polished, painted and installed standard on nearly every bike.
Irbit, known by its Russian acronym IMZ, says it is the only motorcycle manufacturer in the world selling stock sidecars in volume; some BMW and Harley-Davidson dealers have sold them as options, though Harley is discontinuing sidecar production.
Sidecars, while popular with some riders, still account for a fraction of the motorcycle market in the United States, said Ty van Hooydonk, a spokesman for the Motorcycle Industry Council, a trade group. The makers do not disclose sales figures, he said.
Irbit’s factory sits on the rim of a ramshackle town of wooden buildings and rutted dirt roads on the Siberian side of the Urals, with a statue of Lenin still in the main square. It is operating, but at greatly diminished capacity compared with its 1970s heyday, when it produced up to 130,000 vehicles a year. Assembly lines have closed and the motorcycles are now built by hand.
A ride in a sidecar can be either exhilarating or, for those not accustomed to the sensation, terrifying. Set low to the ground, the sidecar tends to rise into the air on right-hand turns. The bike is street legal in all 50 states. But because the entire three-wheel contraption is legally a motorcycle, no seat belt is provided or required. With United States sales rising, Irbit says it is studying an air bag for the sidecar.
The Ural is a heavy, 40-horsepower motorcycle whose two cylinders jut sideways from the frame. It is modeled after a late-1930s BMW sidecar bike called the R71, which Nazi Germany provided to the Soviet Union after the countries signed a nonaggression pact in 1939. When the Nazis broke this pact and invaded, the Russians used the bike to fight them.
Irbit stopped building military models in 1955 and began focusing on a civilian market of hunters, outdoor enthusiasts and owners of summer homes.
With the end of the command economy, subsidized steel and cheap labor, the factory was forced to raise its prices, and sales in Russia fell sharply. Older sidecars can still be seen in Russia carrying hay, heads of lettuce and planks of wood. But Irbit sold only 20 motorcycles in Russia last year, and the owners say that the factory would have died without sales to the United States.
Before the recent recession, Irbit sold 650 Urals a year in the United States, and says it is on track to reach that level again this year, through 48 dealers around the country. A low-end Ural-sidecar combo sells for about $10,000. Over all, the factory plans to build 1,100 units in 2011.
The popularity of the sidecar in America was nurtured by motorcycle enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest, where the bikes were first imported in 1993 in small numbers.
Bikers were mesmerized by the Ural’s highly retro design, and some got a kick out of the machine gun mount on the model exported to America — a feature that had long since disappeared from the Soviet civilian machines.
“We had customers who put on fake machine guns,” Jim Petitti, the owner of Raceway Services in Salem, Ore., a Ural dealership, said by telephone. “It kind of faded because the cops gave them such a hassle.”
Sales of the Ural picked up as dealers identified the bike’s appeal to older couples no longer happy riding on the same seat.
“Husbands and wives have been riding together for years,” said Mr. Petitti, characterizing typical Ural clients. “Finally, the old solo bike becomes too heavy to hold up. The wife doesn’t want to ride behind the husband. She can’t see. Present her with her own cockpit, and she’s ready to rejoin the adventure.”
Irbit says that while older bikers carried it through a difficult spell, younger American couples are also drawn to it.
“They are good-looking bikes,” Elena Gonzalez, 24, a registered nurse, said in a telephone interview from Miami, where she lives with her new husband, John, a firefighter. The couple rode their Ural to their wedding.
“We were going to get a limo, and then we thought, ‘let’s just go on the motorcycle, it will be fun,’ ” Ms. Gonzalez said.
New York Times Europe: Retro Russian Import Lures Older, Easier Riders
IRBIT, Russia — This is the story of how a dying Soviet-era industry and an aging biker population in the United States met and found happiness together on the streets and highways of America.
Think of it as Easy Rider, the golden years.
It started as a matter of survival for the Irbit Motor Works, which for decades had churned out its signature Ural motorcycle with sidecar attachment, but which discovered that its business was sputtering into the Post-Communist sunset like so many other Soviet enterprises.
Irbit found salvation in an unlikely niche market: older American riders seeking utility, not thrills or spills. Suddenly the sidecar, a seemingly anachronistic product evoking a World War II newsreel, had a new life among the late middle-aged.
The company shifted its sales strategy overseas in the 1990s and today, despite its deep roots in Russia as the purveyor to the Red Army, it sends 60 percent of its output to the United States.
For the target male consumer, the born-to-run ideal of a motorcycle mama on the back has given way to a spouse or girlfriend riding alongside, holding the dog or the groceries.
Irbit and its dealerships say older bikers represent their core market, but the bike-sidecar combination has also begun to catch on with a younger generation of riders, couples who find its retro look appealing.
“In the Soviet Union, our motorcycle was a workhorse,” said Vladimir N. Kurmachev, Irbit’s factory director. “Now it is an expensive toy.”
David Reich, 65, a retired carpenter in Salem, Ore., bought a white Ural Patrol from a dealership there last year.
“It’s something my wife and I can both enjoy,” he said in a telephone interview. They considered buying two bikes, he said, but decided on the sidecar so his wife, Jeanne, would not have to get a motorcycle license. Also, they could chat while touring.
“I am having a ball!” Jeanne Reich wrote in an e-mail. “I enjoy cruising along a few inches off the road with nothing to do but take in the view.”
Peter terHorst, the spokesman for the American Motorcyclist Association, said the average age of its 230,000 members was 48. As people’s strength and coordination wane, he said, “you see them transitioning to the sidecar.”
“Older couples say it’s just not comfortable to double up,” Mr. Kurmachev said during a tour of the shop floor, where sidecars are polished, painted and installed standard on nearly every bike.
Irbit, known by its Russian acronym IMZ, says it is the only motorcycle manufacturer in the world selling stock sidecars in volume; some BMW and Harley-Davidson dealers have sold them as options, though Harley is discontinuing sidecar production.
Sidecars, while popular with some riders, still account for a fraction of the motorcycle market in the United States, said Ty van Hooydonk, a spokesman for the Motorcycle Industry Council, a trade group. The makers do not disclose sales figures, he said.
Irbit’s factory sits on the rim of a ramshackle town of wooden buildings and rutted dirt roads on the Siberian side of the Urals, with a statue of Lenin still in the main square. It is operating, but at greatly diminished capacity compared with its 1970s heyday, when it produced up to 130,000 vehicles a year. Assembly lines have closed and the motorcycles are now built by hand.
A ride in a sidecar can be either exhilarating or, for those not accustomed to the sensation, terrifying. Set low to the ground, the sidecar tends to rise into the air on right-hand turns. The bike is street legal in all 50 states. But because the entire three-wheel contraption is legally a motorcycle, no seat belt is provided or required. With United States sales rising, Irbit says it is studying an air bag for the sidecar.
The Ural is a heavy, 40-horsepower motorcycle whose two cylinders jut sideways from the frame. It is modeled after a late-1930s BMW sidecar bike called the R71, which Nazi Germany provided to the Soviet Union after the countries signed a nonaggression pact in 1939. When the Nazis broke this pact and invaded, the Russians used the bike to fight them.
Irbit stopped building military models in 1955 and began focusing on a civilian market of hunters, outdoor enthusiasts and owners of summer homes.
With the end of the command economy, subsidized steel and cheap labor, the factory was forced to raise its prices, and sales in Russia fell sharply. Older sidecars can still be seen in Russia carrying hay, heads of lettuce and planks of wood. But Irbit sold only 20 motorcycles in Russia last year, and the owners say that the factory would have died without sales to the United States.
Before the recent recession, Irbit sold 650 Urals a year in the United States, and says it is on track to reach that level again this year, through 48 dealers around the country. A low-end Ural-sidecar combo sells for about $10,000. Over all, the factory plans to build 1,100 units in 2011.
The popularity of the sidecar in America was nurtured by motorcycle enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest, where the bikes were first imported in 1993 in small numbers.
Bikers were mesmerized by the Ural’s highly retro design, and some got a kick out of the machine gun mount on the model exported to America — a feature that had long since disappeared from the Soviet civilian machines.
“We had customers who put on fake machine guns,” Jim Petitti, the owner of Raceway Services in Salem, Ore., a Ural dealership, said by telephone. “It kind of faded because the cops gave them such a hassle.”
Sales of the Ural picked up as dealers identified the bike’s appeal to older couples no longer happy riding on the same seat.
“Husbands and wives have been riding together for years,” said Mr. Petitti, characterizing typical Ural clients. “Finally, the old solo bike becomes too heavy to hold up. The wife doesn’t want to ride behind the husband. She can’t see. Present her with her own cockpit, and she’s ready to rejoin the adventure.”
Irbit says that while older bikers carried it through a difficult spell, younger American couples are also drawn to it.
“They are good-looking bikes,” Elena Gonzalez, 24, a registered nurse, said in a telephone interview from Miami, where she lives with her new husband, John, a firefighter. The couple rode their Ural to their wedding.
“We were going to get a limo, and then we thought, ‘let’s just go on the motorcycle, it will be fun,’ ” Ms. Gonzalez said.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
New website for Classic & Sports Car magazine
The Drum (UK): New website for Classic & Sports Car magazine
classicandsportscar.com
Classic car magazine Classic & Sports Car has relaunched its website in a bid to reach car clubs and enthusiasts around the world.
The new website will aim to become the most comprehensive encyclopedia on classic cars in the world, and will attempt to involve the industry, while also complementing the magazine in providing news and forums, as well as information on classic cars for sale.
James Elliot, group editor of Classic & Sports Car, commented: “We’re aiming to deliver a market-leading user experience that will not only be authoritative but entertaining as well. Our aim is to make classicandsportscar.com the place to go in the classic car digital world.”
Friday, May 20, 2011
Sat and Sun in Northern Colorado and Denver
ReporterHerald.com: Classic cars ready to parade up the canyon
For the third year in a row, Estes Park resident William Rense is taking his restored 1965 Jaguar 3.8 S sedan for a long, slow drive to help kick off the town’s tourist season.
Rense and another 21 Estes Park, Loveland, Northern Colorado and Denver-area drivers of classic and newer model cars are leading the 26th annual Classic Auto Parade of the Years car rally Saturday up the Big Thompson Canyon from downtown Loveland to Estes Park.
“It’s kind of fun to put up these older, classic, unique cars for other people to look at and enjoy,” Rense said.
Sponsored by the Estes Park Car Club, the car rally commemorates the importance of the automobile in the development of tourism in Estes and Rocky Mountain National Park.
Inventor F.O. Stanley developed the Stanley Steamer in the early 20th century to drive at high altitudes and bring tourists from the Loveland and Lyons train stations to Estes and the Stanley Hotel.
“Normal cars had trouble getting up to this altitude,” said Craig Bigler, vice president of the Estes Park Car Club and events team leader.
To commemorate this historical drive from 1907 or 1908 to 1925, Bigler is hoping to have a 1917 Stanley Steamer Mountain Wagon, owned by Frank Hix of Estes, on display at the Stanley Museum.
The holdup is a new boiler that is being installed in the automobile, he said.
On display will be a Stanley Steamer with demonstration models showing how the steamer works, as well as a collection of Stanley family artifacts.
Earlier in the day, Bigler and other Estes Park Car Club members and car enthusiasts will meet at the Reporter-Herald parking lot, at Fifth Street and Lincoln Avenue in Loveland, for a 2-hour car show.
At 10:30 a.m., the drivers will take Lincoln Avenue north to U.S. 34 and travel west, stopping in Drake for a tailgate lunch, then continue to the Estes Park Visitors Center parking lot.
“This is the first opportunity for the season to get the cars out of the garage, get them cleaned and polished up and out on the road, driving,” said Bigler, who will be driving a 2001 PT Cruiser in the rally.
The drivers will try to keep their line of automobiles together, Bigler said.
“Some of them don’t move terribly fast,” he said. “If that’s the case, we allow space for passing.”
The automobiles will be on display at the visitors center on Saturday and across from Bond Park on Sunday.
They will include several Model As, a 1963 Thunderbird Roadster, a 1966 Ford Mustang and a 1970 Lincoln Continental Mark III, as well as newer cars such as a 2002 Ford Thunderbird.
“It gives everybody a chance to hobnob and catch up,” Bigler said. “We’ll talk about cars, as you might expect.”
For the third year in a row, Estes Park resident William Rense is taking his restored 1965 Jaguar 3.8 S sedan for a long, slow drive to help kick off the town’s tourist season.
Rense and another 21 Estes Park, Loveland, Northern Colorado and Denver-area drivers of classic and newer model cars are leading the 26th annual Classic Auto Parade of the Years car rally Saturday up the Big Thompson Canyon from downtown Loveland to Estes Park.
“It’s kind of fun to put up these older, classic, unique cars for other people to look at and enjoy,” Rense said.
Sponsored by the Estes Park Car Club, the car rally commemorates the importance of the automobile in the development of tourism in Estes and Rocky Mountain National Park.
Inventor F.O. Stanley developed the Stanley Steamer in the early 20th century to drive at high altitudes and bring tourists from the Loveland and Lyons train stations to Estes and the Stanley Hotel.
“Normal cars had trouble getting up to this altitude,” said Craig Bigler, vice president of the Estes Park Car Club and events team leader.
To commemorate this historical drive from 1907 or 1908 to 1925, Bigler is hoping to have a 1917 Stanley Steamer Mountain Wagon, owned by Frank Hix of Estes, on display at the Stanley Museum.
The holdup is a new boiler that is being installed in the automobile, he said.
On display will be a Stanley Steamer with demonstration models showing how the steamer works, as well as a collection of Stanley family artifacts.
Earlier in the day, Bigler and other Estes Park Car Club members and car enthusiasts will meet at the Reporter-Herald parking lot, at Fifth Street and Lincoln Avenue in Loveland, for a 2-hour car show.
At 10:30 a.m., the drivers will take Lincoln Avenue north to U.S. 34 and travel west, stopping in Drake for a tailgate lunch, then continue to the Estes Park Visitors Center parking lot.
“This is the first opportunity for the season to get the cars out of the garage, get them cleaned and polished up and out on the road, driving,” said Bigler, who will be driving a 2001 PT Cruiser in the rally.
The drivers will try to keep their line of automobiles together, Bigler said.
“Some of them don’t move terribly fast,” he said. “If that’s the case, we allow space for passing.”
The automobiles will be on display at the visitors center on Saturday and across from Bond Park on Sunday.
They will include several Model As, a 1963 Thunderbird Roadster, a 1966 Ford Mustang and a 1970 Lincoln Continental Mark III, as well as newer cars such as a 2002 Ford Thunderbird.
“It gives everybody a chance to hobnob and catch up,” Bigler said. “We’ll talk about cars, as you might expect.”
May 22 in North Jersey: Classic cars, music and more this weekend
NorthJersey.com: Classic cars, music and more this weekend
The annual Millburn Classic Car Show is set for Sunday, May 22, from noon to 4 p.m., weather permitting. The annual event was postponed last weekend due to a rainy weather forecast.
Sponsored by Downtown Millburn and Investors Savings Bank, the car show is free to the public. Informal judging will take place and more than 50 trophies will be awarded.
Some of the unique cars will include an antique Good Humor truck and the Batmobile. There will be an antique fire apparatus display donated for the day from surrounding community fire departments, and free drawings for prizes will be available at the Downtown Millburn table.
Music will play throughout the day by Chuck Leonard, and a tour of the St. Barnabas Fire Safety Truck will be provided by the Millburn Fire Department.
Pre-registration is $12 per car and $15 on the day of the show. Day of event registration will take place from 8 a.m. to noon at the Wells Fargo (formerly Wachovia) parking lot located at 397 Millburn Ave. Early registration is recommended, and commemorative dash plaques will be given to the first 100 cars registered.
The annual Millburn Classic Car Show is set for Sunday, May 22, from noon to 4 p.m., weather permitting. The annual event was postponed last weekend due to a rainy weather forecast.
Sponsored by Downtown Millburn and Investors Savings Bank, the car show is free to the public. Informal judging will take place and more than 50 trophies will be awarded.
Some of the unique cars will include an antique Good Humor truck and the Batmobile. There will be an antique fire apparatus display donated for the day from surrounding community fire departments, and free drawings for prizes will be available at the Downtown Millburn table.
Music will play throughout the day by Chuck Leonard, and a tour of the St. Barnabas Fire Safety Truck will be provided by the Millburn Fire Department.
Pre-registration is $12 per car and $15 on the day of the show. Day of event registration will take place from 8 a.m. to noon at the Wells Fargo (formerly Wachovia) parking lot located at 397 Millburn Ave. Early registration is recommended, and commemorative dash plaques will be given to the first 100 cars registered.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Booklist: Forward Drive, by Jim Motavelli
So okay, it's not a book about classic cars, but it's a book that perhaps foreshadows the doom of real cars and the freedom of the road.
Forward Drive: The Race to Build "Clean" Cars for the Future, by Jim Motavelli
Sierra Club, 2000
237 pages, plus People interviewed, Notes, Bibliography and index. No photos
Library: 629.22 Mot
Description
As alternative-fuel cars from major automakers are entering the US market-promising far better performance and range than the disappointing electric vehicles of past decades - "clean" cars are no longer being relegated to side-show status; they're about to take center stage.
Forward Drive presents the fascinating story of the race to build the cara of thefuture-ones that can help to address the problems (including global warming, fossil-fuel depletion, and urban sprawl) that have accompanied the rise and spread of traditional gas-powered cars.
The book traces the history of automobile development, including early attempts to create practical electric vehicles, and it explores new technologies for clean cars, especially hybrid (gas/electric) drives and hydrogen-based fuel cells.
In his research, author Jim Motavelli conducted extensive interviews with fuel-cell makers, energy researchers, and key auto-industry figures at GM, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Toyota and Honda, giving us a clear picture of how US and foreign automakers are getting serious about clean cars.
With his passion for cars and his knowledge of their history and workings, he presents an insightful, informative and highly readable book about revolutionary cars on the immediate horizon.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Pulling the plug: A brief history of alternative motion
2. A dizzying ride: Internal combustion's rapid rise and coming decline
3. Engines of ingenuity: New technologies for the clean car
4. Road warriors and early adopters: living with a battery-operated EV
5. U-turn: The big three get serious about green cars
6. The Global green car: Germany and Japan on the Fast Track
7. Thinking about tomorrow: Visionaries, pessimists, and investors at the crossroads
8. Jump-starting the EV: Federal funding for alternative fuel
9. Clearing the air: Clean cars and sustainable transportation in the 21st century
People interviewed
Notes
Select bibliography
Index
Monday, May 16, 2011
Car clubs in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cars on display at the Cheyenne Library on Saturday, May 14, at the Club and Hobby Expo.
I was at a Clubs and Hobbies Expo at the Cheyenne Library this Saturday, touting my own Scrabble Club. I was delighted to find that there were three classic car clbus in Cheyenne.
Because I was touting my own club, I didn't have time to walk around to the tables of these car clubs and pick up brochures or business cards. I contented myself with taking photos of their signs...assuming that all I'd have to do was go on the web, put in the name, and find their club website.
Well...none of these clubs seem to have a website! How foolish is that!
Anyway, tomorrow I'll have done some research and present all the names and address of these car clubs.
I was at a Clubs and Hobbies Expo at the Cheyenne Library this Saturday, touting my own Scrabble Club. I was delighted to find that there were three classic car clbus in Cheyenne.
Because I was touting my own club, I didn't have time to walk around to the tables of these car clubs and pick up brochures or business cards. I contented myself with taking photos of their signs...assuming that all I'd have to do was go on the web, put in the name, and find their club website.
Well...none of these clubs seem to have a website! How foolish is that!
Anyway, tomorrow I'll have done some research and present all the names and address of these car clubs.
Friday, May 13, 2011
1953 Corvette
1953 Corvette
A diecast model of a 1953 Corvette (with an inaccurate color - all 1953 Corvettes were white with red interior)
The 1953 Chevrolet Corvette had a fiberglass body, chrome-framed grill with 13 heavy vertical chrome bars, rounded front fenders with recessed headlights with wire screened covers, and no side windows or outside door handles.
It had a wrap around windshield and protruding, fender integrated taillights.
The interior featured a floor-mounted shifter for the Powerglide two-speed automatic transmission and oil pressure, battery, water temperature nd fuel gauages, plus a tachometer and a clock.
Each 1953 Corvette was virtually hand-built. All of the first year cars were Polo white with sportsman red interiors. (Hence the red diecast model above is inaccurate, although it's possible a Corvette owner would have it repainted bright red!)
All had black canvas convertible tops.
The first Corvette was built on June 30, 1953 at a Flint Michigan assembly plant.
300 Corvettes were built in 1953, of which 200 still exist today.
Bibliography
Corvette: The Great American Sports Car, by F+W Media
Missing Posts
I think blogger.com, the platform that hosts this blog, was hacked yesterday, as it was down for most of last night and this morning, and now I see posts for the last two days are missing.
Supposedly these posts will be restored. If they aren't by tommorrow, I'll try to reconstruct them!
Supposedly these posts will be restored. If they aren't by tommorrow, I'll try to reconstruct them!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Morton Grove, Antique and Classic Car Shows Coming To Morton Grove
Morton Grove, Chicago, IL: Trib Local: Antique and Classic Car Shows Coming To Morton Grove
Many of the finest and flashiest antique and classic cars will roll into Morton Grove this summer for three large-scale car shows at the Village Plaza shopping mall, 7220 W. Dempster Street (at Harlem) beginning Thursday June 16th. The shows are co-sponsored by Kappy's Restaurant, Monday Night Car Shows (MNCS) and the Morton Grove Economic Development Commission. The shows are free and open to the public.
These "works of art on wheels" include all kinds of cars and trucks dating back to the Ford Model T. The shows are family-friendly events that feature music of the era and raffles, contests and an auction of automobile products. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. The kids will enjoy being entertained by magician/comedian Jeff Bibik, a stilt walker and Wii games provided by the Morton Grove Public Library. The Morton Grove Fire Department will display fire-fighting equipment. Morton Grove's automotive-related businesses have generously supplied products for the auction and some will have their own vehicles or services on display.
The Monday Night Car Shows (MNCS) is an established organization that is based in Skokie and is managed by Rick Glickman who serves as the show's announcer and auctioneer. Members of other classic car clubs from the surrounding suburbs will also participate by displaying their vehicles.
Show dates are:
Thursday(s) June 16,
July 14 and
August 11.
Shows will be held on the following Thursday in the event of rain or inclement weather. Vehicle registration begins at 5:00 pm and the show opens to the public at 6:00 pm. For information regarding show car participation, show sponsorships or donations contact Rick Glickman at: rick@mondaynightcarshows.com.
Many of the finest and flashiest antique and classic cars will roll into Morton Grove this summer for three large-scale car shows at the Village Plaza shopping mall, 7220 W. Dempster Street (at Harlem) beginning Thursday June 16th. The shows are co-sponsored by Kappy's Restaurant, Monday Night Car Shows (MNCS) and the Morton Grove Economic Development Commission. The shows are free and open to the public.
These "works of art on wheels" include all kinds of cars and trucks dating back to the Ford Model T. The shows are family-friendly events that feature music of the era and raffles, contests and an auction of automobile products. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. The kids will enjoy being entertained by magician/comedian Jeff Bibik, a stilt walker and Wii games provided by the Morton Grove Public Library. The Morton Grove Fire Department will display fire-fighting equipment. Morton Grove's automotive-related businesses have generously supplied products for the auction and some will have their own vehicles or services on display.
The Monday Night Car Shows (MNCS) is an established organization that is based in Skokie and is managed by Rick Glickman who serves as the show's announcer and auctioneer. Members of other classic car clubs from the surrounding suburbs will also participate by displaying their vehicles.
Show dates are:
Thursday(s) June 16,
July 14 and
August 11.
Shows will be held on the following Thursday in the event of rain or inclement weather. Vehicle registration begins at 5:00 pm and the show opens to the public at 6:00 pm. For information regarding show car participation, show sponsorships or donations contact Rick Glickman at: rick@mondaynightcarshows.com.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Classic Car Nights in Monroe, CT
From their website:
The Classic Nights Car Club was formed in November 1984 by five men. Although the main theme of the club is 50's oriented, there are three classes of membership. The three classes are: those with 50's cars, those owning vehicles produced in the 1960's or newer but is of special interest, and those who do not have a car in these categories, but intend to purchase one within a year of joining the club.
The founders wanted a club that would be run by its members, not by any one individual. In order to accomplish this, a Steering Committee was formed. The Steering Committee consists of seven people and one alternate, it's purpose to make suggestions to the club body, discuss any problems and bring them before the club body. They also have permission to make impromptu decisions on behalf of the club when necessary.
Since the Classic Nights Car Club is a family oriented organization, it has one main principle...friends are more important that beautiful cars. People come to the clubs cruise night to see friends. Club members feel in order to make the first and subsequent cruises successful, it is very important to make our visitors, participants and friends feel comfortable and welcome as a whole.
The Classic Nights Car Club is open to anyone, only if the 45 member quota is not filled. A prospective member must attend two (2) club meetings, two (2) club functions and be on a 60 day probation before being voted into the organization. When a person becomes a member, a $45.00 membership fee is paid, and $30.00 dues are paid each subsequent year.
There are no "officers" of the Classic Nights. The Two Funds Coordinators are accountable for all monies for the club. One Funds Coordinator handles the checking account (deposits and handing out checks as needed) while the other keeps track of receipts. The purpose of having two Funds Coordinators is so that one can check the other. The Minutes/Registration Coordinator takes minutes of the meetings and keeps track of membership, and is also responsible for correspondence
Club meetings are held once a month from November through May, and are headed by the Club Spokesman. If he or she should be absent, the Alternate Spokesman takes that place in directing the meeting.
There are other positions within the club. The Cruise Coordinator is partially responsible for setting up the parking lot before a cruise night, and is in charge of parking guests cars. The Public Relations Director handles all publicity for the club and its various functions. The Minutes/Registration Coordinator handles all applications for membership and keeps track of the number of meetings and functions a potential member attends.
As a body, the club participates in car shows, cruise nights held be local and some out of state car clubs and various organizations. The club also enjoys taking an active part in community service events. In past years we have worked closely with The P.T. Barnum Foundation, running the car show and taking part in the City of Bridgeport's 4th of July Great Street Parade. The Classic Nights Car Club donates time and cars for many worthwhile causes, such as MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving.) We also donate money to charitable causes such as the American Cancer Society and Southbury.
There are also other activities in which the club has directed; an annual dance, picnic, Christmas party and what has become fondly known as the "Fall Foliage Cruise." This is usually held in mid October when the fall foliage is at its peak. The club members and their immediate families choose an out of state restaurant and cruise to its location by way of the scenic route, hence the "Fall Foliage Cruise."
The Classic Nights Car Club Preamble and Club Purpose states that the club has been created to provide a forum for individuals who enjoys sharing their interests in automobiles, primarily reflecting the "Cruisin' 50's" era and who enjoy and seek the fellowship of other individuals. To an extent reasonably practical, members cars reflect those interests. There are written rules concerning membership, autos, voting procedures, behavior, etc. set forth in the Club Preamble.
PREAMBLE AND CLUB PURPOSE
Revised January 23, 1998
The Classic Nights Car Club is a family oriented organization. The club was created to provide a forum for individuals who enjoy sharing their interest in automobiles, reflecting the Cruisin' 50's era, and who will enjoy and seek the fellowship of other individuals. Membership is limited to 45 members. It is open to multimake vehicles and years up to and including 1972.
The Classic Nights Car Club is a reflection of the Cruisin' 50's era, and members cars should reflect this era. Therefore it is required that no member belong to another 50's car club so as not to interfere with club functions and activities.
To maintain this direction, The Steering Committee, which consists of seven members and an alternate, elected on a yearly basis, shall guide the club in its functions, events, rules and regulations. A majority vote is required to make laws binding. The Steering Committee shall attend al club meetings, unless prior notification is given.
Members grievances shall be brought to the Club Spokesman and/or alternate, who will attempt to solve the problem. If he or she cannot, the grievance shall be brought before the Steering Committee for discussion, evaluation and execution of findings. A maximum of three infractions detrimental to the club's image shall be reason for dismissal from the club.
Cruise Nights are held every Friday 6:30-10:00PM from May to October.
We will attempt to hold Spring Dances, a club picnic, a fall cruise and a club Christmas Party.
The club participates in other car shows and cruise nights held by local and out of state clubs. The club also donates their time and cars for worthwhile causes.
Club meetings are held once a month from November to May.
MEMBERSHIP:
Membership in the club shall be limited to 45 members consisting of three classifications:
1) 37 members who own cars produced during or before 1964, or trucks produced during
or before 1959.
2) 5 members who one cars produced after 1964 or trucks produced after 1959.
3) 3 members who may not own a qualifying vehicle but who exhibit a genuine interest in, or has a serious intent to acquire such a vehicle.
Club membership dues are due and payable at the JANUARY meeting of each year and no later than the February election meeting. (A grace period may be given upon request.) membership will be TERMINATED if dues are not paid by the February election unless otherwise arrangements have been made.
INDUCTION TO MEMBERSHIP:
1) Membership candidates must have two sponsors for application, must attend to official meetings and be on a 60 day probation period after which membership will be determined by formal majority club vote.
2) Voting and procedures shall be by majority show of hands or by ballot.
RULES AND REGULATIONS:
1) The club required cutoff date shall be 1964 for cars and 1959 for trucks, excluding members in preamble membership #2 and #3.
2) Members vehicles shall be legally registered, fully insured and in safe running condition, proof required.
3)All Club members are required to abide by State, City and Town Motor Vehicle rules and regulations. Abuse of this rule by a member is subject to their membership reevaluation.
4) No member will have possession of alcohol, drugs, firearms or any illegal items at club functions.
5) No member should use profane language, gestures, insults or misbehavior towards any club member, or during any club function or gathering.
6) Only members participate at club meetings. Non members are invited as guests with prior approval.
7) Members are the only individuals permitted to show club colors on cards, jackets, etc.
ADDENDUM:
8) Club vehicles are exempt from any and all club sponsored events.
NOTE: A member can terminate his or her membership verbally to the Spokesman, Funds Coordinators, Minutes/Regisrtation Coordinator or the club body. However, a one month grace period shall be given to all verbal resignations to give the member time to reconsider. It is requested that any termination of membership be made in writing.
Classic Nights Car Club Kicks Off 2011 Season
MonroePatch.com (Monroe, Connecticut): Classic Nights Car Club Kicks Off 2011 Season
For more information, visit their website at www.classicnights.com.
Along with the blooming flowers and budding trees, classic cars are a sure sign that spring has sprung in Monroe. Friday night, the Classic Nights Car Club kicked off its 27th cruise season at Village Square Shopping Center in Monroe.
Club member and public relations director, Pete Kodz, explained the origins of the club. “The club was started by five guys in 1984," he said. "We started by meeting at the old restaurant where Bill’s is now and we just outgrew it.”
“We get as many as 200 cars,” Kodz said, “Every night this place is jumping. It’s a great thing to do with your family. There’s Dairy Queen, McGowen’s, Chinese food and McDonald’s right across the street.”
Cars from years up to and including 1978 may participate in the cruise. This night, roughly 75 cars were on display. There is no charge to view the car show.
Eddie Staib of Bethel, is a member of the Sycamore Nights, and brings his '54 Ford Skyliner to the cruise faithfully. Known as "Fast Eddie," he explained, “I’m lost in the '50’s!” What keeps him coming back? “Hanging out, listening to the music, having a good time,” he said.
Fast Eddie bought his car in 1963. “I bought it straight out of high school," he said. "It’s called Earth Angel. I got the record in the window.”
That’s not all, the car features a glass roof and an interior that would humble the guys on MTV’s Pimp My Ride. It has a stocked bar, mirrored ball fixture hanging from the ceiling and the seats reconfigure into a bed. Plus, it has special lighting inside and out.
Donna and Ron Renz of Monroe have been bringing their '65 Corvette to the show for three years. “You can’t wait for the warm weather," Donna said. "People know that we are going to be out here on Friday night so they’ll stop by to visit."
Ron Dayton brought his wife and two young daughters out to Cruise Night. “We come out every Friday. My older brother and my dad come,” Dayton said, “We love the old music and the cars. I’ve been into cars my whole life and I want to bring my girls up like me.”
The Dayton family ended the evening with friends, enjoying ice cream from Dairy Queen.
Rob Weber owns Rob’s Monroe Auto Repair. He’s been bringing his 1971 Nova for 10 years. “It’s about hot rods. It’s all about the cars,” he said. “It barely ran and it leaked oil. Now it’s mint. I can’t even tell you how many hours have gotten into it. I go to work for eight hours, then work nine on my car.”
Cruise nights are held every Friday from 6:30 – 10 p.m., weather permitting. On May 27 they will feature radio station STAR 99.9 sponsored by McDonald’s. For more information, visit their website at www.classicnights.com.
For more information, visit their website at www.classicnights.com.
Along with the blooming flowers and budding trees, classic cars are a sure sign that spring has sprung in Monroe. Friday night, the Classic Nights Car Club kicked off its 27th cruise season at Village Square Shopping Center in Monroe.
Club member and public relations director, Pete Kodz, explained the origins of the club. “The club was started by five guys in 1984," he said. "We started by meeting at the old restaurant where Bill’s is now and we just outgrew it.”
“We get as many as 200 cars,” Kodz said, “Every night this place is jumping. It’s a great thing to do with your family. There’s Dairy Queen, McGowen’s, Chinese food and McDonald’s right across the street.”
Cars from years up to and including 1978 may participate in the cruise. This night, roughly 75 cars were on display. There is no charge to view the car show.
Eddie Staib of Bethel, is a member of the Sycamore Nights, and brings his '54 Ford Skyliner to the cruise faithfully. Known as "Fast Eddie," he explained, “I’m lost in the '50’s!” What keeps him coming back? “Hanging out, listening to the music, having a good time,” he said.
Fast Eddie bought his car in 1963. “I bought it straight out of high school," he said. "It’s called Earth Angel. I got the record in the window.”
That’s not all, the car features a glass roof and an interior that would humble the guys on MTV’s Pimp My Ride. It has a stocked bar, mirrored ball fixture hanging from the ceiling and the seats reconfigure into a bed. Plus, it has special lighting inside and out.
Donna and Ron Renz of Monroe have been bringing their '65 Corvette to the show for three years. “You can’t wait for the warm weather," Donna said. "People know that we are going to be out here on Friday night so they’ll stop by to visit."
Ron Dayton brought his wife and two young daughters out to Cruise Night. “We come out every Friday. My older brother and my dad come,” Dayton said, “We love the old music and the cars. I’ve been into cars my whole life and I want to bring my girls up like me.”
The Dayton family ended the evening with friends, enjoying ice cream from Dairy Queen.
Rob Weber owns Rob’s Monroe Auto Repair. He’s been bringing his 1971 Nova for 10 years. “It’s about hot rods. It’s all about the cars,” he said. “It barely ran and it leaked oil. Now it’s mint. I can’t even tell you how many hours have gotten into it. I go to work for eight hours, then work nine on my car.”
Cruise nights are held every Friday from 6:30 – 10 p.m., weather permitting. On May 27 they will feature radio station STAR 99.9 sponsored by McDonald’s. For more information, visit their website at www.classicnights.com.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Gateway Automobile Musuem, Gateway, Colorado
The Gateway Colorado Automobile Museum
Hours & Days
The Gateway Colorado Automobile Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
The museum is nestled in the canyons of Western Colorado in Gateway – one of the most amazing and little-known locations in the country. Red rocks, impossibly blue skies – truly the scenic experience of a lifetime. Storms occasionally tussle through leaving behind double rainbows and the earthy smell of rain on the wind. It is a soulful experience. Gateway, Colorado is a one hour southwesterly drive from Grand Junction on Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway 141.
From their website:
The Gateway Colorado Automobile Museum is pleased to present one of the finest collections of American automobiles in existence today. With just over forty vehicles in the privately owned Hendricks Collection – the Gateway Colorado Automobile Museum tells a story…the story of how the automobile impacted society. It is an educational experience with historical perspective.
The collection is arranged in a Timeline that captures 100 years of automotive history in America from the 1906 Cadillac Model H Coupe to the 2006 Chip Foose Mustang Stallion. Arranged in several galleries – one of the most awe-inspiring realizations is that this is no ordinary auto museum. From the moment you take a step back in time in the Open Road Theater listening to Walter Cronkite talk about the American Automobile and its place in society – to the brief video clip showing the acquisition of the Auto Museum’s own $3.24 million dollar version of the “Mona Lisa” – the 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 Concept Car – it is obvious that it is educational, it is historical and it is very much about the cars.
The Hendricks Collection, owned by John Hendricks (founder of the Discovery Channel) and his family, and the Gateway Colorado Automobile Museum, have far reaching appeal. It is intriguing, it is elegant and it has an allure that captures the rapt interest of all who experience it. The stories shared through the Hendricks Collection are not those of John Hendricks alone. Nearly every person that passes through the Timeline or Galleries has a strong connection to a vehicle from the past – a vehicle similar to one pristinely preserved in this collection. John Hendricks phrased it perfectly: People “experienced cars as magic machines that provoked dreams of adventure on the open road.”
This is the Gateway Colorado Automobile Museum! Visit us and experience a past we all remember. Bring friends and share the experience and share the stories! You really shouldn’t miss it.
Hours & Days
The Gateway Colorado Automobile Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
The museum is nestled in the canyons of Western Colorado in Gateway – one of the most amazing and little-known locations in the country. Red rocks, impossibly blue skies – truly the scenic experience of a lifetime. Storms occasionally tussle through leaving behind double rainbows and the earthy smell of rain on the wind. It is a soulful experience. Gateway, Colorado is a one hour southwesterly drive from Grand Junction on Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway 141.
July 30: Detroit Tigers to host 1st-ever Classic Car Show
USA Today: Detroit Tigers to host 1st-ever Classic Car Show
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers plan to bring together two of the area's passions when they host a car show this summer.
The club announced Wednesday The Detroit Tigers Classic Car Show will be held July 30 at Comerica Park.
The Tigers say car owners interested in taking part must go through an online nominating process. All vehicles need to be show quality and have been manufactured before 1990.
If selected, a registration fee of $115 will apply, and that includes car show space, two tickets to the Tigers-Angels game, two food vouchers for use within Comerica Park, two Classic Car Show T-shirts and a Classic Car Show poster.
One hundred nominated classic cars will be selected for participation in the show.
Nominations run through June 10.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers plan to bring together two of the area's passions when they host a car show this summer.
The club announced Wednesday The Detroit Tigers Classic Car Show will be held July 30 at Comerica Park.
The Tigers say car owners interested in taking part must go through an online nominating process. All vehicles need to be show quality and have been manufactured before 1990.
If selected, a registration fee of $115 will apply, and that includes car show space, two tickets to the Tigers-Angels game, two food vouchers for use within Comerica Park, two Classic Car Show T-shirts and a Classic Car Show poster.
One hundred nominated classic cars will be selected for participation in the show.
Nominations run through June 10.
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