Gasoline! Noise! Yep! Car Show Culture!

Gasoline! Noise! Yep! Car Show Culture!

Hooked on cars. It is possible. It’s why I have a domain called “powerless over cars.” I love cars. All cars. (Well, maybe not “all” cars.) 

I love the smells, the sounds, the colors, and mostly the people. (I smile every time I think about going to surprise my grandchildren on a trip to one of the two largest car shows in the Northeast. On the way, a couple of very loud hot rods flew past us. Mariah had her head out the window and shouted, “I love the smell of gasoline and loud cars.”)  

More under the hood!

And one of the things I love is the creative forces behind so many of these cars. Often, the categories of cars include hot rods, custom cars, special interest cars, antique cars, vintage cars, and classic cars. 

That is one of the big reasons I go to car shows. I love the diversity. I love the beauty. And yes… I love the noise. 😊 

I used to race cars, bikes, and sometimes anything that would go fast. I sent a pic to my grandson, the other day. It said “If your car needs a turbo, it wasn’t built right in the first place.” 

I love the classics, and mostly I love the 1965-1975 cars. They look cool. They sound cool. They are cool! 😊 

Classics alone can include: 

• Veteran: any vehicle built before WW1 

• Vintage: any vehicle built before 1930 or between 1920 and 1930 

• Post vintage: any vehicle built between 1930 and 1945 

• Classic: a matter of opinion, but usually refers to cars with style, rarity or popularity, and can include some cars as young as five years old 

• Sports: cars designed for high performance and speed 

• Muscle: cars with powerful engines and aggressive looks, usually made in the 1960s and 1970s 

• Coupe utility: cars with a passenger cabin and a cargo bed, also known as utes or pickups 

• Sport utility: cars with a combination of off-road and on-road capabilities, also known as SUVs 

I love the classics. And while I am not a “truck “ person preferring a lot of the muscle cars, there are some that are pretty cool.  

Classic car restoration can be broadly divided into 4 stages, namely: 

• Concours d’Elegance This is the highest level of prestige given to a restored vehicle. 

• Traditional This refers to restoring a vehicle back to its original condition as intended by its makers back in the day. 

• Resto-Modification-It means restoring a classic car and modding it with modern features to make it more reliable, comfortable, and efficient. Restomods can encompass restoring both the interior and exterior of a vehicle.

• Exterior Preservation –Keeping it the way it was!

This past week, my grandson, Jacob and I went to a couple of great car shows. 

The first is one of our weekly visits. The Frogg Brewing Cruise Night. I like it because it is a local show and there are friends there each week. Add in that Frogg does a great job of being a community business.  

It’s what in back!

The show runs from 4-7 on Wednesdays. We headed over about 3:45 and when we got there, there were cars already on the lot. 

Shows like this are great for building relationships and just hanging out. Each week there is always a new car or two. Last week was no different. There were three cars that came up from the Athol Massachusetts area. And they were some pretty nice cars. Clean and neat! 

We stayed for a few hours, visiting with friends, and loving the cars. People are the best part of shows. 

I asked Jacob if he was interested in taking a little trip to a car show. He said “yes.” I made plans for a trip to Newport, New Hampshire on Saturday. The weather was a little iffy, but I told him, we would leave about 10. We had some friends who were going to be there. 

The weather wasn’t terrible where we lived, but I guess it was a bit worse where the show was. So, instead of taking the motorcycle, we decided to take the SUV.  

I love Newport. When I had my newspapers, Newport and Sunapee, were some of my favorite areas to visit. We headed up Route 10 and there were a few sprinkles.  

One of my favorite parts of going to car shows is hanging out with my grandson. And the 1 hour drive was just that.  

We arrived to the show. It was the 3rd Newport Wings and Wheels show and it is put on by the Newport Chamber. I wanted to be there last year, but it was rained out. Cars and Airplanes! How cool is that? 

We paid our $5 (It’s a fundraiser.) and drove on in. Parking was easy and pretty well laid out. And we began the “tour.” There was lots of port-a-potties, bouncy houses for kids, And food and merchandise vendors. This was a well thought out show. (Thank you!) And they had great support from the Car Nutz group. 

Jacob and I got lots of pictures. (Mostly his.) We had lots of great conversations. I wish we had time for all the great stories. Cars that were dragged out of the woods. Unique cars like the Ford Mercury. Cars that were fun. 

1956 Chevy!

It makes me realize that pics are cool, but perhaps we need to interview some of these folks.  

Thank you for such a great show.  

Yep, I love cars.  

Want More Pictures? Check out the Facebook Album of hundreds of pics! One is labeled Frogg and the other, Newport!

Got something cool going on where you are? I would love to hear about it!

And maybe next time you will see this sign!

Never give up signs

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