What a great trip this was. We got to visit our daughter at college, and I convinced the family to ride with me to see the first ever Vintage Speed and Custom Revival, presented by The Rodder’s Journal, at the Pimlico racetrack near Baltimore.
The quality of the cars there was overall very high. It was genuinely exciting, for me at least, to see some of these famous vehicles in person. There were many magazine cover cars at the show, both old and new.
Two favorites were Dan Webb’s So-Cal Streamliner recreation and the Golden Submarine tribute car. (WebbAutomotiveArt.com) I was standing right next to him for a bit and would have loved to ask about the cars in person, but, alas, he was in conversation with someone he knew and I got tired of lurking.
It’s hot rod weekend! Mars and I went to Sonic Friday night, spent all day at Heavy Rebel Weekender in Winston Salem, then today we checked out the end of car show at the Ag Center (lame). Heavy Rebel Weekender was super fun. I was there mostly for the hot rods, Mars mostly for the rockabilly, and we both got our fill of each.
I don’t think I’ve seen ever so much pommade, ear gauges, and neck tattoos in one place. Some of those things aren’t exactly “era correct” but when the third wave of rockabilly mixes with punk rock and hot rod car culture (the automotive version of punk rock) things get crazy. Here are some pics and videos.
Rockabilly and mud wrestling behind us. Remind me to shave before hitting the road next time.
Below is 1932 Chevy Roadster Pickup Hot Rod. (Didn’t get to talk to the owner/builder. Interesting ride.)
Slammed Model A Tudor and Clint Bowyer’s 1934 Chevy hot rod (I’ve seen Bowyer’s ride in Rodders Journal. Nice to see it in person.)
T bucket hot rod (Love the paint. One of my favorite cars at the show. Saw it in Street Rodder April 2011.)
1927 Chrysler Roadster (I got to talk to Larry Shoaf owner of Rod Crafters. This car was featured in Street Rodder October 2009. Great to see it in person. Build quality is extremely high.)
The Buzzards playing outside at Heavy Rebel Weekender 2011 (While mud wrestling is taking place…)
The Hollowbody Hellraisers (One of the better bands we got to see. Too loud for the mic on this camera…)
And oh yeah, riding horses. This is Paris riding at my parents’ neighbors’ joint. Now owned by Hampton University.
An evening stroll at Buckroe Beach. I have fond memories of the amusement park that was still there when I was a kid.
Fireworks finale from Fort Monroe. My parents live on Mill Creek directly across the water from where the fireworks are launched. Always a good view.
Osprey nest over on the Fort Monroe side of Mill Creek. My lady loves the birds, especially raptors.
Boating on Mill Creek with the yacht my dad and uncle recently bought. We usually canoe but considering the heat I didn’t mind the motor.
Saturday morning before we left Mars and checked out the hot rods at a car show in Asheville. I’ll do another post with some pics.
Friday before we the trip Mars and his friends at Rock Academy put on a show. The one song I didn’t capture in its entirely, tragically, was Mars singing (what??!?) “Ace of Spades” by Motorhead. I need to post this on Imheavyduty.com too.
Yes, I love this stuff. No, (almost) none of my friends do. What’s wrong with you people?!?
The roadster pickup, or RPU, above is the real deal. This hot rod beauty was built out West in the 1950s. At least that’s what I remember from my conversation with the owner a couple years. He said he attends Bonneville regularly. Awesome.
Now for something completely different…
Hot Rod Model A Phaeton - Perfect for the famliy man.
Next to an RPU a Model A Phaeton is my favorite model to hot rod. This is a rather extreme modern retro monster, it was my favorite at this year’s show, but I would like one someday that is a more conservative rod, late ’40s or ’50s style.
No more typing for me. There are more hot rod pictures over at my Flickr account. Check ’em out.
The Brain Surgery Experience
Want to know what it's like to have brain surgery? Well here's the long version of my experience. Complete with pictures and videos! Read all about the Brain Surgery Experience.
