Wooden Wheels and Whizzers

Thought for the day:  No other man-made device since the shields and lances of ancient knights fulfills a man's ego like an automobile.  [Lord Rootes}

There weren't any shields and lances to be seen, but there were plenty of vintage cars. This past Saturday, my hubby and I went to a Model A swap meet.

I mean, how cool is THIS ... to see nothing but Model As parked on both sides of the road? The fourth one up on the right is my hubby's rat rod. The body is a 1930 Model A, but it's an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink hybrid from there. Ergo the rat rod designation. (Hmmm, come to think of it, there ARE a couple former plumbing parts under the hood... if there WERE a hood.)  Has a new powerful vroom vroom Chevy engine, is built on a 1987 S-10 chassis, has a 1959 Mercedes grille, and the cedar bed is made out of our old hot tub. Can you see it? No?

THERE. Is that better?

It is soooo much fun to bounce down the road in the ol' girl. Even with multiple mufflers, she's still pretty loud, so people tend to turn their heads to look when they hear us coming. And they smile. Point. Laugh. Wave. Give us a thumb up. She's low on weight and heavy on power and performance, so given the opportunity, I have a feeling she'd fly down the track. So far, my hubby's shown great restraint on the road, and except for the occasional exuberant burst of speed on an occasional irresistible straightaway, we cruise down the road and simply enjoy the experience.

I won't bore you by showing you a picture of each of the Model As at the meet, but this is one of my favorites. It's unusual (at least, in my experience) to see one in this particular color combo. Very classy-looking. (NOT a rat rod.)

Last year, a couple of the cars were done up with a theme in mind. My favorite was done up like a moonshiner's truck, complete with a still in the bed. Lots of neat little whimsical details, too. Natch, I didn't have my camera last year, and also natch, it didn't show up this year when I DID have my camera in hand. Oh, well. Maybe next year.

One of the things my husband likes best about this annual meeting is the opportunity to purchase Model A parts and accessories for a decent price. One of the things I like best about this annual meeting is where it's held... outside a building filled with a fabulous private car collection ... and on this day, the owner opens the doors for us. WOW!

This collection has been a work in progress since the early '50s, and not only is every vehicle a thing of beauty, but each one is completely road-worthy. When we went last year, the Tucker was out getting transmission work, so I was looking forward to seeing it this year. No such luck. It sold recently ... for more than a million bucks. (YOWZA!) But there are plenty of other award-winning cars there to oooh and ahhhh over. I'll just give you a little peek.

A long, sleek, shiny Dusenberg with a bunch of blue ribbons. She was actually in the owner's garage area, which was open to us for the first time this year.

How'd ya like to take a trip in this baby? (Back when "Woodies" were actually made of WOOD.)

Okay, which of you smarties know what this is? This is a close-up under the hood of an old Cadillac. (Vintage '20s maybe?) Would you believe it's a cooling system? Water inside of those copper valve covers keeps the temperature down. Cool, huh?

I never saw one of these before. It's called a Mitchell.

How about THIS? An honest-to-goodness wooden wheel! Sorry, I was so fascinated by the wheel, I don't remember a darned thing about the vehicle itself.

An unusual hood ornament, huh? It's an archer, and fittingly enough, it's on the front of... (ta-DA!) a Pierce Arrow.

I thought this was pretty neat, too. It's the front grille of a Packard. (1939, I think) Anyhow, what's neat is the fact that the grille contains louvres that automatically open ... or close ... depending on how much air cooling the engine needs at any given time. Innovative engineering, eh?

Anybody remember the Whizzer? It's something a lot of kids used to aspire to, but few (nobody I knew, anyhow) could afford. The company started making and selling bicycle engines in 1939, and later, also sold the bike with engine as an already assembled unit.  Alas, they stopped making them in '55, and by '65, parts were no longer being manufactured for them, either. But guess what? The good ol' Whizzer made a comeback in '98, and can once again be purchased in the U.S.

This is one of my hubby's dream cars. A Shelby Cobra. Right color, too. (Guess I'd better start playing the lottery ...)

If someone were to ask me for a shortcut to sensuality, I would suggest he go shopping for a used 427 Shelby Cobra. But it is only fair to warn you that of the 300 men who switched to them in 1966, only two went back to women. [Mort Sahl]

This Indian with sidecar is almost a hundred years old. But, ooooh, is she ever pretty!












Okay, I won't bore you with any more pictures, but if you'd like to see more of this collection, take a gander right HERE (Click on any picture to find more info about the vehicle in it.)

We also went to a different car show on Sunday, but lucky for you ... I forgot my camera, darn it. And there was a reeeeeally cool Model T race car there, too... and a nifty-looking camouflage military-looking VW with oversized tires and the engine up front ... and an old Pinzgauer troop carrier... and several rat rods. Oh, well. Maybe next time.

So, what's your favorite car? Something you've owned ... or wished you owned? If money were no limit, what vehicle would be sitting in front of your house? I know. Tough decision. I've got a thing for the '65 Mustang, the '54 MGTD, and the Morgan. (ANY year will do!) The new retro Camaros are pretty darned cool, too. But ya know what? When it comes right down to it, my little ol' 1999 fire engine red Pontiac suits me just fine.

                               Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

The car has become ... an article of dress without which we feel uncertain, unclad, and incomplete. [Marshall McLuhan]