The 2023 Iola Car Show!

 The 2023 show was huge!

It was a beautiful day to take a wander through all of this automotive history.  Thousands of cars, something for every gear head.  

One of my favorites - Pierce Arrow.  What a superb restoration.

I really like the old trucks.  In the day this '29 Chevy truck moved a lot of stuff.

This is a showroom quality 1934 Packard

Count'em... yup that's a V12. These engines make an unmistakeable sound.  Smooth power and elegance in design.  Engineered to last a lifetime.  Planned obsolescence had not yet slinked out of the business schools yet because this was the pre-business school era.

The American car designs from the 1930's were (in my opinion) the most beautiful cars in the world even to this day.  Deco influences, streamlined - they are rolling sculptures.  This is a 1937 Chevrolet Coupe.  Bella.

More Deco, more streamlined, this 1937 Cord Phaeton looks brand new. Imagine hidden headlights and a tuned exhaust gently rumbling as you roll down the highway.  Cord had a short lifespan - only seven or eight years depending on how you count it. Gordon Miller Buehrig was the designer and fellow alumni of where I went to grad school.

This 1954 Packard was HUGE. A lot of sheetmetal and swoopy lines make this iconic.

Can you spot the subtle differences? This is the '55

This 1955 Nash was the high mileage car of its day. The reasoning behind this counter culture design is really an interesting story in itself. 

Lots of chrome on the 1956 Pontiac Chief, this hood always reminds me of a 1950's bowling team jersey...

This is the '57

A little red T-Bird.  This is a '57.

and the little red corvette - a 1960.

I remember walking past a yellow AMX parked in the neighbors driveway as a 9 year old on my way to the bus stop.  I thought it was so cool back in '69.

My favorite year for the Mustang is 1970.  I think the front design is awesome.

There is something to be said for the later year size and fast back design.  This one is a '73 kind of at the end of the muscle car era.  Smog pumps and lower compression engines were part of the evolving landscape.

I forgot that AMC actually offered this back in the day... a camper package for the Hornet.

This show is huge... there's even a control tower to broadcast from and scan the grounds for emergencies.

A working 1967 Amphicar.  This was a car and a motor boat. In the rear are two propellers. 

Check out the doors on this Kaiser Darrin...

A very nice 1930 Ford AA truck. 

A '59 Edsel wagon

The inventor of the "snow machine" is really lost to history as kits like this one on a Model A existed for the Model T as well.  Before that light coal fired steam locomotives were tracked as well.  This is the "Snowbird Kit". 

I remember ogling my brother's friend Victor's maroon GTO back in the 60's. I had similar tail lights on my first car!

Just past the gate... welcome to Iola!

This years theme was cars from the 50's and Leave it to Beaver actor Jerry Mathers was in the house...

Another vehicle I owned along the way.  My truck was black and had an enormous 360 cu in V-8,  I remember watching the gas gauge go down as I drove it around...

A nice '55 Studebaker Champion. Loewy magic.

A B-Body Super Bee from '71.  I remember these cars as fast and fashionable as a kid.  I think it was a lot more car than many could handle. Consequently, a lot of these ended up in accidents.  This motor could wind up faster than most and the big engine varients made 425HP.  Put that in a rear wheel drive 2 door coupe with a young male at the wheel and you get a bump in insurance prices! My high school buddy actually spun the drive shaft off of his.  LOL, those were the days!

Last but not least, a venerable ute from 1957.  A cab-over 4x4 Willys pick up.

Hope you all liked the picks.  I loved the show.

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