Car Show Classics – Send In The Oddballs!

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Trucks, trucks, trucks! TRUCKS! Man, there have been a whole heap ‘o trucks on CC this week. Catch one lousy germ, stay away from CC for a few days while recuperating, and look what happens! The Mayor of Truckville has taken over! Well, that stops right now, friends and neighbors. We’ve got to mix things up, fer cryin’ out loud! I need me some Broughams! Some VWs! and how about a copper government-issue Maverick or ’64 Electra 225 convertible? We’ll see them all and more, just stay tuned to Truck Free CC, compliments of moi. Let’s start out on the right foot, with this Keystone-equipped 1979 Pontiac Grand Prix SJ LJ Landau. Ah, I’m feeling truck-free already…feel the Brougham.

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Pillow-top velour, fake wood, light blue environs, and a custom cushion steering wheel. Nice.

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But those 1978-80 GPs were a little, well, plain. Maybe you’d rather have this ’77 instead?

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How ’bout a nice Exner-tastic 1962 Plymouth? JP, are you in?

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Or perhaps a 1972 Delta 88 in ’70s Green would be more to your liking. Alas, I’m afraid this one has already been reserved by Junqueboi. I dig the whitewalls and Cragar SS’s.

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Our own JP Cavanaugh would probably like this 1973 Newport, but I have a better one in mind for him, so let’s let BigOldChryslers have this one. Very solid, but for some reason it is sporting ’80s Fifth Avenue locking wire wheel covers instead of the factory units. Me, I’d go for some Magnum 500s–but keep the whitewalls, of course.

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OK, JP might like that Fuselage Newport, but I am thinking this ’65 ’66 Sport Fury would be his primo pick. Just look how sleek it is–and a convertible to boot!

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If you enjoy al fresco motoring but are more of a GM guy, perhaps this Electra 225 will light your fire. I can picture Carmine driving this through Miami, wearing a fedora and smoking a cigar. Not a Cadillac but still an excellent choice.

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At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have this 1976 or ’77 Maverick, with no options visible save some aftermarket mud flaps and whitewall tires. This car reminded me of all the plain-wrapper Aspens and Volarés that used to get blown up and crashed on the A-Team.

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There was also a very nice aqua and white 1964-66 Chevrolet Suburban. This one is a regular at the River Valley Classics cruise-ins, and it always looks good to me.

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This early ’50s Dodge pickup was not near as factory-correct as the Chev, but no less cool. Dodge pickups are usually outnumbered by Fords and Chevrolets by about 20 to 1 at the cruise-ins around here, so it was nice to see one, especially one so vintage!

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Look a Porsche! That line never fails to get a rise out of my dad, when friends see his 356. It has been a running gag for decades. Yes, the 356 and Karmann Ghia look somewhat similar. No, they are not the same. But both are cool in their own way! This one appears to be a very late one, a 1972-74 judging from the bumpers.

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Inside it is classic, no-nonsense VW, with bucket seats, floor shift and plenty of open-air driving potential.

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This one appeared to be in original condition, even sporting the whitewalls once so very common on U.S.-bound Volkswagens.

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Not too far away was this black 1957 Skyliner. These are usually full show horses, with two-tone paint, continental kit (ugh!), and all manner of tacked-on accessories. I rather liked this one, with its solid coat of black, no whitewalls and a red-and-white interior. Very nice.

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A 1960 Starliner was also present, with its “setting sun” taillights, which interrupted the jet-tube taillight dynasty at Ford that reigned from 1952 to 1965.

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Not too many of these ’60s are around, but my Grandpa Fred had a Galaxie 500 he bought brand new, very much like this example. Just picture it in metallic aqua inside and out and you’re there.

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This 1986 1983 Cutlass Supreme Calais was in mint condition, with gray bucket-seat interior and console. It was nice to see one in original shape, as many of these ’80s Cutlasses are hot rod fodder around here. I think they were very classy.

Well, we’re at an end to our little Big Rig Week break. Hey, I like reading about interesting old big rigs too, but we’ve got to remember, cars are our bread and butter at CC. Not to mention I have a couple thousand car show pictures. All of these were taken July 28, 2012. Let’s close with this very clean 1975-76 Nova SS. Nice to see cars that aren’t hot rods, Mustangs, Camaros or Corvettes, huh? And I am looking very forward to this spring and summer, when a certain Town Car Cartier, a cooler, a portable radio and a folding chair and myself will be joining the QC cruise-in scene–as a participant!

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