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EVENTS INTO JUNE 2015
ISSUE 15.4
A Section
Read us online at www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
Old-car hobby officially turns 80 in 2015
By: John Gunnell
We know that people were collecting old cars by 1925, which was the year that the American
automobile industry recognized (incorrectly) as its 25th anniversary. Most early car collectors
were automobile dealers who took in old cars on trade and realized that they had historical significance. However, there was no formal “old-car hobby” at that time.
The founding of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) is really the event that
started the old-car hobby. The AACA was formed by a small group of men who attended the
Antique Automobile Derbies held in connection with the Philadelphia Auto Show. They began,
in 1931.
After the fourth such Derby, Frank Abramson and Theodore Fiala conceived of the idea of
forming an antique automobile club with the previous year’s Derby participants as members.
They approached Jack Dlugash, who promoted the Derbies, and got the participants’ names and
addresses. In a letter dated Sept. 20, 1935, they got the Derby participants interested in forming
a club. That means that 2015 will mark the 60th anniversary of the old-car hobby.
A meeting was held on Nov. 4, 1935, in the auditorium of the Automobile Club of Philadelphia. Attendance included the 14 founding members, plus the wife of one. That meeting held
almost 80 years ago marked America’s first historical automotive society, the Antique Automobile
Club of America.
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The old-car hobby will officially mark its eighth decade of existence in the fall of 2015. In
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Old Cars & Motorsports • 15.4
Chevy Video Reveals 2016 Camaro
Muscle Car hits 500,000 sales mark –
but faces tough challenge from new Mustang
by Paul A. Eisenstein
July 17, 18, 19
Friday: Meet and Greet, Registration
Sat: Show in Old Town Orcutt
Sunday: Poker Run and SM Style BBQ
Open to Vehicles ‘72 and Older, 50/50, Raffles, Vendors,
Restaurants, Antique Fair, Giveaways, Live Oldies Music and more
Registration forms: www.bentaxles.net or
www.bentaxles.wix.com/bentaxles
Info: 805-937-3287
Camaro devotees will have something to be
happy about for 2016, Chevy execs claim.
There were plenty of skeptics when
Chevrolet said it would bring back its Camaro,
a few years back, but if the Gen-5 model’s sales
numbers are any indication, it’s been a solid hit
for the Detroit maker.
But in today’s hotly competitive market,
those 500,000 sales might be a nice milestone,
but Camaro will have to keep the customer’s
coming. And that’s becoming a fair bit more
difficult to do, what with an all-new Mustang
on the verge of reclaiming pony segment leadership for Ford
Not to worry, Chevy fans. There’s a sixthgeneration Camaro in the works and due to
reach market for the 2016 model-year. Better
yet, after giving us a vague tease of what to expect with a black-and-white silhouette image
back in January, Chevrolet has kindly released
some new images that give a brief, but clearer
impression of what to expect for ’16.
One thing is clear, said Chevy, the outgoing
model “sets the bar high for the next chapter
of the car’s history.”
Chevrolet teased folks in January with a
glimpse at the next-generation Camaro.
The three shots shown here were included
at the end of a promotional video highlighting
the current Mustang’s performance – both on
track and in showrooms.
Beyond that, Chevrolet isn’t saying much,
though one can get a good sense of what’s coming despite the camouflage on the car in the
video.
The overall look appears to be a bit sleeker
and refined – in the manner of a well-toned
bodybuilder. The basic layout of the nose retains the look introduced a year ago, with the
larger grille below the bumper. The headlamps,
meanwhile, sink deep into what appears to be
a split upper grille.
The roofline appears to bring one of the
bigger changes, in line with reports that the
2016 Camaro will adopt a sort of double-bubble layout, with a little more headroom for
each front seat passenger. That would be particularly useful for those buying a next-generation ZL1, for example, with aspirations of
strapping on a helmet and heading for the
nearest track.
Please See, Camaro, Page 4A
Old Cars & Motorsports • 15.4
In This
Issue
Page 3A
www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
SECTION A
Chevy reveals
Teen Distracted
2016 Camaro . . . . . . . . . . .2A Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9A
Monterey
1967
Rock n Rod . . . . . . . . . . . . .5A Chevelle SS 396 . . . . . . . .12A
SECTION B
Thunderbowl
Events
Raceway Action . . . . . . . . .1B Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7B
Motorsports
Automotive
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3B Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . .16B
Visit us on the web at www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
CONTACT US See Page 5A • Email us at [email protected] • Publisher – Dave Turney
Remembering my Favorite Auto
Journalist Tom McCahill
Dave Turney
Thomas Jay McCahill III
(1907–1975) was an automotive journalist, born the grandson of a wealthy attorney[1] in
Larchmont, New York. McCahill graduated from Yale University with a degree in fine
arts. (McCahill's father had
been a football all-American at
Yale). He is credited with,
amongst other things, the creation of the "0 to 60" acceleration measurement now
universally accepted in automotive testing. He became a
salesman for Marmon and in
the mid-1930s operated dealerships in Manhattan and
Palm Springs, featuring Rolls
Please See, McCahill, Page 4A
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Page 4A
Old Cars & Motorsports • 15.4
www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
Camaro:
Chevy put out a video giving the world a brief look at the Gen-6 Camaro coming next year.
What you can’t discern from the video, however, is that the 2016
Chevrolet Camaro will be more than just a rework. It migrates to General
Motors’ new Alpha platform, a rear-drive architecture first used for the
well-reviewed Cadillac ATS line. How much of the underlying componentry will be shared remains to be seen, but clearly, GM has designed
in the ability to produce a truly track-capable version of the Camaro.
The wheelbase of the new Camaro should be a bit shorter than the
outgoing model, in keeping with the dimensions of the Caddy ATS. But
the basic dimensions of the muscle car are largely unchanged.
What Chevrolet clearly hopes won’t change is the strong response
American pony car fans have had since the Camaro was brought to life.
After years in the shadow of Mustang, it has been the segment’s top-seller.
McCahill:
Cont. From Page 2A
And, in an unusual development, demand has remained strong even as
the Gen-5 Camaro approaches its final year of production.
The overall look of the new Camaro is a bit sleeker and refined – in
the manner of a well-toned bodybuilder.
But the all-new 50th Anniversary Mustang has been gaining strong
momentum since its launch, sales up 32% so far this year in the U.S. –
with demand also growing as it begins its first-ever global roll-out. Ford
is planning to add an assortment of variants, such as the GT350, to build
demand in the coming years.
Chevy hasn’t been a slouch when it comes to offering multiple Camaro packages. The ZL1, the most powerful variant ever, also has a more
dubious achievement as the only remaining Detroit model to be labelled
a “gas-guzzler” by the EPA. Its 6.2-liter V-8 manages only 14 mpg in the
combined City/Highway driving cycle.
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• Fiberglass Repairs and Fabrication
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Cont. From Page 3A
Royce, Jaguar and other high-line luxury
cars.
After graduating from Yale, McCahill
managed and later owned Murray's
Garage in New York City. During the war
he wrote articles on a variety of subjects
for magazines such as Popular Science,
Reader's Digest and Mechanix Illustrated
Magazine ("M.I."). Hitting on the idea
that an auto-starved post-wartime public
might be interested in articles on new
cars, he sold the concept to M.I. in February 1946, first reporting on his own
1946 Ford. His opinions were fearless and
this endeared him to some in the automotive world but created enemies too. Ever
the sportsman—at six foot two and 250
pounds—he once fought off goons hired
by (as was believed at the time) General
Motors. It is alleged that he sent two to
hospital and the third running. McCahill
was a personal friend of Walter P.
Chrysler and appreciated the handling
and performance characteristics of
Chrysler Corporation cars in the late
1950s and 1960s, which included many
advanced engineering features such as
front torsion-bar suspensions (combined
with rear multi-leaf springs) for flatter
cornering, powerful V8 engine options
across the board and positive-shifting
three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmissions. In a 1959 road test of the Plymouth Sport Fury (which he referred to
as the "Sports Fury"), he claimed that the
torsion bar suspensions were the finest in
America. Few European sedans, said McCahill, could match the handling performance of the Plymouth.
On the other hand, many of McCahill's opinions about vehicles were far
less favorable. For example, he reported in
a 1949 road test that the new Dodge,
with its semi-automatic transmission, was
a "dog". He considered early
1950sChevrolets mundane and utilitarian
Please See, McCahill,
Page 6A
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Old Cars & Motorsports • 15.4
Page 5A
www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
9th Annual Monterey Rock and Rod Festival benefitting Gateway
Center of Monterey County, Inc. To Be Held May 15 and 16, 2015
Classic Cars and Classic Stars at the Rock & Rod Festival!
MONTEREY, CA ( January 14, 2015)— The Ninth Annual Monterey Rock & Rod Festival, May 15–16, 2015, is a celebration of rock & roll and custom & classic cars and trucks
benefitting Gateway Center of Monterey County, Inc., a
501(c)3 organization which provides services and support to
adults with intellectual disabilities in Monterey County.
The festival kicks off Friday evening, May 15 at 6pm with a
good, old-fashioned SOCK HOP held in the Monterey Room
at the Monterey County Fairgrounds & Event Center.
Back “in the house” this year is Jeremy “Elvis” Pearce as well
as our awesome house band, the Yard Dogs. A Show-N-Shine,
no-host BBQ & full bar, silent and live auctions, along with
best-dressed and best-dance contests will take place. Sock Hop
tickets are $20 and will be available at select locations and at
the door.
The car show will be held in the Custom House Plaza in
beautiful downtown Monterey near Fisherman’s Wharf. Starting at 10am and ending at 6:00pm, this year’s Show-NShine
will feature 1975 and older vintage, customs, classics, hot rods,
street rods, muscle cars, and trucks. Vehicles will be judged and
are eligible to win merchant awards, one of 15 Awards of Excellence or the Best of the West honor. Admission to car show
and live music downtown is FREE!
Music headliner will be 60s rock sensation, Chris Montez.
Also look forward to live entertainment by the Yard Dogs; Los
High Tops; Chicano All Stars; The Backyard Blues Band with
Mario Valens; Tom Faia and the Juice; DJ AL B, The DJ from
Guam, and much more!
Enjoy good fun for a great cause while helping to make a
positive difference in the lives of the men and women that Gateway serves.
Contact: Terry Wecker, Chairman
831 649-0102 or 831 809-6252
[email protected]
www.montereyrockrod.com
Fisker Rocket Mustang Set for Delivery
The supercharged version of the Fisker Rocket with 725 hp
limited production automobile will deliver nearly 300-hp more
than the Mustang GT.
Four months after pulling the wraps off his automotive reincarnation, Danish designer Henrik Fisker is set to deliver the
first Rocket Mustang.
Word has it that Fisker may also reveal another big project
at the weekend classic car show, something he telegraphed dur-
ing an interview with TheDetroitBureau.com last November at the
L.A. Auto Show where the Rocket
made its premier.
The Rocket swaps out most of
Mustang's steel body panels for
lightweight carbon fiber.
But Henrik Fisker began life as
a well-regarded designer who
penned such projects as the Aston
Martin.
Their first project starts out
with the 50th anniversary Ford
Mustang but undergoes extensive
changes, top to bottom.
Visually, the Rocket gets a larger trapezoid grille than the
stock Mustang GT, with a silver bar bearing the familiar pony
logo. The Rocket is slightly wider, and the rear windows and
quarter panels have been tweaked to give it a more exotic appearance. The modified Mustang rides on unique 21-inch
wheels bearing the “HF” Fisker logo and shod in Pirelli P-Zero
rubber.
With the exception of the hood and roof, every body panel
has been replaced with lightweight carbon fiber to boost the
performance factor even more.
Meanwhile, a variety of modifications under the hood helps
bump power to as much as 725-hp, up from the 435 ponies pro-
duced by a stock 2015 Ford Mustang GT – and well above the
500-plus horsepower expected
from the production version of
Ford’s own Mustang GT350. The
top-rated model gets a supercharger to deliver that added performance.
The Rocket will be fitted with
the Mustang Performance Package, which includes such niceties
as a larger radiator with oil cooler,
unique chassis tuning, gauge pack
and 6-piston front Brembo
brakes. Also standard: a Bassani cat-back exhaust system with
quad tips.
Serious performance fans will also be able to upgrade to a
Please See, Mustang, Page 6A
NEW LOCATION!
814 N. Main St.
Porterville, CA 93257
Contact Us:
Our mission is to provide the Auto Enthusiast or “Car Nut” information on the industry we love, the cars we drive and collect,
the shows and swaps we attend, the motor events, people, products and services we need. The paper is distributed free at
auto-related businesses, newsstands and show & shine events. To ensure that you don’t miss a single issue, subscribe today for
just $20 a year. To receive a subscription, call Dave Turney at (559) 679-9640. Please make checks payable to Dave Turney.
Mail: 2621 W. Ashland, Visalia, CA 93277. We have made a conscientious effort to make this publication both editorially accurate and graphically pleasing. We regret any errors or omissions. We hope you enjoy reading it and support its advertisers.
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This is a publication of Dave Turney & Associates, LLC
Publisher...Dave Turney
Distribution... John Angelos & Danielle Turney, Ed Case, Jerry Avila-Dos Palos
Writer... Darren Angelos;
Marketing & Distribution... Matt Case;
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for sending Old Cars to their parts stores.
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Old Cars
4th Week In
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Say ‘Thank You’ to them for supporting our hobby.
Page 6A
Mustang:
The Fisker Rocket shown at its LA debut.
Old Cars & Motorsports • 15.4
www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
McCahill:
Cont. From Page 2A
larger Brembo brake package including two-piece drilled rotors in the rear.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive from all over the world you can’t get better
feedback” than the project has received since its L.A. Auto Show debut.
Neither Fisker nor Boeckmann have said how many
Rockets will be produced,
though they suggest the number will be “limited.” Pricing
starts at $109,100 and jumps
to the $125,000 for the supercharged version.
On a side note: The New
Mustang GT Performance
Pack model named one of Top
10 Collectible Cars for 2015.
The Rocket's grille offers a unique treatment to the familiar Mustang pony logo.
We Will Install Your Headers
Cont. From Page 4A
On many of his earlier
road tests, his wife Cynthia
would accompany him as his
photographer and almost always his black Labrador Retriever, "Boji". His later
assistant was professional
driver and photographer Jim
McMicheal who was photographed sitting—or lying—
in the trunk of every make
tested and was known as "the
trunk tester.”
McCahill frequently used
extreme metaphors and similes in his prose. For example,
in M.I. he described the AC
Cobra as "hairier than a Borneo gorilla in a raccoon suit.
He proclaimed the ride of a
1957 Pontiac to be as "smooth
as a prom queen's thighs".The
1957 Ford "cornered as flat as
a mailman's feet" and the 1954
De Soto is "as solid as the
Rock of Gibralter and just as
fast."
In 1952 McCahill entered
his own Jaguar Mark VII
sedan in the Daytona Beach
NASCAR speed trials and
won in the Sedan class. Each
year he attended and reported
on world-renowned speed
events, especially the Le Mans
24 Hour in France. He purchased the first Thunderbird
built and raced it successfully
in the 1955 Daytona speed
trials. The Tom McCahill trophy was named for him. As
director of the yearly speed
trials at Daytona beach, he
was responsible for overseeing
the rules as well as the safety
of the drivers and spectators.
He was a personal friend of
Briggs Cunningham and
drove the fastest cars in the
world.
McCahill reported in detail on every car imported to
the U.S. during the early
1950s, all the while ridiculing
the U.S. automakers for their
excesses, including soft suspensions ("Jello suspensions"
as he referred to them) and
poor handling qualities. An
example is provided by one of
the first road tests of the 1958
Edsel in the September 1957
issue of M.I. McCahill criticized the standard suspension
as being too "horsey-back" and
strongly recommended that
Please See, McCahill,
Page 8A
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Old Cars & Motorsports • 15.4
www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
VW May Kill Off the Beetle
Cost cutting program threatens maker’s
slow-selling product lines
by Paul A. Eisenstein
Despite adding variants like the Convertible, sales of the latest Beetle have been sluggish.
It may serve as the icon of the Volkswagen
brand, but barely three years after launching an
all-new version of the Beetle, the little car may
be an endangered species, one of several VW
products in the crosshairs as the German
maker races to slash spending by about 5 billion, or $5.4 billion, by 2017.
VW isn’t reining things in entirely. The
maker is investing heavily in its utility vehicle
line-up, with a midsize model set to be built at
its plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and a new
version of the Tiguan to go into its Puebla,
Mexico factory. Expanding those facilities will
cost the German maker nearly $2 billion.
VW is being pulled in two different directions. On the one hand, it has set an aggressive
goal of overtaking Japanese giant Toyota
Motor Co. to become the world’s largest automaker by the end of the decade. It last year
nudged past General Motors to become the in-
dustry’s number two manufacturer. At the
same time, VW’s earnings and margins have
been weaker than expected, and that has forced
CEO Martin Winterkorn to announce a major
cost-cutting program.
The original Beetle and the latest, thirdgeneration Bug - which could be VW’s last.
“The company must have the courage to
bow out from some projects and variants,”
Winterkorn suggested last July when first announcing the belt-tightening plan which he
said will be “clear, effective and sometimes
painful.”
As for the Beetle, it was once the maker’s
best-selling product – indeed, in earlier years
its only product – but it began to lose momentum in the 1970s to more modern Japanese
small cars. VW tried to revive its fortunes with
a second-generation New Beetle, but momentum didn’t last long. A third-generation Bug
was introduced in late 2011, VW designers
trying to give the new model a more masculine
look to overcome the New Beetle’s image of
being a “chick car.”
Page 7A
Page 8A
Old Cars & Motorsports • 15.4
www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
McCahill:
Edsel buyers "pony up" a few extra bucks for the
optional, heavy-duty (i.e. export) suspension
package, which included heavier springs and
shocks. He went so far as to tell his readers that
"I wouldn't own one except with the export kit;
without stiffer suspension, a car with so much
AWARD WINNING
30 Years Experience
Cont. From Page 6A
performance (his test car had the 345-horsepower, 410 cubic-inch V8) could prove similar
to opening a Christmas basket full of King Cobras in a small room with
the lights out".
McCahill was in
favour of lifting the Automobile Manufacturer's
Association ban on factory backed stock car racing although the ban was
agreed upon by GM,
Ford and Chrysler in June
1957, manufacturers continued under-the-table efforts
to
provide
performance parts and
engines to racing teams or
performance-car enthusiasts. McCahill chose to
live in Florida as its climate permitted owning
such cars as his Jaguar
sedan, as corrosion problems inherent with this
type of car would have
been compounded by the
Eastern climate.
McCahill conducted
and reported on the first
road test of the Corvair in
1959. In the presence of
Zora
Arkus-Duntov,
chief engineer of the Corvair project, McCahill ran
the car at
speed on the
G.M. testing
grounds. McCahill
reported that
he
was
pleased with
the handling
characteristics and that
the Corvair
handled better than the
1959 Porsche
This conflicts
with the assertions by
Ralph Nader
in his book
Unsafe at any
Speed criticizing
the
Cor va ir's
handling.
In the 600
road tests he
performed and reported on his favorite cars
were the 1953 Bentley Continental and the
1957-62 Imperial, each model year of which
he owned as his personal vehicles. In 1950 he
purchased a new Ford and proceeded to acquire the assistance of Andy Granatelli in
"hopping it up" by switching to high-performance heads and manifolding. He then tested
the car extensively and noticed a 90 mile an
hour cruising speed. The car became known as
the "M.I. Ford" as it was frequently featured in
the Magazine. The wise and considerate McCahill de-tuned the car before selling it with
32.000 miles. The fear of mechanical failure at
speed concerned McCahill with the safety of
any future owner. He purchased a new 1952
Cadillac Series 62 sedan which he eventually
raced in NASCAR speed week events. He also
purchased new and reported on the '54 Jeep
CJ3A, stating that while his Lincoln was the
finest road car available at the time, in the end,
the Jeep was the best idea that mankind had
ever made. He claimed a Jeep would outrun a
contemporary M.G.. McCahill purchased the
first Ford Thunderbird built in 1954 and proceeded to race the car at Daytona Beach.
McCahill had become Mechanix Illustrated public face, and the industry quickly realized that his review could make or break a
product instantly. When he tested the 1948
Oldsmobile Futuramic 98 powered by a flathead eight-cylinder engine of prewar design,
he claimed that depressing the accelerator was
like "Stepping on a wet sponge". General Motors was incensed over his review of the '48
Olds and scores of angry letters from the corporation, as well as from Olds dealers and owners, came into to MI's 'office demanding his
firing. However, it was widely known that McCahill's report motivated GM into development of Oldsmobile's new overhead-valve,
high-compression "Rocket V8" engine, which
made its début the following year in the 1949
"98." The format of the engine was filtered
down to the smaller and lighter body/chassis
used for Oldsmobile's lowest-price "76" series
(powered by six-cylinder engines) and to create
the Olds "Rocket 88." The Rocket V8 performed even better than in the bigger and
heavier 98, thereby creating a whole new image
for Olds and set the stage for similar designed
V8 engines throughout Detroit over the next
few years.
McCahill had homes in Florida and New
York, where he would receive cars to test. He
traveled all over the United States and Europe
to facilitate testing. His stepson with his fourth
wife, Brooks Brender, served as McCahill's assistant in his later years. McCahill was a personal friend of band leader Paul Whiteman,
with whom he shared his love of hunting and
Please See, McCahill, Page 11A
Chowchilla Classic
Car Show
Chowchilla Classic Car
Show sponsored by the
Chowchilla District Chamber of Commerce, September 19, 2015, Veterans
Memorial Park, 5th &
Kings Street, Chowchilla,
CA.
Registration: 8a-10a,
show 10a – 3:30p. Entry
Fee: $25.00 per car; $30.00
after September 5th. Cars &
Trucks: 1978 & Older and all years
Pony Class & Corvettes.
Event includes 25+ awards, music, food, vendors plus Rotary Pancake Breakfast 7:30-10:00am (discounted tickets for
car show registrants) and Friends of Chowchilla Library Taco
Salad Dinner 4:00pm following car show.
Online registration form mail to P O Box 638, Chowchilla
CA 93610 or call 559-665-5603 for entry form.
Old Cars & Motorsports • 15.4
Page 9A
www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
Six in 10 Teen Crashes
Involve Distracted
Driving
Texting only part of the problem,
finds AAA study
Nighttime sees deadly crashes among teen
drivers double, according to a separate AAA
study.
Federal research indicates roughly 11% of
all highway deaths are the result of distracted
driving. But a new study
confirms what has long
been feared, the AAA
Foundation for Traffic
Safety concluding that
nearly six out of 10 moderate to severe teen crashes
are the result of driver distraction.
The figure is significantly higher than had
been estimated previously,
the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration concluding distraction
played a role in only 14%
of teen crashes.
“The in-depth analysis provides indisputable evidence that teen drivers are distracted in a much greater percentage of
crashes than we previously realized,” said
Peter Kissinger, the president and CEO
of the AAA safety arm.
The study was based on the analysis of
the final six seconds of data recorded just
before a crash taken from 1,700 in-vehicle
event recorders. It found that distraction
was involved in 58% of teen crashes overall, including 89% of road-departure accidents and 76% of the rear-end crashes.
“Access to crash videos has allowed us
to better understand the moments leading up to a vehicle impact in a way that
was previously impossible,” said Kissinger.
The new report actually might understate the significance of the findings because teens also have a higher rate of
crashes than other driving groups. Car
crashes are the single-largest cause of
death among teens, according to federal
data.
Federal reports shows 963,000 drivers
between the ages of 16 and 19 were involved in police-reported crashes in 2013,
the latest year for which data are available.
Those accidents resulted in 2,865 deaths
and 383,000 injuries.
Though authorities have often
pointed to the use of cellphones –
whether to make a call or to text – the
study found there are a number of other
factors that can distract a teen driver. The
most common, responsible for 15% of
crashes, involved interacting with one or
more passengers. Other major causes
blamed for teen distracted driving include:
Cellphone use: 12% of crashes;
Looking at something inside the vehicle: 10%;
Looking at something outside the vehicle: 9%;
Singing or moving to music: 8%;
Grooming: 6%; and
Reaching for an object in the vehicle:
6%.
“It is troubling that passengers and cell
Dear Brave Veteran,
I give thanks every day that there
are brave Americans like you, who
sacrificed so much for the
freedoms I enjoy.
I will always remember your
outstanding courage and commitment
to our country.
Thank you for your service.
Wishing you well,
Proud Paralyzed Veterans
of America Supporter
phones were the most common forms of distraction given that these factors can increase
crash risks for teen drivers,” said AAA Chicago
spokesperson Beth Mosher.
Please support our advertisers. They paid for
this publication. They support our hobby.
O N E O F T H E M OS T U N I Q U E S H OWC ASES O N T H E CEN TR A L COAS T
SUN, MAY 31, 2015
AT THE HISTORIC
M ADONNA INN MEADOWS
100
1
0 0 MADONNA
M ADONNA R
ROAD,
OA D, SAN
SA N LUIS
LU I S O
OBISPO
BISP O
DURING THE 8TH ANNUAL EVENT, TWO MARQUES WERE SELECTED IN CELEBRATION OF ELEGANCE AND MEMORIES: CADILLAC IN
HONOR OF THE BRAND’S 112 YEAR HISTORY OF STYLE, AND VOLKSWAGEN WITH ITS “PEOPLE’S CAR” BEGINNING WITH THE BEETLE.
5 SPECIALTY EVENTS TO ENJOY
1
2
3
4
5
MAY 29–31
WELCOME RECEPTION
Friday, May 29 | 6:30 PM–9:30 PM • Enjoy a silent auction, display of exotic cars,
and fine local wine and beer along with delectable hor d’oeuvres.
CONCOURS RALLY
Starts at Madonna Inn
Saturday, May 30 | 9 AM • A timed drive through breathtaking scenery on some
of San Luis Obispo County’s best roads.
GALA WINEMAKERS
DINNER & AUCTION
Saturday, May 30 | 6–10 PM • Go ”Back to the Future” with this fun-filled evening
of fine dining, local wine, silent auction, and music.
Edna Valley
San Luis Obispo Country Club
Sunday, May 31 | 10 AM–3 PM • A day of elegance and good times showcasing
classic, exotic, powerful, unique and memorable vehicles as well as wine, beer, food,
merchant vendors and displays for auto enthusiasts and families.
CONCOURS MAIN EVENT
The Madonna Inn Meadows
CONCOURS CONNOISSEUR TENT
The Madonna Inn Meadows
Sunday, May 31 | 10 AM–3 PM • Exclusive viewing of cars, motorcycles, and travel trailers
receiving awards, along with a complimentary continental breakfast, buffet lunch, beverages
including wine and beer, private restrooms, and seated viewing for the awards ceremony.
TICKETS, VEHICLE REGISTRATION, AND MORE INFORMATION AT:
|
1-877- SLO-TOWN
sanluisobispovacations.com
A BENEFIT FOR:
This event is partly funded through the efforts of the
City of San Luis Obispo Tourism Business Improvement
District and Community Promotions Program.
Page 10A
www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
Porsche Unveils New Track-Ready
911 GT3 RS
Old Cars & Motorsports • 15.4
Lighter, faster, nimbler 911 makes Geneva splash
by Michael Strong
Porsche rolled out its street-legal, but track-ready 911 GT3
RS at the Geneva Motor Show.
Porsche made it clear it would be debuting two new models
the Geneva Motors Show: the new Cayman GT4 and something else. That “something” is the new 911 GT3 RS.
The German maker’s latest entry is powered by a 4.0-liter
flat six putting out 500 horsepower, 338 lb-ft of torque, and a
zero-to-60 mph time of about 3.1 seconds and perfectly street-
legal and track-ready.
That mix of power and speed comes from Porsche’s efforts
to make the new RS lighter. The roof is made of magnesium;
carbon fiber is used for the engine and luggage compartment
lids, and other components are also made of weight-saving materials.
These efforts cut 22 pounds from the RS compared with the
911 GT3. A side benefit of the lighter roof is that it improves
the car’s handling by lowering the center of gravity. The body
comes from the 911 Turbo, and it signifies its status as a raceinspired driving machine with its RS-specific aerodynamic enhancements.
The front spoiler lip, which sits close to the ground, and the
large rear wing reinforce its dominant
look, according to Porsche.
Globe Classic Car Parts
“Specializing in Classic American Cars
and Trucks From the 30’s to the 60’s “
45,000 sq. ft. indoor warehouse full of over 1 million
car and truck parts. We also have over 200
Chrysler Imperial in stock.
701 Fulton Street, Fresno, CA 93721
Steve Rothholz (559) 352-1407
www.globeclassiccarparts.com
Horse Power
The latest automotive advertisements
for muscle cars and trucks are all the rage.
Dodge even dug up supposed young versions of John and Horace Dodge racing
(by the way not a good idea) on a two
lane high crown stretch of blacktop. The
three American car companies have offerings in the 700s with a fierce boasting of
“you ain’t seen nothing yet.” Well for
those of us that were driving muscle cars
in the late sixties when the elected elite in
Washington shut us down, I believe we
are very near the end of this era. As this is
written Social Modifiers from all over the
planet are plotting the end of individual
ownership of fun to own conveyance.
The thinking is that with enough (of our)
money they can buy the combustible engine out of existence, and replace it with
mass transit and alternate energy source
vehicles. So the move isn’t to stop the
horsepower race, but kill a life style. Be
careful who you vote for, and never pass
on a fight to resist this pressure. A silent
majority is a defeated mass of taxpayers,
most likely driving electric jellybeans. Not
acceptable!
Old Cars & Motorsports • 15.4
McCahill:
Cont. From Page 8A
fishing. Every year, McCahill
would make a ten-day boating
trip from his home in New
York to his home in Florida
aboad his thirty-foot Egg
Harbour
Cruiser
the
"Rooster" McCahill was an
avid fisherman, hunter and
deep-sea diver
At age 68, McCahill died
at the Daytona Community
Hospital on May 10, 1975.
Mechanix Illustrated never
publicly acknowledged his
death, because his name was
synonymous with it. He
"amounted to the franchise"
and management never
wanted to admit he was gone.
For a while, they ran a column
called "McCahill Reports",
which was ghostwritten by
Brender. At the time of his
death, he was believed to be
the only living descendant of
the Scottish highwayman
Rob Roy.
Page 11A
www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
Eagle Field adds Friday Night Billetproof Drags,
Top Fuel Cackle Car Drags, to it's May Line-up!
> Yes you read right..........Eagle Field Drags
May event will be jam packed with excitement and
cars you wont see race anywhere else in California!
> On Friday night May 15th the Billetproof
Drags makes it's first appearance at Eagle Field featuring 1964 and earlier iron racing under portable
lighting from 5-10PM. This event promises to take
you back with Hot Rods being Flag Started like it's
1964 again. To top off the action Jeff Ataimian will
make sure there isn't a dark spot on the premises
with a pass in his "BEAST" Jet Dragster........an experience Eagle Field Fans will not soon forget.
> Saturday the 16th at 12pm we open the staging lanes for the 6th Annual Fresno Dragways Reunion '73 and earlier, Flag Start, Run Whatcha
Brung, Drag Race Action that Eagle Field has become famous for. This year we have 2 Special
Guests, Rich Heidt (originally from Turlock, CA
area) and his Beautiful BLOWN 33 Willys Sedan,
with his son Sheldon behind the wheel & wrench's
and Les Gomes (originally from Gustine, CA)
> who now races in the HAMB Dragster category. Both terrorized California Drag Drag Strips
in the 60's.......Rich with a Blown Altered and Les
on a NITRO Triumph motorcycle.
> There's more Living Drag Race History on
Saturday with Bob Hansen making 2 exhibition
passes in the original Wynn's Spoiler AA/ FUEL
Dragster (That's NITRO my friends) along side
another to be announced NITRO Dragster all
being Flag Started by the LEGEND Eves Tall
Chief, the last Flag Starter at Fremont. All this
PLUS The Beast Jet Dragster returns on Saturday
to make 2 exciting passes and to cap off the day a
Party in the Historic Eagle Field Hangar Saturday
night with Live entertainment, Food
and Refreshments and just maybe I can
convince Bob to stick around to light
the Wynn's Spoiler "candles" for the
Saturday night party.
> Sunday the 17th the Eagle Field
Family will be running on FUMES but
it will all be worth it as we call cars to
the Staging Lanes at 10am for the 5th
Annual Dos Palos LIONS Drag Race
welcoming ALL Year American and
1973 and earlier import vehicles. The
Lions Drag Race features two QUICK
8 Heads Up Door Slammer Categories, the Estranged Car Club Traditional Gasser Shoot-out,
and open "Run Whatcha Brung" Lanes, all racing
and receiving ET slips from our new Porta Tree system.
> All this and MORE with great food, refreshments and unique vendors for Eagle Field Family,
Friends, and Fans to enjoy so come and enjoy Drag
Racing like it was.........FUN! Watch eaglefielddrags.com for more info before we open the gate
to our BIGGEST event of the year! Rocky
Books written by McChaill:
Tom McCahill, The Modern Sports Car, Prentice Hall,
Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1954
Tom McCahill, Tom McCahill's Car Owner Handbook, Arco Publishing Co.,
New York, 1956.
Tom McCahill, Today's
Sports and Competition
Cars, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1959.
Tom McCahill, What You
Should Know About Cars,
Fawcett Crest Books, Circa
1963
Meeting Locations
Farmersville
Tulare
Porterville
Oakhurst
Fresno & Clovis
Bakersfield
Prather
Sanger
Madera
Mariposa
Hanford
Reedley
Page 12A
Old Cars & Motorsports • 15.4
www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
Car of the Week: 1967 Chevelle SS 396
By Brian Earnest
Courtesy of Old Cars Weekly
Larry Debevec was definitely looking at the big picture when
he bought his first car.
“My dad would tell stories like, ‘I wish I still had my ’33 Plymouth,’ or ‘I wish I had that 1940 Ford coupe’. I always said
that’s never gonna happen to me,” says the resident of Summerville, S.C. “I decided at a young age I’m going to buy something that I like and that’s going to be a sweet, hot car and that’s
going to be in the family for a long time.”
Debevec’s stunning 1967 Chevelle SS 396 certainly fills the
bill on all accounts. It was the first car the car-crazy youth
bought when he was barely old enough to drive, and he’s never
parted with it. He’s never even remotely considered letting the
Chevelle go, even when it was sitting in a barn collecting dust
for about a dozen years.
The marriage began innocently enough back in 1970 when
Debevec went with his dad to order a new 1970 Impala for the
family from the local Chevy dealer. “I had just turned 15 and
was helping the owner of the Chevrolet dealership with the options that I wanted and he saw that I was interested in cars and
on the spot he offered me a job sweeping up in the shop and
cleaning up after the mechanics,” Debevec said. “In a couple of
months I was doing brake jobs and putting mufflers on cars.
The first engine I rebuilt was on a 1965 Corvair Monza Spyder.”
One of the other cars he helped work on belonged to his
brother’s friend. It was a red 1967 Chevelle SS that Debevec
had been lusting after. “He blew the engine in it, and I helped
one of our mechanics rebuild the engine with a short-block.
Then he decided he was going to sell it and I bought it from
him for $800, and the rest is history. I drove it all through high
school and college at Penn State.”
Debevec moved several times during his career working for
Corning and the car followed him through multiple stops. Debevec eventually located a correct 1967 396 engine — donated
DARRIN K. SIMMONS
JEFF BABB
1-800-544-HELP (4357
from an Impala — to replace the original V-8. He transplanted
the 396 in about 1977, but soon after that the Chevelle went
into a long slumber. A full restoration would have to wait.
“I put it in this barn, probably about 1977 or so, and it sat
there for 12 or 13 years,” he recalled. “And then in 1990 I was
living in Danville, Va. and I decided it was time to pull the car
out of the barn and do a frame-off restoration, and that’s what
I did.”
Debevec re-did the Chevelle from bumper to bumper, with
the exception of the engine. The front seats got new vinyl coverings, the body was stripped, sanded and repainted Bolero Red
and Debevec’s uncle, who ran an upholstery and auto glass shop
in New York, replaced the vinyl top.
The restoration was completed a year later in 1991, and the
SS remained largely unchanged until last year, when Debevec
rebuilt the 396 engine. “I put in a hotter cam, bored it .40 over,
hardened the valve seats, polished the exhaust ports and blueprinted and balanced the engine. We just got it done this past
November or December,” he said. “We put it on the Dyno and
it was pushing 340 hp and 411 ft.-lbs. of torque. I’m still using
all the original parts — it’s still got the Delco Rochester fourbarrel. It’s still running mechanical points. Anything we replaced was all NOS parts.
There are no reproduction
[parts] on the car — no reproduction fenders or anything
like that.”
Debevec did replace the
factory drum brakes with
power disc brakes, and also
added factory-correct power
steering and an instrument
cluster. “It is now to the point
where it’s pretty much in
showroom condition,” he said.
“There is really nothing else I
can do but drive it and keep it
refreshed
“It’s never had this kind of
power. It’s a sweet car. My wife
and I have a lot of fun with it.
Living in South Carolina, it’s got the drop top, which is really
nice, but doesn’t have the air conditioning. We do some cruising
and some shows and try to enjoy it as much as we possibly can.
We have a lot of fun with it.”
There were plenty of Americans who had fun with their SS
396 Chevelles right from the start. Chevy’s hot mid-size Chevelle officially became its own model in 1966 — previously it
had been an offshoot of the Malibu line — and as the muscle
car race heated up, so did the Chevelle SS. Even though production was off slightly for the model year, more than 63,000
SS 396s were built.
Like other Chevelles, the 1967 SS featured a cigar-shaped
body and forward-thrusting front fenders. The radiator grille
had more prominent horizontal bars. The prices for the SS 396
coupe jumped to $2,825 and the SS 396 convertible’s price increased by the same amount to $3,033.
Chevelle Super Sport models again had twin simulated
hood air intakes, ribbed color-accented sill and rear fender
lower moldings, a black-out style SS 396 grille and rear cove accents and “Super Sport” script plates on the rear fenders. Specific SS wheel covers were included, along with red-stripe tires.
An all-vinyl bench seat interior was standard.
The 325-hp engine (RPO L35) was carried over as the base
choice in 1967. The RPO L34 version was also offered again,
but its horsepower rating dropped to 350 hp at 5200 rpm. The
L78 375-hp version of the 396-cid V-8 was not listed on Chevy
specifications sheets, but it was possible to purchase the components needed to “build” this option at your Chevy dealer’s
parts counter. The total cost of everything needed to upgrade
a 350-hp engine to a 375-hp job was $475.80.
SS 396 buyers could get the 325-hp engine with a standard
heavy-duty three-speed manual transmission, a four-speed manual gearbox, Powerglide automatic (or later in the year, TurboHydra-Matic). There was a choice of nine axle ratios from
3.07:1 to 4.10:1, but specific options depended upon transmission choice. The 350-hp engine came with the heavy-duty
three-speed manual, wide- or close-ratio four speeds or Powerglide. There were eight rear axle ratios from 3.07:1 to 4.88:1,
but you could not get all of them with every engine and transmission setup.
Please See, Chevelle, Page 13A
12
th
Annual
Saturday
June 27, 2015
Registration begins at 7am, Show hours: 10am to 2pm
Join us at the Kettleman City Park for family fun.
Enjoy cool cars, good music, great food and help
raise funds for local non-profit community groups.
Street Rods, Cars, Trucks, Motorcycles, Bikes,
Scooters, Raffle, Hula Hoop Contest
For information call Cris at 559-386-5003 or visit
www.KettlemanCityCarShow.com
AWARDS
Merchant, Eternal Cruiser, Driver's Choice
FREE registration, pre-registration available
Entries limited to first 100 vehicles
NO ALCOHOL OR PLAYING CAR STEREOS
Old Cars & Motorsports • 15.4
Page 13A
www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
Chevelle:
Cont. From Page 12A
The 1967 SS 396 sport coupe with 375 hp did 0-to-60 mph in 6.5 seconds and did the quarter-mile in 14.9 seconds.
Debevec and his Chevelle’s previous owner have combined to put 86,000 miles on his SS 396,
although only about 500 of those have come since the second engine has been rebuilt. He hasn’t
shown the car as much in recent years as he used to — his hot ’51 Mercury has been his car of
choice at judged shows. Debevec expects to keep the SS 396 a little busier this year, however.
“I let it eat,” he says with a chuckle. “When we go out, it loves gas and it loves asphalt, so every
once in a while I go out and let it breathe. It’s a fun car and, in my opinion, it should be driven.
I don’t own any trailer queens. They all get driven. I’m still a kid at heart. The only thing I gotta
be careful of is not to scare my wife too often!”
Debevec knows he would have no troubles finding any takers if he ever decided to sell the
Chevelle SS, but he is positive that will never happen. When he’s done playing with it, he plans
to hand it over to one of his nephews.
“I will keep it in the family,” he said. “I’ve had it for so long, the car is more than just a show
car to me. It’s been a big part of my life.”
15th Annual
Please
support our
advertisers.
They paid
for this
publication.
They
support
our hobby.
Car & Motorcycle Show
May 9
2015
9-3 p.m.
Registration
8-10 a.m.
Trophies • Dash Plaques • Raffles • 50/50
Food & Drinks Available
Proceeds to Benefit Porterville Youth Activities & Community Projects
Pre-register: $25 Donation (Includes free T-Shirt) • Day of Show $30
Join us at Pizza Factory for a pre-show cruise night May 8 at 6 p.m.
Mike Siegel at 559.310.7136 or Jim Gozzo 559.789.0120
SPECIALIZING IN:
Powder Coating, Porcelain, Enamel
& High Heat Ceramic Coating
Der Wienerschnitzel Cruise Nite
807 W Lacey Blvd, Hanford, CA
Last Saturday of the month
March³October from 5 p.m. til dark
* Presented by the Kings Area Road Relics (KARR) Club *
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4460 S. Chestnut Ave. • Fresno, CA 93725
559-233-1461
Toll Free (877) 647-2628
RAFFLES
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CONTACT DER WIENERSCHNITZEL AT (559) 584-9769 OR VISIT WWW.KARRCLUB.COM FOR MORE DETAILS
Page 14A
Old Cars & Motorsports • 15.4
www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
The A&W boys are playing with cars again
By Vic Groah
Most of us are familiar with the orange A&W Root Beer
Float Mobile and many have seen the amazing 51 Chevy street
rod. Now the boys at A&W are at it again. The newest ride is
orange like the Root Beer Float Mobile, but is a lot quicker.
They have partnered with Jim Reed of Paso Robles to sponsor
Jim’s AA/Fuel Altered nostalgia drag race car.
Craig, Shawn, and Nick Van Horn along with Jim Reed are
up to their eyebrows in nitro, blowers, and all the stuff that
comes with it. What a rush! For those who are not familiar
with the players here, Jim Reed is a friend of the Van Horn family and used to race nitro and alcohol fueled drag race boats in
the 70’s and 80’s. Craig Van Horn and his mom, Karen Cary,
are the owners of the 6 local A&W Restaurants (Visalia, Tulare,
Exeter, & Hanford); Shawn and Nick are Craig’s sons. Craig
and his dad (Bob Cary) were partners in a drag race car when
Craig was in high school in the 70’s. When Shawn and Nick
were old enough, Craig built them a Jr. Dragster to get them
started in the racing scene. So as you can see, it was no accident
that his boys followed suit and are serious gear heads also.
When Jim Reed decided to get back into racing he traded
his street rod for an AA/Fuel Altered. He then had it painted
the same orange as the A&W Float Mobile. He called on his
good friend (Shawn Van Horn) to drive the car. In turn, Shawn
recruited his brother (Nick), dad (Craig), Shawn’s lovely wife
(Krista), and a few friends to help out with the car. They now
had a team and were ready to try their hand at AA/fuel racing.
Shawn is the driver, mixes the fuel and oversees all the work on
the car. Nick works on the clutch and helps to stage the car on
the starting line. Craig works on the left hand cylinder head and
runs the starter on
the starting line.
Krista guides him
back to the starting
line after his burn
out. She also has one
of the most imporPlease See,
A&W, Page 15A
Craig Van Horn,
back, and Jim
Reed, front.
Old Cars & Motorsports • 15.4
Page 15A
www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
A&W:
Cont. From Page 14A
tant jobs on the race team; she buckles her husband into the car Johnson TFX engine. It has a 14-71 blower with a 30 gallon
and repacks the parachutes after every run. They have a few per minute fuel pump. The rules for AA/Fuel Altered are diffriends to help out also. Quinten Thompson does the bottom ferent than AA/Funny Car and AA/Dragster.
They are running the car in a class that requires a speed index
end of the engine, Norman Haggard works on the right hand
cylinder head, and John Dolan is the teams’ jack-of-all-trades. of 6.00 second which means they can’t run faster than 6.00 secThey all have had a BIG learning curve, but with a lot of help onds in the ¼ mile. This keeps the expenses somewhat in check
and makes this a hobby instead of having to
from other more experienced racers they are
make it a business. By not running the car “all
getting it figured out. In the driving departout” every time, parts can last much longer.
ment, Shawn has been fortunate to be menThis experience is not only about getting to
tored by his good friend, Rick Rogers. Rick has
go fast and having fun. It has also been a vehicle
been driving nitro cars for over 20 years. He is
to draw the family
currently driving the Fighting Irish Nostalgia
closer together. Craig
AA/Funny Car.
readily admits that
Shawn just completed and received his nitro
both of his boys are
fuel competition driver’s license at this year’s
better
mechanics
annual March Meet Drag Race at the famous
than himself with all
Famoso Drag Strip. It takes 6 runs down the ¼
of the tasks on the
mile to get a license while being observed by 1
car. Craig is no
track official and 2 licensed nitro drivers. It’s no
slouch, but someeasy task in a 3000 horsepower car that wants
times the next generto go anywhere but straight. Each time down
ation has learned
the track, the 2 drivers and one official need to
Shawn Vanhorn,
witness and sign a license application stating mechanic and the driver. some things that Dad
has not. It is a team
that Shawn made a good run and maintained
control of the car all the way down the track. On his last license effort in every sense. The whole fampass he ran a 6.57 second elapsed time at 222.49 mph. The last ily has worked together on the project
to sign off on Shawn’s card was none other than Del Worsham, and has joyfully shared the common
driver of NHRA’s “DHL” funny car, owned by Connie Kalitta interest and camaraderie that comes
from working, learning and playing
(Shawn’s favorite NHRA driver).
As most people know, nitro is spelled $$$$. During Van together.
If you see the orange Choo Choo
Horn’s last run Friday at the March Meets this year, a valve lifter
broke at about 1000 Mama AA/Fuel Altered demon at the
feet into the run and
did major damage to
the engine. But
that’s racing! They
plan to have the car
back in shape for the
Downtown Visalia
Car Show in May
and plan to race it in
June at “The Night
of Nitro” at Famoso.
The car is an
AA/Fuel Altered on
a 125 inch wheelbase funny car chassis with a fiberglass
32 ford body. It’s
powered by a 496
cid Hemi Alan
track, cheer them on. They
welcome spectators in their
pits and would love to tell you
and show you all about the car.
They may even have an extra
A&W root beer float around
somewhere!
Nick packing the
parachute.
Page 16A
www.oldcarandmotorsports.com
Old Cars & Motorsports • 15.4
Sangers Blossom Day Festival Car Show
It was a beautiful day for a car show and no one was disappointed when they walked down the streets of Sanger, California during the 9th Annual Car Show. It was part of the
festivities of the Sanger Chamber of Commerce Blossom Day
Festival 2015 and one of the best represented by car lovers from
all over the Valley.
There were 89 overall entries. It was a tough job for the
three judges to determine which were the best of the best. Don
Hall from Fresno, CA was awarded Best of Show for his 1952
Mark-7 Jaguar and the Best Mustang Trophy was taken home
by Joel Lorenzana of Wasco, CA for his 1965 Ford Mustang.
Congratulations Don and Joel!
Since the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Ford Mustang is being
celebrated this year, it was one of the best represented cars at
the show followed closely by the ever-loved Chevy Camaro.
$5 off Dinner
for 2
2 Dinners must be purchased with salad.
Not valid with any other coupon or discount.
Good for dine-in or take-out.
Oakhurst
40282 N. Hwy 41
Oakhurst CA 93644
(559) 641-5588
Fresno
5251 N. Blackstone Ave.
Fresno CA 93710
(559) 447-9058
Kingsburg
935 Sierra Street
Kingsburg CA 93631
(559) 419-9198
“All The Italian You Need To Know”
“All The Italian You Need To Know”
But everyone certainly was
able to
find his or
her
favorite car,
p i c k- up ,
motorcycle, rat
rod, custom, etc.
vehicle at
this special event.
Of special interest to many was the “Legends of
Kearney Bowl Race Cars.” So many people stopped by
to tell a tale of childhood Friday nights spent with family and friends at Kearney; breathing in exhaust and
dust as the legendary drivers flashed by and thrilled us
(and the guy behind you blew cigar smoke down your
back).
Thanks to all who spent the time and expense to
bring these beautiful objects for the public to observe,
inspire and envy at the Sanger Chamber of Commerce
Blossom Day Festival 2015. It will be MoPar’s turn to
celebrate its 50th year anniversary in 2016. Be sure to
mark your calendars for next year’s event on March 6,
2016 because, although it couldn’t get much better
than this year, it will be bigger!
This article was written by Sharri-Gumber Carter,
Ambassador, Sanger Chamber of Commerce.
Rods & Relics Car Show
Friday June 5, 2015 “Thunder in the Valley Show & Shine”
at Thunder Valley Casino Resort, 1200 Athens Ave., Lincoln,
CA., hosted by Rods & Relics of Lincoln Hills and Thunder
Valley Casino Resort, open to all 1975 and older American
Made or American powered vehicles. Spectators Free. Cash or
non-perishable food donation requested of participants. Registration 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. Show 4:00 – 9:00 p.m. Awards, raffle,
music, food and drinks. Lodging: Thunder Valley Resort 877468-8777 or www.thundervalleyresort.com. Show is a prelude
to Saturday’s Downtown Lincoln Classic Car Show. Info
www.rodsnrelics.net or Ray Geiger 916-543-0464
Saturday June 6, 2015 9th Annual Downtown Lincoln
Classic Car Show hosted by Rods & Relics of Lincoln Hills and
VFW Post 3010. Show open to all 1975 and older American
Made or American powered vehicles. Registration before May
15 is $20.00, after May 15 $25.00. Show to benefit The Lighthouse Counseling & Family Resource Center, Ride to Walk,
and The National Down Syndrome Coalition. Registration
from 7:00 – 10:00 a.m., Show from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
50+ trophies and plaques will be awarded at 2:30 p.m. Dash
plaques and Goody Bags for the first 200 cars registered. Raffle
prizes, music, food, vendors and fun for all in beautiful Historic
Downtown Lincoln. NSRA safety inspections available. Boy
Scout breakfast 7 – 10 a.m. www.rodsnrelics.net for registration
forms etc or call Ray Geiger 916-543-0464.