Tag Archives: Cars

Cars at the Route 66 Roadfest, I

This weekend was the second annual Route 66 Roadfest at the Fairgrounds here in Tulsa. It was a little subdued just because of all the rain that we had. I went last year and really enjoyed it. They have a lot of information grouped by decades of the history of Route 66 and how it was gradually supplanted by interstate highways and is now in a full blown revival. So all that was fun to read and review. I was also interested in the cars. They have a lot of vintage cars on display as well and took lots of photos of them. I love the styling of old cars but I like driving new cars. The old cars were very unreliable and required lots of routine maintenance.

A VW Microbus. My wife’s parents had one and they went camping in it all the time. They talk in warm tones about them. I remember back in the 60’s they were everywhere. Now going up mountain passes? That was not their jam. Lots on the side of the road cooling off. I love the train case on top of the bus. Remember train cases? All the traveling ladies had train cases. I haven’t seen one in years.

And some people had stickers, some had many stickers. We were never a sticker family. The only sticker I have had on my car ever was a Dallas Cowboys sticker. I no longer have one. Being a Cowboys fan is not anything to be proud of these days. But I am still a fan! A stealth fan!! Don’t tell anybody, you are sworn to secrecy. Too late for you to back out now. I’m watching you!!

And an old 60’s model Chevrolet Corvette. Time was only airline pilots, millionaire’s and IBM salesmen had them. Now it’s just old boomers dreaming of the good ole days.

Back in the day even family sedans had lots of chrome, swoopy curves, and whitewall tires. Now all the cars look like Toyotas. Now I like Toyota’s don’t get me wrong but you won’t see me posting any photos of them.

And a little bit older car. Look at all that chrome and paint job!!

More chrome and two tones of paint.

I had a lot of fun. I’ll post more car photos later.

Linking with My Corner of the World

2022 Darryl Starbird Rod and Custom Car Show

Football season is over, what to do on Sunday?? I know, I went to the Darryl Starbird Rod and Custom Car Show at the fairgrounds. The Starbird Show is all about hot rods and custom cars, not your boring old Fords and Toyotas. All of the cars at the Starbird Show are one of a kind.

They are painted bright colors and polished to a high gloss. They are works of art in my mind.

Works of art that can be driven.

This car was supposedly built just for one episode of “Love American Style.” Is there another television show more 1970’s than Love American Style. The placard with the car said that it was for sale (no price asked) and had been in storage for 40 years. Huh?

I am not sure I want a car like this but I will look at it all day long.

This is one of my favorites. It looks like a Jetsons car (anybody out there remember the Jetson cartoons) with the bubble top. That is not the best part though.

The quilted interior is my favorite. And look, no spedometer! (or any other instrumentation for that matter. Pure style.

A customized Jaguar XJS Convertible.

A hotrod with a bathtub style body.

Is this not a surfer’s car?

No leaning over for a kiss in this car!

And another favorite. Sensitive readers should skip over this part. Apologies to everybody, Sorry, not sorry. I’ve seen a number of cars over the years with the logo “The Panty Dropper” on it. Very vulgar and low class, I assure you. I assure you, yes I do. Well at the Starbird Car Show the tables are turned. I present the “The Boxer Dropper” owned by a woman. Note the pair of boxers on the ground. (No!! they are not mine, shame on you for thinking that! It is a nice car though.) I loved this car and the concept. And I love that women are getting involved in custom cars.

My favorite car at the show was “Pannama” which may or may not have been in the car that the Van Halen Song “Panama” is based on. The owner had a photo of a car that looked like this with David Lee Roth (the lead singer of Van Halen in case you are wondering.”

The car is absolutely gorgeous and appears to be similar to the car in the video for the song. Below is the video.

Thank you for sticking me through all this. I’ve been to several of the Starbird Car Show. Check this link to check out my previous posts.

I am linking up with Image-in-ing. Check them out, join in!!

A Visit to the “Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum”

Earlier this month I visited the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum in the Tulsa suburb of Sapulpa. You can’t miss it, it is right on Route 66 and has this gigantic gasoline pump outside.

Ironically the museum has connections for charging electric cars in their parking lot.

And then when you walk up to the entrance you pass these front ends of various cars on your way. Do you know what they are? I don’t, but I do know that there is a geocache nearby that I found a few months ago. The really good stuff though is inside the building.

They have a “Special Built” Maserati. Very swoopy. It is not very high. I imagine it can go really fast.

Pure function on the interior though. Not too much luxury but have you seen so many drink cup holders? (I am not sure that is what they are.)

Then a little 1958 BMW Isletta. I think it is kind of cute.

Here’s a 1967 Amphicar, made to travel on the road and in the water. Made in Germany not many were made. I remember the 60’s when I was in grade school. We were lied to, by now all cars should be amphicars and not and fly as well. What happened to the future of the Jetsons.

Here’s the propellers underneath the car. I watched a couple of videos about the car. One of them said that the problem is that the Amphicar combined the worst properties of a car with the worst properties of a boat.

I don’t see anybody wearing a lifejacket. I don’t think it would do very well in any sort of waves.

Here is a 1958 Messerschmitt. I don’t know what the model is. The guy at the museum said that Messerschmitt was forbidden to build aircraft for a while after WWII so to keep things going, they built cars.

A 1947 MG. There is nothing like British Sports Cars in my opinion. Yes they were not very reliable and expensive to operate and maintain but they are beautiful.

This car is owned by a friend of mine and is on loan to the museum (as most of the cars seem to be.) It is a 1955 Jaguar XK 140-MC. Talk about smooth beautiful lines this is it. I always loved Jaguars. Not the modern ones though. They are now expensive Fords in my opinion.

And they have lots of other cars and car memorabilia. Check their web site for more info. I think they are open Tuesday through Sunday. Cheap to get in, $6.50.

I’m linking with Our World Tuesday. Check it out.

2021 Tulsa Auto Show

I’m vaccinated and the numbers in Oklahoma are down right now so I ventured to Tulsa’s Expo Square for the Tulsa Auto Show. It’s the first exhibition I have been to since this pandemic began.

They had lots of snazzy cars there. Here is the new Ford Bronco II. It looks great. It’s list price is $91,000 plus or minus or roughly three and half times what my car cost. So my question why anybody who can afford this would sleep in a tent on the roof? Maybe that’s you can afford after buying it?

I was intrigued by the high performance electric cars they had on display. They were all pushed to the side for some reason. I suspect that we are going to be seeing more and more high performance electric cars. Above is a Ford Mustang, the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

The Jaguar I-Pace All Electric SUV

The Porsche Taycan

The Volvo C40 Recharge

Jeep had a pre-production model of their Rubicon. Not for sale now but soon!!!

Here’s is a Rubicon with a Hemi Engine in it. Probably about the same cost as the Ford Bronco II.

They had some classic cars as well. I love this thing. I don’t want to own it, I just want to look at it.

And this gangster car.

My favorite was the General Motors Futurliner. GM had a caravan of ten of these that starting in the 30’s would go from town to town and set up shows of how wonderful the future was going to be. They quit doing it in the mid 50’s because people could see what the future was going to be by watching their televisions.

So the Futurliners were sold. Oral Roberts bought one to use as a traveling church in South America.

I love them.

So anyway, that’s the report from the Tulsa Auto Show. My only parting comment is that they promised they would enforce masking and spacing but they didn’t. You might want to keep that in mind if you want to see any other events at Expo Square. I wore my mask and kept my distance.

I’m linking with Our World Tuesday

Tulsa 2019 Auto Show

I sneaked off for a little bit today amongst a busy day to check out the Tulsa Auto Show at the Fairgrounds.

It has considerably downsized in the twenty some years I have been going. People don’t seem as excited about cars as what they used to be.

I don’t blame them. All the sedans look like Toyota and the truck and SUV’s look alike also.

The emphasis these days seems to be on technology and other features. My new Subaru is impressive. It has twin cameras installed up by the rear view mirror and they almost drive the car by themself. If I have an excursion they car pulls back into the lane. My car also sends me a monthly email telling me how it is doing. It never asks how I am doing. Maybe the next big thing will be cars with more emotional intelligence. You heard it here first.

They also have lots of older cars there. I love them. You can actually tell them apart from each other.

I wonder why don’t see pickups like this any longer?

I love the Corvairs. Lots of cool technology in these cars. Not because of gee whiz type features but of operational simplicity.

The new pickup trucks are gigantic but I love the look of the older trucks better. Especially if they have cool two toned paint jobs like this. Look at that grill!

Anyway, I had a lot of fun. I like car shows. Have you been to one lately?

I am linking with Our World Tuesday!!

2019 Starbird Car Show

Saturday I headed to Tulsa’s Expo Square to check out the Starbird Car Show. I have been going every year the last several years.

This car show features one of a kind cars, Custom Cars that are heavily modified for shows.

High gloss paint jobs and displayed with lights and mirrors.

I think the owners spend a lot more money than they will ever receive.

But I, along with lots of others, love to look at them. I had never seen such crowsds at the show before. It seems cars have had steadily lower status in our culture for years now.

_DSC0613 — 1958 Chrysler New Yorker
“Kandy Gold Color”

People used to identify with their cars. Not so much any longer.

_DSC0615 — 1957 Ford Fairlane
“Jade Idol II

These cars are works of art.

And not very practical.

Enough words for this post. I have lots more photos. I love rat rods but I am going to do another post for that.

I am linking with Our World Tuesday

Tulsa World article on the Starbird Car Show

Previous Posts on the Starbird Car Show

Our World Tuesday – 2018 Tulsa Auto Show

Friday afternoon, I hooked up with one of my friends and we made our way to the Tulsa Auto Show at Expo Square. The show features lots of new cars and has quite a few older cars. This year the hit of the show was the 1939 GM Futurliner that I posted about a couple days ago. Hit the link to go to that post if you wish. I am of two minds about cars. I love the technology, safety features, and durability of new cars but I love the styling of the old cars. Having said that, old cars of any type are a pain in the rear to own without major upgrades. Changing spark plugs, condenser, and coil the time, checking the timing was a major pain. Flooding out whenever you splashed through water was terrible. I hate older cars. I love the newer cars. Except they all look alike.

So we looked at all the cars but I took photos mainly of the older cars. Especially the Ford Thunderbirds. I don’t think there are that many more beautiful cars than the mid 1950’s Thunderbirds. They styling, the colors!!

But like I said before. I don’t want to own one. Hey, you have one and want to loan it to me for a day on a nice sunny day. Sure, I will take you up on it. But I will return it and drive back home in my old Kia Soul. (All is Well, With My Soul, as the hymn goes.)

Not just the tbirds, most of the cars had nice streamline, swoopy styling and many unique paint jobs.

And some had chrome everywhere. I love a lot of chrome.

So I admit, I took photos of almost all the old cars and hardly any of the new cars. The new cars all look like Toyotas anyway.

I love this two tone paint.

Here is an oldster.

Here is an ugly older car. it looks like an upside down bathtub.

Here is something unique. It looks like a gangster car. You can tell I am not a real car guy. My friend was and knew what all the cars were and he told me but I am an old guy and it was in one ear and out the other. If the cars have window tags I generally take photos of those for later reference. No window tags though. So you are on your own identifying these.

Now this, this is a Pierce Arrow. Love, love, love this car. I highly recommend that you buy one, and let me borrow it from time to time.

It has got one of the prettiest hood ornaments ever. The Tulsa Route 66 Marathon passes out replicas for their race models. I am a proud owner of one of them.

How about one of these. What child of the late 50’s and 60’s didn’t get hauled around in a station wagon. Nine or ten kids would fit in these, some laying down in the back. It is a wonder we didn’t all die.

Here is a new car I found. The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. It has a 707 horsepower engine and brakes to match. Its kind of sad. When it first come out a few years ago and was on display it was mobbed by guys looking at it. Of course, their were young women in short skirts and high heels answering questions. Now, you got guys with clipboards wanting to answer your questions, at least when they look up from their cell phones and happen to notice you. I felt like asking them where the women with high heels were but didn’t want to get all swarmed up in the me too movement.

So that’s a wrap on this years Tulsa Auto Show!!

I am linking with Our World Tuesday

General Motors Futurliner Number 10 at the Tulsa Car Show

The Futurliner was the hit of the car show. The open door to the left leads up stairs to the driver’s seat. There are two passenger seats behind the driver. The open door to the left leads to the engine compartment.

Something new came to Tulsa the other day. Or more accurately something old came to Tulsa looking like nothing I had ever seen. GM Futurliner Number 10 made a round downtown and then headed to the 2018 Tulsa Car Show where it was the main attraction. I had never heard of them but apparently they were popular in the day. General Motors made twelve Futurliners for the World’s Fair in 1939 and afterwards sent them across the country along with 32 support vehicles putting on a show at each stop called “Parade of Progress” trumpeting modern science and technology. Each vehicle was self contained with stage and lights and had their own segment of the exhibition. Number 10 was originally devoted to “Opportunity for Youth.”

Another view. Up top you can see the built in floodlights to illuminate the stage.

The show was very popular but was halted during World War II and then started up again after the war and ended in 1955. A victim of a technology called television.

These things are huge, 11’6″ tall and 30 feet long and a wheelbase of 8 feet. They weigh 30,000 pounds. They were powered originally by a four cylinder engine and then later a six cylinder that had only 145 hp. The top speed was 50 mph. Number 10 is owned by the National Auto and Truck Museum in Auburn, Indiana. A representative of the museum said that it can be driven around town but for moves from town to town they load it up on a trailer.

Here is the stage on the right hand side.

The design of the vehicle is beautiful, streamline art deco with shiny panels and bright red and a white top. I love the tires. Big old fat white walls. The hub cap had an atomic symbol on it. It sure recalls a bygone age of unbridled optimism in the future. The vehicle is Art Deco on Steroids and is just so beautiful.

Big fat white walls and the cool hubcap with the atomic symbol on it.

The Futurliners have a Tulsa connection. Oral Roberts, Tulsa’s own prosperity gospel preacher bought one and renamed it the “Cathedral Cruiser” and used it to barnstorm the United States, Mexico and South America.

Sitting in the driver’s seat. I don’t think it had power steering.

Of the twelve original Futurliners only about eight or nine still exist and of those only a few have been restored like this one.

What a view from the driver’s seat. I think it would be scary as heck to drive. You would never be wondering what it is happening up ahead.

I had never heard of Futurliners until I saw something posted online about this one parked downtown Thursday afternoon. I could have kicked myself because it was parked right across the street from where I work and I didn’t see it. I got a good look today at the car show and even got to sit in the drivers seat for a minute or so.

Legendary 1939 Futurliner to Headline Auction Block at Hot August Nights

What the Heck are Dagmars? Road Trip to a Car Auction

Last week my friend Richard invited me and his other friend Wayne to the Leake Car Auction in Oklahoma City. We met at Richard’s office here in Tulsa and rode down the turnpike to the State Fairgrounds to a big huge barn of a building where the auction was held.

Richard and Wayne are car guys. They know a lot about almost every kind of car. Me, I like cars also but I can’t quote chapter and verse on them. I love the older “swoopy” style cars and the more fins and different colors, the better.

I know I hurt peoples feelings but I think most cars today look like Toyotas. Having said that I think modern day cars are lots better mechanically than the older cars.

Growing up we had cheap cars for me and my siblings to drive. Cheap was good but I was never quite sure if the car was going to start for the return trip. This was back in the days before cell phones and such. We had tow ropes in all cars and jumper cables and used them a lot.

So I love the old classic cars but let me keep my Kia Soul.

The other thing I love about old cars is a reminder of car culture.

When I was a kid, car culture was king. Everybody I knew got their learners permit on the day they were eligible, and then a few months later you got your drivers license on your birthday. Nowadays, kids are a lot more casual about it.

I used to grab the car magazines, “Car and Driver“, “Road and Track” and devour the reviews and memorize the statistics. Horsepower, torque, 0 to 60 times, displacement, brake types,, everything.

People identified with the cars, or at least the cars they wanted. Me, I drove a Renault Dauphine, top speed of about 48 mph. The car I wanted was a Chrysler Hemi Challenger. I watched the movie Vanishing Point, over and over. The final scene where he crashes his Challenger into bulldozers is the greatest scene in movie history.

So here I am, 47 years later, dreaming of Hemi Challengers.

Anywho, there were lots of car guys way back when. They worked on their cars, many of them took shop classes and learned how to modify their cars. Car culture is on the decline. Most of the attendees at the car shows and auctions I go to are about my age or older. I think it is kind of sad.

Of course nowdays it is hard to work on your car. Everything is computer controlled.

So still I love looking at the old cars. They are beautiful.

Many of them are elegant.

I love the old IHS Scouts. Very rugged. The people I knew who owned them had to work on them constantly. Finding parts was a challenge.

I love this old Plymouth.

Richard pointed out to me that the hood ornament was a stylized sailing ship. Very art deco I would say.

One of the few Camaros we saw.

I loved the paint job. Wayne used to teach car painting at a local school. He showed me some of the things to look for in a paint job and the difference between slapdash and good.

Here is an old Henry J. Richard told me that it is pretty close to the Renault Dauphine that I used to drive.

Love the chrome, the shape, and the color and the covered wheel wells and the white wall tires.

Love the color.

So you may be wondering, what the heck are Dagmars. They are a car part named after an early 1950’s television actress named Dagmar. That is right, just one name.

Here is a closeup of a Dagmar. And a bonus selfie of me taking the photo.

Here is her photo. So, do you get why they call those bumper things, Dagmars? Let me know.

Anyway we three had a great time. Richard did all the driving and treated us to lunch.

I am linking with Our World Tuesday

2017 Tulsa Auto Show

I took some time off work early today and checked out the 2017 Tulsa Auto Show at Expo Square in Tulsa. It is the 100th Anniversary of the Show!

I’ve been going to the show off and on for over two decades and it has steadily shrunk. Maybe this year will be a turning point.

They had new cars of course and many vintage cars. The vintage cars in my eyes are just plain a lot more interesting than the new cars. Most of the new cars look like Toyotas in my opinion. Nothing wrong with Toyotas. I love them that are very good dependable cars but a bit boring.

Not that many new cars have a sense of style. There are exceptions. I love the Ford Flex above and of course the car above it, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. I got on the web site and configured one for only $75,000 bucks and change. That is about five times what I paid for my Kia Soul.

For about the same price as the Hellcat you can have this ~~Toyota~~ uh er, I mean Maserati Levant boring if you ask me.

Now this Range Rover has a little style.

Or this storm chasing vehicle. I don’t get storm chasers. Do storm chasers do anything useful. Here in Oklahoma we watch storms on TV a lot. The typical storm chaser report is like “Yea Dan, we are in downtown Bartlesville and there is definitely some wind and some rain!” Seriously dudes. Stay home, get off the road. Where you can do something useful like take out the trash.

I love the older cars like this mid 1950’s Chevy.

Or this vintage NASCAR stock car.

I love the older Thunderbirds, lots of funky colors. No Toyotas back then.

I even like the Corvairs.

And I love the restored mid century pick up trucks. The curves and colors on this.

And this

Who doesn’t love an old British Sports Car?

Adn I love the really old cars. Don’t want to own one mind you, I just like looking at them.

These cars are beautiful but give me a boring modern car any time to actually own and operate.

Cars have come a long way over the decades. Our family always had sketchy cars. I never knew if they would start or not. I don’t know how we did it back in the days before cell phones. I had lots of experience with getting a jump from somebody and other skills necessary to get things going. I don’t even own jumper cables any longer.

OSU Tech had a demo car that showed the engine and drive train moving. I loved it.

Check out the Tulsa Auto Show if you are interested. It has two more days to run. 10 to 9 on Saturday and 10 to 6 on Sunday. Get two for one tickets at Quik Trip and save some money. Check out the Hellcat!

YogisDen.us

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Tag Archives: Cars

Cars at the Route 66 Roadfest, I

2022 Darryl Starbird Rod and Custom Car Show

A Visit to the “Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum”

2021 Tulsa Auto Show

Tulsa 2019 Auto Show

2019 Starbird Car Show

Our World Tuesday – 2018 Tulsa Auto Show

I am linking with Our World Tuesday

General Motors Futurliner Number 10 at the Tulsa Car Show

What the Heck are Dagmars? Road Trip to a Car Auction

I am linking with Our World Tuesday

2017 Tulsa Auto Show

I am linking with Our World Tuesday

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