Before actually making it out of the parking lot, I was stopped by this beautiful custom Camaro. The amount of convertible 1969 Camaros driving around Texas is a pretty low number, so I had to take a closer look. This one has been tastefully modified with custom wheels, as well as a high performance LS motor, as evidenced by the "SS/LS" badge on the hood.
I was almost in the car show when I had to make one last detour. This 1969 El Camino was too cool to pass up, and was clearly a daily driver. Badging indicated a 350 V8, which means that this car, or truck, if you prefer, is no slouch.
Alright, that's enough from the parking lot. On to the cars of the show, which are arranged by year, to make things easy. Starting us off is this 1932 Ford sedan. A 1932 Ford is far from unique, as every car show seems to have at least one, but unmodified versions are less common, and a sedan is rarer still. The red wheels and blue paint combine nicely on this car, lending to its classic look.
I'd seen this bluer-than-blue Ford before, but hadn't taken that close of a look at it. However, I have to admit there's something about this car that really works. Few cars on the road, or anywhere else for that matter, have paint jobs this striking, so it stands out. Although I guess it's hard to drive around in a classic Ford coupe and not stand out. A sweet ride for sure.
Some cars look good with flames, and some cars don't. This 1936 Ford coupe definitely falls into the first category. A radical interior and custom wheels were cool additions to a hot car, and made the whole thing look even better.
Although I admire the polished, pristine show cars, I prefer to see workhorses like this. Cars were meant to be driven and enjoyed, not displayed behind velvet ropes. This 1936 Ford pickup is clearly a daily driver. It shows its patina with pride, and the wooden box in the back suggests a previous life as a farm truck. This one was just plain cool.
This 1951 Chevrolet truck is one of the best looking pickups I've ever seen. The silver-grey paint and dark grey wheels gave it an almost stealthy appearance. You get plenty of old American pickups here in Texas, but this just might be my favorite one yet.
Like I said, there's no shortage of old American trucks around here. This one, a 1953 Chevrolet, stood out with its bright yellow paint job. There's not a lot to say about this one, other than mention how clean it was.
This 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air had all the right stuff. The paint combination was gorgeous, the interior was immaculate, and custom wheels added a little bit of personalization. This is my favorite "Tri-Five" Chevy, although the fin-tastic '56 and '57 models are definitely not bad cars. I simply prefer the ultra-clean lines of the '55.
That said, it's hard to go wrong with this 1957 Bel Air. Light blue suits these cars, and the aftermarket wheels on this one look great. Not a whole lot to be said about this one. It's just a good-looking car.
What we have here is a 1963 Ford Galaxie 500XL. The nondescript white paint job might lead you to believe that this is just an average Ford grocery getter, but you'd be wrong. Under the hood lies a Holman-Moody 390 V8, which is more than capable of smoking any opposition you could find in 1963. Overall, this was a super nice car.
Yes, yet another Chevrolet pickup. I'll be brief on this one, and say that it's a 1964 Stepside, and it looks good in blue. Very good.
I'll start to speed things up a little bit, as there's plenty of pictures. This 1965 Malibu SS was classy, and the custom rims are a nice addition. This one was nondescript, yet at the same time it stood out.
This is one I didn't expect to see. The experienced gearhead will recognize this as a 1965 Sunbeam Tiger, which is a Sunbeam Alpine powered by a Mustang V8. The brilliant idea was the brainchild of none other than Carroll Shelby, who had achieved fame with the Cobra by doing almost the same thing.
This 1967 Ford Mustang GT has a lot going for it. Custom wheels, spoiler, and hood scoop combine with an iconic Mustang paint scheme, white with blue stripes. Terlingua badging on the sides pays homage to the Mustang racing efforts of the aforementioned Carroll Shelby. Power comes from a modified 428 Ford engine.
Here's another 1967 Mustang, this time a GT-A fastback. Blue paint and retro wheels made this car an eye-catcher.
This is a car you don't see everyday, a Mercury Cougar. This one is in pristine condition, and rides on aftermarket Cragar wheels. I was very pleased to see this at the show, as Cougars seem to be getting rarer and rarer.
Seeing a genuine Shelby is always a treat, and this 1967 GT 350 doesn't dissappoint. Rock chips marked the Brittany Blue paint, showing that this car is a daily driver. It's hard not to like this car.
Seeing one Shelby is uncommon, but two? That's pretty unlikely. Nonetheless, this 1968 Shelby GT 350 convertible was soaking up some Texas sunshine. I don't know the exact numbers, but a convertible Shelby is pretty rare these days, so I was thrilled to look at one up close.
This 1969 AMX was wild. Side exhaust, tuned engine, and plenty of custom bodywork drew attention. The silver paint was highlighted by blue stripes, a color combo that works well on this classic AMC.
Basking in the shade was this 1969 Corvette Stingray Convertible. The yellow paint was hard to miss, and made the car that much cooler.
This 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 was absolutely flawless. A 351 V8 coupled to an automatic transmission provided power. The white interior was unique, and the color was reminiscient of a European sports car. I quite liked this one.
It was great convertible weather, and this 1969 Pontiac Le Mans was in its natural habitat. Seeing a Le Mans is refreshing, as they are less common compared to a GTO or a Grand Prix. This one was especially nice in red.
Here we have another Mustang, a 1972 Mach 1 in yellow. This generation was the last of the muscle Mustangs, and lasted until 1973. In 1974, the Mustang became the rather unpleasant Mustang II. The 70s weren't kind to muscle cars.
Mopars were in short supply at the show, but this little Dodge Dart Swinger didn't dissappoint. It was clean, cool, and simple. A good car can be fairly plain-jane, as this Dart clearly illustrates.
A Triumph Stag is a car you don't see very often in the United States. Yet somehow, this one snuck in. The groovy British sports car is stylish yet simple. Nothing overly complex or complicated. This one has been kept in stock condition, and is very well-maintained.
Last of all is this 1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z. It's impossible not to want one of these at least a little. The color is pretty, and T tops are just plain cool.
So that's that. It was an impressive turnout, with lots to look at. You've got to admire car culture, and the people that drive long distances to show off their car. The people are friendly and talkative, the cars are cool, and on days like this, the weather is perfect. There's no place on Earth like a good car show.
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