Frostburg, MD Cruisin' Main Street 2015 - September 3, 2015

Wesley Barton

Hello! Things have still been busy, but I was lucky enough to get some shots for the blog from the local car cruise-in on Thursday evening.

All images were taken by me and are watermarked to prevent theft.

I'll include information about each car under the photos.

Nissan R35 GT-R

Another shot of the R-35

Gorgeous Maserati coupe

And another view

Old flower delivery van 

Side view of the delivery van

And the inside

Nice old Bertone Fiat

Grand National. Amazing power for its time.

The menacing front end of the Dodge Challenger Hellcat. The hood scoops and unique fascia treatment let you know that this beast means business.

Hellcat badge, and a little peek at those huge Brembos.

A better look at those scoops.

Under the hood of a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T equipped with the 426 HEMI.

'70 Challenger R/T interior

The other E-body of the 1970s, a '71 Plymouth Cuda with a 440 under the hood.

A very classy, yet aggressive looking Jaguar

The rear of the Jag.

Gorgeous old Packard

The rear of a C2 Corvette. Not a split window but still quite pretty.

C7 Covette Stingray in a unique green.

This is definitely unique. Take a look at the grille! That's some creativity for sure.

An original Ford Bronco. Very rare sight.

Ok, that's all for right now. Enjoy these pictures. There's more to come in the near future! Remember, check us out on social media!

All photos taken by Wesley Barton, with the exception of the event photo at the top. Photos were taken with an LG G3 smartphone, and are owned by me. All photos are watermarked and are not to be reposted without express permission.

I'm Sorry For the Absence

Wesley Barton

Things haven't being going particularly well in my personal life lately, so I really haven't been able to post for a while. Just some issues I've been running into with health and family. I will be back to full-time with some regular updates here soon though. Don't worry too much.

Thanks for the continued support.

Rest in Peace, Lenny Robinson, the Lamborghini-driving Batman

Wesley Barton

Occasionally, this blog is going to focus on something that's not completely car-related, but still has some bearing on MD-based automotive news. This is one of those occasions, and unfortunately this isn't good news.

Lenny Robinson with his 'Batmobile' Lamborghini. Photo Credit: Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post

On Sunday night, Lenny Robinson, 51, was traveling through Hagerstown, MD, returning home from a car show in West Virginia, when he was struck by a vehicle and killed. He had pulled over after experiencing some mechanical issues with his car, when a driver in a Toyota Camry struck his car, which then hit into him. He was dead on the scene.

Robinson flew into the public eye back in 2012, after he was pulled over by police in Silver Spring, MD, due to an issue with his plates. The footage went viral. As it was explained, Robinson was a man who traveled to hospitals around Maryland and Washington D.C. to visit children with cancer. There, he would provide them gifts, autographs, support, and comfort. Anything he autographed was always signed Batman. He donned the $5,000 costume back in 2001, according to various news outlets. In 2012, he purchased a replica of the 1960s Batmobile. It's not currently clear at the time of this writing which vehicle Robinson was driving at the time of the crash.

Today, the world, and especially the Maryland region, is a colder place without Mr. Robinson. He did a great duty to all of the children who were suffering. I hope that one day soon, somebody else dons the cowl and takes his place. The man himself can never be replaced, but his acts of kindness can always be continued.

Condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew him. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I know he was an amazing person.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Robinson.

Further reading/sources:

Route 29 Batman is killed after his Batmobile breaks down along a Md. highway (Washington Post)

Maryland's 'Lamborghini Batman' Killed In Highway Crash (Jalopnik)

Foreign Car Show Photos - 08/14/2015

Wesley Barton

Good morning, and happy Monday, readers! I had a busy weekend, so I'm only now just getting to updating. And I have some pics for you guys!

I was at a small foreign car show on Friday evening, and caught a few nice rides there.

Let's have a look!

First off, we have this lovely Lotus Esprit. A very unique wedge shape is on display, and it almost calls to mind its contemporary Lamborghinis. Of course, this doesn't take it to the same extreme, but it's still a very wild design. 

Next up here, we've got this gorgeous example of a 1980s Porsche 911 Carrera. What I like about this one is that it looks like it actually gets driven. It's got some body imperfections, and I noticed some faded spots on the paint. It's not completely pristine, and that makes it even better.

Next, we have this Alfa-Romeo Spider Veloce. A light paint color shows that it's somewhat subtle, though it does have a nice wooden manual shifter which adds a bit of class. It's definitely not something you see every day.

Finally, there's an awesome Nissan Juke Nismo RS. One of the only newer cars there, this really stood out, especially with the more aggressive front end, color scheme, and decals. Unfortunately, it wasn't a manual, but it definitely looks pretty sporty. The black and red theme was carried over into the interior.

So, as you can see, there were some pretty nice rides there. 

I'm still working on the schedule for this week, but I'll add a post a bit later once it's all sorted out. 

All photo credits Wesley Barton

I'm Featured on a Podcast!

Wesley Barton

Good afternoon, readers and enthusiasts! Bit of a late update today, sorry about that.

But good news! I was a featured guest on a podcast last night with the Untitledcarshow. You can follow them on Twitter here (@Untitledcarshow).

You can listen to the podcast here.

It basically goes into detail on the shutdown and revival of Cumberland, MD's autocross, rallycross events, my own car history, my upcoming interview with Ms. Sprint Cup, and the general automotive culture in MD, among other various topics. It runs about half an hour in length, and provides some pretty interesting tidbits about everything going on.

Listen, enjoy, have fun! Thanks again to Untitledcarshow, and by extension, the host, Ike, for having me on!

Busy Times Coming Up For The Next Several Weeks

Wesley Barton

Good morning folks!

So, things are looking busy for the blog! And that's a good thing!

First things first, I'm going to be a guest on a podcast that's being recorded tonight. Be sure to listen for me!

I'll be at a foreign car show in town on Friday evening. I may even try to have my car in the show, but I'm not too sure on that yet.

Then, on Saturday the 22nd, I've gotten the green light to be on hand for the Autocross event. There's going to be pictures, and videos, and hopefully some interviews with some of the participants and staff.

Beyond that, Miss Sprint Cup, the one from right here in my town, has agreed to an interview! That's a pretty big deal. Details haven't been hashed out as of yet, but she has agreed, so it's a step in the right direction.

Also, more details are being worked out with the collaboration from another blog. Expect to see some posts from this blog shared on their site possibly, as well as some of their articles shared to my blog.

September is looking busy as well. There's two different car shows in the first week for me to attend, as well as another Autocross series later in the month. Also, I'll be traveling to Morgantown in mid-September, and there's a Morgan Autos dealership there. Since that's pretty close to MD, I'll be doing my best to go there, and check out some cool stuff they have there. I'll report back here with what I see.

Business is picking up in the MD Car Culture world! Good things are coming! Make sure you, the reader, are a part of it! Remember, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, and add us on Google+! Even subscribe to us on Youtube, once we get some videos up!

This Week's Schedule

Wesley Barton

Hello, I've got to apologize, first off.

Some plans fell through for last week's schedule due to illness and lack of willing participation from other parties. But you gotta keep trying. This is a new week though, with new opportunities.

And with that, we have, with one hundred percent guarantee, at least the following:

I'm going to be featured on a podcast some time this week, for the first event. For the second event, there's a foreign car show in town on Friday, which I will absolutely be attending. I'll be getting pictures and videos. There should be some nice cars there, and I'll be getting some nice pictures, and possibly video as well.

Third, on a personal level, I'm getting my red 2002 Dodge Durango tagged and on the road later this week. It'll be nice to have two running, registered vehicles again. I'll provide some new pictures, and a list of the work to be done on it. She's a beauty and fully loaded, so we can tow and transport in comfort.

I'll post more as I have it!