Wesley Barton
Good morning everybody! Sorry for the lack of updates, but between a stomach bug, and being away from a computer, a short break was necessitated during the weekend.
But, not to worry, as I'm back in full force! Thank you for understanding! Here shortly, I'll be posting a schedule of what to expect this week.
Thanks for reading!
Going into detail about automotive culture and lifestyle in the state of MD and surrounding areas
Monday, August 10, 2015
Thursday, August 6, 2015
The Rise And Fall Of A Local Dealership
Wesley Barton
Good morning! Today, I have an interesting story related to a local dealership. It began life several years ago in the neighboring town of Keyser, WV, about 30 miles away from Cumberland.
This dealership was known as Pristine Pre-Owned Autos. It was your run of the mill Buy Here Pay Here lot. Most of their vehicles were new, generally no more than 10 years old, but some were as old as late 90s models. They had a little jingle on their radio commercials. "At Pristine Autos, your job's your credit! Let Pristine Autos put you in a car today! Let Pristine Autos finance it all the way!" It was just a dumb little earworm designed to get peoples' attention.
I want to share this story, not only because it's interesting, but because I also have personal experience with the dealership.
I actually purchased a vehicle from them, myself, and didn't experience too many problems with the dealership.
The car was a 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass GLS. It was pretty well loaded, with leather seats, a power driver's seat, and AM/FM/CD/Cassette. It was powered by a 3.1L V6 mated to a 4-speed auto transmission. The car had about 136,000 miles on it when I purchased it in May of 2013. It wasn't Maryland inspected when I purchased it, however, the dealer did put it through MD inspection, and replaced a wheel bearing free of charge. I paid $500 down, and the price was something like $3,500. I paid so much a month, for a couple years. The price wasn't absolutely unreasonable either. I had an included 24 month/unlimited mileage warranty on the car, which came in handy. I'll explain why.
The first problem actually came about within 30 miles of driving. The check engine light came on, and I had a high idle with rough shifts. A quick code read diagnosed it as a faulty throttle position sensor. I purchased one from AutoZone with a lifetime warranty, replaced it, and I was good.
I drove this car a lot. As in, I put 10,000 miles on it within the first three months of ownership. That equals to 40,000 miles a year. If it had been driven that much from new, it would have had 600,000 miles. That's a ton.
Anyways, after that three months, my engine blew up. Threw a rod on me. Luckily, it was still covered under warranty. So, it got towed to the shop, the engine got replaced, and they gave me a loaner, a 2004 Chevy Malibu Classic, that I took past the 100,000 mile mark. The Olds was in the shop for nearly three weeks. The total bill for the engine replacement came out to somewhere slightly south of $3,000. Not all the work was covered under warranty, but a majority of it was. After my $100 deductible, I was on the hook for another $500 or $600, which was broken up into bi-weekly payments. It was about $200 for a three week rental, plus the few parts that weren't covered, which altogether wasn't that bad. When I got the car back, it ran like new.
Anyways, the car met an early end in January, thanks to some black ice. Overall, though, Pristine was good to deal with, in my own experience.
This was not true for a majority of its customers, though. They recently went out of business. Why? Well, for one, they were indicted on nearly 30 counts of conspiracy. They sold a stolen car. They also sold a car with a salvage title, that was changed to reflect a clear title. That's not good.
I have an excellent read here on what some of the problems that come with selling a car with a stolen title, written by the very intelligent lemon law attorney, Steve Lehto, who allowed me to use this article as reference for my post. Now, he's based in Michigan, so there may be some variances, but I can safely say, no matter where you try this, it's probably going to wind up in a similar result.
When A Dealer Sells You A Stolen Car
Thanks, Steve!
Continuing, these issues caused a lot of problems for Pristine Pre-Owned Autos. In fact, the police seized all their computers, as well as other property, for an investigation, though they were eventually returned.
Their reputation was permanently tarnished. There was clearly a lot of wrongdoing by this dealership, and they got caught. They suffered for it.
As I stated, 29 counts of conspiracy, and 29 counts of false pretense. That is a lot of felony charges. Just because I had good luck with them, doesn't mean that everyone did. And clearly, there were enough problems to cause the owner to lose his ownership and control of the dealership.
Most used car dealers in the area have been operating for twenty years or more, and a couple at least have been around for more than forty years. They know how to do business, and generally have pretty good ratings.
Now, you're probably wondering what happened to the people who were still making payments on cars from Pristine. Well, a finance company actually bought out their loans. This happened a few months after I got my car from them, shortly before the charges became known. So, anyone who bought a car from them and hadn't paid it off, they were still on the hook. This is apparently standard practice for dealerships in certain circumstances.
As I said, the original owner lost all of his ownership of Pristine. From what I understand, they're not actually out of business, at least not their Cumberland, MD, location, as I thought, when I began doing the research, but instead ownership was transferred to another company. Hopefully, this new company will handle the business better. The original owner is still with them, but now as a service manager. Hopefully, he doesn't mess that up.
The former owner still alleges no wrongdoing, and that the search and seizure of his, and the dealership's property, was completely illegal and out of bound. However, the Judge, as well as the state police, continue to state that they operated within the confines of the law.
There's a bevy of newspaper articles going through the whole investigation. I'll link to them, and let you see for yourself.
Court Considers Pristine Auto Case
Investigation Into Pristine Continues, Owner Files Complaint
Owner of Pristine Asks For Return of Seized Business Property
Mineral Judge Denies Return of Pristine Auto Documents
Files to be Returned to Pristine Pre-Owned Autos
Some of Pristine Auto's Seized Property Returned
Pristine Files Notice of Appeal with West Virginia Supreme Court
Pristine Pre-Owned Autos Owners Indicted On Multiple Counts
Indictment Case Against Owners of Pristine Pre-Owned Auto Continued
And a counter-article:
Police Arrest Man For Asserting His Rights, Then They Raided His Business
There's a lot of reading, and a lot of information there. If you get caught in shady/illegal dealership business practices, expect the hammer to come down. A lot of times, it unfortunately doesn't work this way, but fortunately, this time, justice prevailed.
Also, again, a big thanks and shout out to Mr. Lehto for permission to use his article. I suggest following him on Twitter, as well as reading his other articles and reading his podcasts. He's got a lot of knowledge regarding things like this.
Good morning! Today, I have an interesting story related to a local dealership. It began life several years ago in the neighboring town of Keyser, WV, about 30 miles away from Cumberland.
This dealership was known as Pristine Pre-Owned Autos. It was your run of the mill Buy Here Pay Here lot. Most of their vehicles were new, generally no more than 10 years old, but some were as old as late 90s models. They had a little jingle on their radio commercials. "At Pristine Autos, your job's your credit! Let Pristine Autos put you in a car today! Let Pristine Autos finance it all the way!" It was just a dumb little earworm designed to get peoples' attention.
I want to share this story, not only because it's interesting, but because I also have personal experience with the dealership.
I actually purchased a vehicle from them, myself, and didn't experience too many problems with the dealership.
The car was a 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass GLS. It was pretty well loaded, with leather seats, a power driver's seat, and AM/FM/CD/Cassette. It was powered by a 3.1L V6 mated to a 4-speed auto transmission. The car had about 136,000 miles on it when I purchased it in May of 2013. It wasn't Maryland inspected when I purchased it, however, the dealer did put it through MD inspection, and replaced a wheel bearing free of charge. I paid $500 down, and the price was something like $3,500. I paid so much a month, for a couple years. The price wasn't absolutely unreasonable either. I had an included 24 month/unlimited mileage warranty on the car, which came in handy. I'll explain why.
The first problem actually came about within 30 miles of driving. The check engine light came on, and I had a high idle with rough shifts. A quick code read diagnosed it as a faulty throttle position sensor. I purchased one from AutoZone with a lifetime warranty, replaced it, and I was good.
I drove this car a lot. As in, I put 10,000 miles on it within the first three months of ownership. That equals to 40,000 miles a year. If it had been driven that much from new, it would have had 600,000 miles. That's a ton.
Anyways, after that three months, my engine blew up. Threw a rod on me. Luckily, it was still covered under warranty. So, it got towed to the shop, the engine got replaced, and they gave me a loaner, a 2004 Chevy Malibu Classic, that I took past the 100,000 mile mark. The Olds was in the shop for nearly three weeks. The total bill for the engine replacement came out to somewhere slightly south of $3,000. Not all the work was covered under warranty, but a majority of it was. After my $100 deductible, I was on the hook for another $500 or $600, which was broken up into bi-weekly payments. It was about $200 for a three week rental, plus the few parts that weren't covered, which altogether wasn't that bad. When I got the car back, it ran like new.
Anyways, the car met an early end in January, thanks to some black ice. Overall, though, Pristine was good to deal with, in my own experience.
This was not true for a majority of its customers, though. They recently went out of business. Why? Well, for one, they were indicted on nearly 30 counts of conspiracy. They sold a stolen car. They also sold a car with a salvage title, that was changed to reflect a clear title. That's not good.
I have an excellent read here on what some of the problems that come with selling a car with a stolen title, written by the very intelligent lemon law attorney, Steve Lehto, who allowed me to use this article as reference for my post. Now, he's based in Michigan, so there may be some variances, but I can safely say, no matter where you try this, it's probably going to wind up in a similar result.
When A Dealer Sells You A Stolen Car
Thanks, Steve!
Continuing, these issues caused a lot of problems for Pristine Pre-Owned Autos. In fact, the police seized all their computers, as well as other property, for an investigation, though they were eventually returned.
Their reputation was permanently tarnished. There was clearly a lot of wrongdoing by this dealership, and they got caught. They suffered for it.
As I stated, 29 counts of conspiracy, and 29 counts of false pretense. That is a lot of felony charges. Just because I had good luck with them, doesn't mean that everyone did. And clearly, there were enough problems to cause the owner to lose his ownership and control of the dealership.
Most used car dealers in the area have been operating for twenty years or more, and a couple at least have been around for more than forty years. They know how to do business, and generally have pretty good ratings.
Now, you're probably wondering what happened to the people who were still making payments on cars from Pristine. Well, a finance company actually bought out their loans. This happened a few months after I got my car from them, shortly before the charges became known. So, anyone who bought a car from them and hadn't paid it off, they were still on the hook. This is apparently standard practice for dealerships in certain circumstances.
As I said, the original owner lost all of his ownership of Pristine. From what I understand, they're not actually out of business, at least not their Cumberland, MD, location, as I thought, when I began doing the research, but instead ownership was transferred to another company. Hopefully, this new company will handle the business better. The original owner is still with them, but now as a service manager. Hopefully, he doesn't mess that up.
The former owner still alleges no wrongdoing, and that the search and seizure of his, and the dealership's property, was completely illegal and out of bound. However, the Judge, as well as the state police, continue to state that they operated within the confines of the law.
There's a bevy of newspaper articles going through the whole investigation. I'll link to them, and let you see for yourself.
Court Considers Pristine Auto Case
Investigation Into Pristine Continues, Owner Files Complaint
Owner of Pristine Asks For Return of Seized Business Property
Mineral Judge Denies Return of Pristine Auto Documents
Files to be Returned to Pristine Pre-Owned Autos
Some of Pristine Auto's Seized Property Returned
Pristine Files Notice of Appeal with West Virginia Supreme Court
Pristine Pre-Owned Autos Owners Indicted On Multiple Counts
Indictment Case Against Owners of Pristine Pre-Owned Auto Continued
And a counter-article:
Police Arrest Man For Asserting His Rights, Then They Raided His Business
There's a lot of reading, and a lot of information there. If you get caught in shady/illegal dealership business practices, expect the hammer to come down. A lot of times, it unfortunately doesn't work this way, but fortunately, this time, justice prevailed.
Also, again, a big thanks and shout out to Mr. Lehto for permission to use his article. I suggest following him on Twitter, as well as reading his other articles and reading his podcasts. He's got a lot of knowledge regarding things like this.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Getting Your Foot In The Door When Starting A New Venture
Wesley Barton
As the creator of this new group, getting a start has been difficult. I understand that this is something that takes time and patience.
I'm trying to take this in a variety of directions, with one ultimate focus: The coverage of automotive enthusiasm in the state of Maryland and its surrounding areas.
It's only been a few days, but I have actually seen some success. For one, I'm going to be a featured guest on an automotive podcast next week. More information on that as I get it, but it's all but guaranteed.
I'm also going to try to get some collaboration work done with another, far more experienced blogger who's located in another part of the state. We've been in contact, and this person has expressed interest in collaborating. Nothing at this point is set in stone, but you gotta start somewhere.
As far as contact with other personalities and dealerships, it's still a bit up in the air. I've been in contact with a handful of dealerships so far, and most of them have expressed no interest in doing an interview. However, there are still more to contact, and I'm still waiting on response on a couple others that I've contacted.
Local personalities, pretty much the same story, but again, still more to contact. There's certainly no shortage of work to do. I'm going to be going to car shows, motorsports events, and other events, and getting some coverage. So, within the month, expect to see lots of pictures, some videos, and some thoughts and reactions to the events that will be covered. In the meantime, you'll see at least one blog post per day, possibly more, though there may be a one day break here or there. (I have a day job too! As well as a fiancée, daughter, and animals! We need a rest sometimes! ;) )
The one thing I am noticing very quick in this endeavor is that persistence is key. Rejection is a small roadblock, and not something that should stop you. Not by any means. This venture is just starting out. It's in its infancy, but to already have a little bit of luck is encouraging. Stay tuned, strap yourselves in, and hold on tight, because you're going to see this become the premier automotive group for the Maryland automotive culture, and I can promise you that. It may take some time to get where we're going, but it's going to be a heck of a ride.
I'll be back tomorrow with a (not-so) nice story about an ill-fated local used-car dealer that recently folded, thanks to a fiasco with conspiracy charges, and selling a car with a stolen title.
As the creator of this new group, getting a start has been difficult. I understand that this is something that takes time and patience.
I'm trying to take this in a variety of directions, with one ultimate focus: The coverage of automotive enthusiasm in the state of Maryland and its surrounding areas.
It's only been a few days, but I have actually seen some success. For one, I'm going to be a featured guest on an automotive podcast next week. More information on that as I get it, but it's all but guaranteed.
I'm also going to try to get some collaboration work done with another, far more experienced blogger who's located in another part of the state. We've been in contact, and this person has expressed interest in collaborating. Nothing at this point is set in stone, but you gotta start somewhere.
As far as contact with other personalities and dealerships, it's still a bit up in the air. I've been in contact with a handful of dealerships so far, and most of them have expressed no interest in doing an interview. However, there are still more to contact, and I'm still waiting on response on a couple others that I've contacted.
Local personalities, pretty much the same story, but again, still more to contact. There's certainly no shortage of work to do. I'm going to be going to car shows, motorsports events, and other events, and getting some coverage. So, within the month, expect to see lots of pictures, some videos, and some thoughts and reactions to the events that will be covered. In the meantime, you'll see at least one blog post per day, possibly more, though there may be a one day break here or there. (I have a day job too! As well as a fiancée, daughter, and animals! We need a rest sometimes! ;) )
The one thing I am noticing very quick in this endeavor is that persistence is key. Rejection is a small roadblock, and not something that should stop you. Not by any means. This venture is just starting out. It's in its infancy, but to already have a little bit of luck is encouraging. Stay tuned, strap yourselves in, and hold on tight, because you're going to see this become the premier automotive group for the Maryland automotive culture, and I can promise you that. It may take some time to get where we're going, but it's going to be a heck of a ride.
I'll be back tomorrow with a (not-so) nice story about an ill-fated local used-car dealer that recently folded, thanks to a fiasco with conspiracy charges, and selling a car with a stolen title.
User Submitted Content
Wesley Barton
Good morning! Just a quick update to the blog.
We will allow user submitted content, if you wish to submit anything. This includes pictures, videos, stories, or whatever you suggest.
Content must be SFW, and watermarking would be recommended.
Some examples might include pictures from your local Cars and Coffee, car show, or other related event in the Maryland area. (This can also include neighboring locales, such as WV, VA, PA, or DC). Or perhaps you would just like to send pictures of your vehicles themselves, explaining why you chose it, what you like or don't like about it, and anything else.
Videos can follow the same guidelines.
Stories can be something related to a car experience that you've had in MD, or again, neighboring areas. If it's interesting, I'll post it here.
From time to time, if I run across interesting content, I may request to share it to the blog, with your express permission, of course.
You can submit visual content either by email at MDCarCulture@gmail.com, and I'll post it here, or you can submit it to the Facebook page at this link, or to Instagram here at this link, or to your own Instagram page, with the hashtag, "#MDCarCulture".
Text content can be submitted via the email link above as well, or shared on the Facebook page.
We look forward to seeing what you have to share!
Good morning! Just a quick update to the blog.
We will allow user submitted content, if you wish to submit anything. This includes pictures, videos, stories, or whatever you suggest.
Content must be SFW, and watermarking would be recommended.
Some examples might include pictures from your local Cars and Coffee, car show, or other related event in the Maryland area. (This can also include neighboring locales, such as WV, VA, PA, or DC). Or perhaps you would just like to send pictures of your vehicles themselves, explaining why you chose it, what you like or don't like about it, and anything else.
Videos can follow the same guidelines.
Stories can be something related to a car experience that you've had in MD, or again, neighboring areas. If it's interesting, I'll post it here.
From time to time, if I run across interesting content, I may request to share it to the blog, with your express permission, of course.
You can submit visual content either by email at MDCarCulture@gmail.com, and I'll post it here, or you can submit it to the Facebook page at this link, or to Instagram here at this link, or to your own Instagram page, with the hashtag, "#MDCarCulture".
Text content can be submitted via the email link above as well, or shared on the Facebook page.
We look forward to seeing what you have to share!
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Big Events Coming Up!
Wesley Barton
For years, Cumberland, MD was home to the National Road Autosport, hosting different motorsport events, including autocross.
2013 was the last year for autocross here, due to changes in rules and regulations at the airport they had been using for the site.
However, due to a numerous amount of petitions and lots of rallying, a decision was made to allow use of the location again, which means the motorsports are coming back to the area.
This is a huge deal for enthusiasts. It presents the return of a huge event, that brings spectators and participants from all around the area.
Normally, there are several annual motorsports events. This year began with the Polish Mountain Hill Climb on August 1st and 2nd.
Later this month, on the 22nd and 23rd, they'll be holding the Summer Sizzler autocross event. In September, on the 12th and 13th, they'll be holding the Harvest Moon event, and to close out the year, they'll be holding the Pumpkin Carve, on October 17th and 18th.
There are a ton of unique cars that you'll see there. Miatas, M3s, Corvettes, AMGs, Porsches, among many others.
The official website is located here. You can view information on past events, and register for upcoming events as well.
There are also a handful of videos on Youtube highlighting the events. Here's a couple different ones.
credit: Aaron Sheen
credit: openwheeler
Definitely some awesome stuff. I'm unfortunately not equipped to participate, but I'm going to attend and try to get up close with staff and participants during the events. I'll also be taking videos of the different runs and putting them up on our Youtube page.
Be sure to check it out!
For years, Cumberland, MD was home to the National Road Autosport, hosting different motorsport events, including autocross.
2013 was the last year for autocross here, due to changes in rules and regulations at the airport they had been using for the site.
However, due to a numerous amount of petitions and lots of rallying, a decision was made to allow use of the location again, which means the motorsports are coming back to the area.
This is a huge deal for enthusiasts. It presents the return of a huge event, that brings spectators and participants from all around the area.
Normally, there are several annual motorsports events. This year began with the Polish Mountain Hill Climb on August 1st and 2nd.
Later this month, on the 22nd and 23rd, they'll be holding the Summer Sizzler autocross event. In September, on the 12th and 13th, they'll be holding the Harvest Moon event, and to close out the year, they'll be holding the Pumpkin Carve, on October 17th and 18th.
There are a ton of unique cars that you'll see there. Miatas, M3s, Corvettes, AMGs, Porsches, among many others.
The official website is located here. You can view information on past events, and register for upcoming events as well.
There are also a handful of videos on Youtube highlighting the events. Here's a couple different ones.
Definitely some awesome stuff. I'm unfortunately not equipped to participate, but I'm going to attend and try to get up close with staff and participants during the events. I'll also be taking videos of the different runs and putting them up on our Youtube page.
Be sure to check it out!
Monday, August 3, 2015
Rough Itinerary for the Coming Week
Wesley Barton
Each Monday, I'm going to post a rough schedule of what we're looking to present throughout the week. No dates or times are scheduled as of yet, but this is at least what we're looking to accomplish.
Interview number two will hopefully be with the Uhl family, who founded the Queen City Motors dealership back in the 1970s. They've been going strong for over forty years, and we'll be trying to get some insight on their successes over the past decades. We may try to document some video of the current vehicles on the lot as well. We're hoping the family will share some stories of favorite cars they've had on the lot, or unique experiences.
We're attempting to do a spotlight video feature on the local Twigg's Junkyard business. This junkyard was featured in a season one episode of the successful program American Pickers. There's quite a bit to see here, and a lot to feature.
The local Classy Chassis car club is holding a cruise-in on Friday, August 7th. Expect to see video footage, as well as lots of photos, weather permitting.
Miss Sprint Cup Website
Classy Chassis Cruise-In
Queen City Motors Official Website
Also, if there's something you'd like to see, I'll try to make it happen. Simply comment here, leave a message on the official Facebook page, Twitter page (@MDCarCulture), or by shooting me an e-mail here, and leave a quick description in the subject line!
Each Monday, I'm going to post a rough schedule of what we're looking to present throughout the week. No dates or times are scheduled as of yet, but this is at least what we're looking to accomplish.
Interviews -
We're reaching out to current NASCAR Ms. Sprint Cup Madison Martin, who grew up in Cumberland, MD, and who the author actually had the pleasure of attending high school with. She's seen some big success over the past couple years, and we'd like to get to know a bit more.Interview number two will hopefully be with the Uhl family, who founded the Queen City Motors dealership back in the 1970s. They've been going strong for over forty years, and we'll be trying to get some insight on their successes over the past decades. We may try to document some video of the current vehicles on the lot as well. We're hoping the family will share some stories of favorite cars they've had on the lot, or unique experiences.
Videos -
We're attempting to do a spotlight video feature on the local Twigg's Junkyard business. This junkyard was featured in a season one episode of the successful program American Pickers. There's quite a bit to see here, and a lot to feature.
Events -
The local Classy Chassis car club is holding a cruise-in on Friday, August 7th. Expect to see video footage, as well as lots of photos, weather permitting.
Further Reading -
Miss Sprint Cup Website
Classy Chassis Cruise-In
Queen City Motors Official Website
Also, if there's something you'd like to see, I'll try to make it happen. Simply comment here, leave a message on the official Facebook page, Twitter page (@MDCarCulture), or by shooting me an e-mail here, and leave a quick description in the subject line!
Saturday, August 1, 2015
A Look Back - Frostburg, MD Cruisin' Main Street 2014
Wesley Barton
With Summer beginning to wind down to a close, car shows aren't as frequent as they are during the early Summer months, at least around here. However, the biggest and the best shows usually occur during the month of September. One such car show is the Cruisin' Main Street show in Frostburg, MD. Thousands of cars, of all types show up. Prizes can be won, but it's usually an excuse for people to ogle, eat lots of food, drink lots of beer, and take lots of pictures, as well as listen to loud music, when the engine rumbles don't drown it out.
Here's a few select photos taken by yours truly, at last September's Cruisin' Main Street. All photos were taken with an LG G3 smartphone camera.
First, we have the quite famous Hudson Hornet. You probably recognize it from the movie Cars as the character Doc Hudson, as shown below. This car definitely holds a spot in history for its NASCAR racing pedigree.
photo credit: Disney Wikia
This here is a monster. A truly sublime automobile, in more ways than one. What you're looking at is a mint condition 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T coupe with the 426 HEMI engine, and it's a four-speed car! These things are rare and command a huge premium at auction. The only way it would be any rarer would be if it were in ragtop form. You can't count on two hands the number of 1970 R/T convertibles with the stick and the 426 that were made.
GOJIRA! We've got an R35 Nissan GT-R here. These things are a marvel of engineering. I mean, all the electronic systems in this that allow you to accelerate at near-inhuman levels. There's not too many cars that can beat this thing in a 1,320 foot test.
I dig this Maserati. It's sleek, sharp, and just has that confident Italian look to it.
Another GT-R! That's the second one, and it was directly behind the Maserati above, which was directly behind the white GT-R. Not bad company to be in.
There was so much more there. Expect another post on this annual show next month.
All photo credits go to Wesley Barton unless otherwise noted.
With Summer beginning to wind down to a close, car shows aren't as frequent as they are during the early Summer months, at least around here. However, the biggest and the best shows usually occur during the month of September. One such car show is the Cruisin' Main Street show in Frostburg, MD. Thousands of cars, of all types show up. Prizes can be won, but it's usually an excuse for people to ogle, eat lots of food, drink lots of beer, and take lots of pictures, as well as listen to loud music, when the engine rumbles don't drown it out.
Here's a few select photos taken by yours truly, at last September's Cruisin' Main Street. All photos were taken with an LG G3 smartphone camera.
First, we have the quite famous Hudson Hornet. You probably recognize it from the movie Cars as the character Doc Hudson, as shown below. This car definitely holds a spot in history for its NASCAR racing pedigree.
This here is a monster. A truly sublime automobile, in more ways than one. What you're looking at is a mint condition 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T coupe with the 426 HEMI engine, and it's a four-speed car! These things are rare and command a huge premium at auction. The only way it would be any rarer would be if it were in ragtop form. You can't count on two hands the number of 1970 R/T convertibles with the stick and the 426 that were made.
This, whatever you want to call it, is a custom built vehicle, on what appears to be a modified Pontiac chassis. It's incredibly unique, if a bit macabre, but you won't see another one like it. I love it, just because of how offbeat it is. Custom fabrication isn't loved enough in the car world.
GOJIRA! We've got an R35 Nissan GT-R here. These things are a marvel of engineering. I mean, all the electronic systems in this that allow you to accelerate at near-inhuman levels. There's not too many cars that can beat this thing in a 1,320 foot test.
I dig this Maserati. It's sleek, sharp, and just has that confident Italian look to it.
Another GT-R! That's the second one, and it was directly behind the Maserati above, which was directly behind the white GT-R. Not bad company to be in.
This here is a gorgeous 1967 Pontiac Bonneville. It reminds me a lot of my mom's 1965, but there are some styling differences. Look at that 400 c.i. V8 under the hood. Nasty.
There was so much more there. Expect another post on this annual show next month.
All photo credits go to Wesley Barton unless otherwise noted.
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