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| comment | | "parent_author":"",<br>"parent_permlink":"photography",<br>"author":"beowulfoflegend",<br>"permlink":"life-s-too-short-to-drive-boring-cars",<br>"title":"Life's too short to drive boring cars!",<br>"body":"![20160917_1335556b1c1.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1335556b1c1.jpg)\n\nI love cars. I mean I really,<br> really love cars. Not so much late-model vehicles - no,<br> I'm more into the classics.\n\nSadly,<br> I've got champagne tastes and a beer budget,<br> so my dream of owning a mint Stutz Bearcat is still a bit far off. But that doesn't mean I can't live vicariously through others!\n\nThankfully,<br> I live in the Southern Adirondack region of New York - and it's an absolute Mecca for anyone who likes the sound of an internal combustion engine. From the [Americade Motorcycle Rally [1 every June to the [Adirondack Nationals [2 every September,<br> the Lake George\/Glens Falls region is just crawling with classic hot rods and choppers all summer long.\n\nI missed the Nationals this year,<br> a combination of moving to our new house and torrential downpours all weekend. This had me pretty bummed out,<br> but it turns out there was a miniature car show just down the road from our new home. A local florist has [an annual fall festival [3 ,<br> complete with vintage cars,<br> so I wasted no time in getting my ass down there today.\n\n![20160917_1343490053a.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1343490053a.jpg)\n\nThere weren't a huge number of cars there - maybe a little over half a dozen - but it was a good mix of classics from the 1920s all the way to the 1970s. This covers pretty much the gamut of my obsession with cars - once the oil crisis hit and the era of the muscle car came to an end,<br> there really isn't much to talk about. Sure you've got your 1980s standouts like the DMC-12 Delorean and the Pontiac Trans-Am,<br> but these cars were more famous for *Back to the Future* and *Knight Rider* than anything else. Might as well obsess over the helicopter from *Airwolf*,<br> right?\n\n![20153f3.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20153f3.jpg)\n*image from [Pinterest [4 *\n\nOh Ernest Borgnine,<br> you make me feel like a woman.\n\nI was not disappointed when we got out. The first thing I see,<br> walking into the parking lot,<br> was a goddamned Packard. First one I've ever seen up close and personal. It was magnificent.\n\n![20160917_133344411d6.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_133344411d6.jpg)\n\nMy wife @alladesria was more interested in the suave Robert Redford-looking fellow in the front seat. Apparently she has bizarre taste in men. Then again,<br> she married me,<br> so I should shut up.\n\nThe absolute best thing about the Packard was its hood ornament. I asked Robert Redford in the front seat if I could get a picture of it,<br> and he graciously permitted it (after eyeing my wife up and down). I managed to take probably the best picture of my life.\n\n![20160917_13340345c4e.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_13340345c4e.jpg)\n\nBut there were plenty of other cars to take pictures of. Here's the first of several 1920s-era Ford Roadsters that graced the lot,<br> a beautiful cream-colored ragtop in fantastic condition:\n\n![20160917_13341018450.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_13341018450.jpg)\n\nSome wag had opened the rumble seat and stuck a scarecrow in there. I was more interested in the chrome luggage rack behind it,<br> complete with a battered suitcase for a local blueberry farm:\n\n\n![20160917_1334369ded4.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1334369ded4.jpg)\n\nParked right next to the cream Roadster were another pair of Fords,<br> both hardtops and both in great shape,<br> painted in eye-popping colors.\n\n![20160917_133620b97c9.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_133620b97c9.jpg)\n\nOne of them was decked out in sweet airbrushed flames!\n\n![20160917_133633c4888.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_133633c4888.jpg)\n\nFor me,<br> though,<br> nothing beats classic red.\n\n![20160917_1339056f287.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1339056f287.jpg)\n\nThe Ford Model A is just so iconic. So is its inline 4-cylinder!\n\n![20160917_1338555078b.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1338555078b.jpg)\n\nMy wife really liked this one. Maybe she doesn't have such weird taste after all.\n\n![20160917_13384113b4f.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_13384113b4f.jpg)\n\nShe called me over to point out a detail I had missed - the original plate under the hood,<br> mounted on the firewall and complete with patent numbers:\n\n![20160917_1338522f3a1.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1338522f3a1.jpg)\n\nThis one was built in 1931,<br> as you can see by the classic license plates. Check out the riveted travel trunk on the luggage rack:\n\n![20160917_1338330729f.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1338330729f.jpg)\n\nFinally,<br> the classic 1920-1930 set gave away to some later-model cars. There was a pristine 1970 Monte Carlo with her hood and trunk up,<br> just begging people to come gawk:\n\n![20160917_1335027379b.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1335027379b.jpg)\n\nThe trunk was *massive*. Even with a full-size spare. Now that's the kinda trunk you can fit a body in!\n\n![20160917_13351695939.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_13351695939.jpg)\n\nThere was also a pretty nice Mustang. Now I'm not a big fan of them - always been more of a GM kinda guy - but I gotta give credit where it's due.\n\n[![20160917_13373216ff8.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_13373216ff8.jpg) (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/image\/5Gh7e)\n\nMore importantly,<br> it was parked right next to a Rambler American,<br> another car that,<br> like the Packard,<br> is a relic of US automotive history.\n\n![20160917_13380704206.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_13380704206.jpg)\n\nAgain,<br> my wife was more interested in the guy sitting in the Rambler. I'm starting to wonder if I have to dye my beard white.\n\nThe Rambler is another one I've never seen up close before. Robert Redford II was kind enough to let me get a picture of his backend,<br> too.\n\n![20160917_133748539a0.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_133748539a0.jpg)\n\nNext we had a fantastic blue 1970s-era Corvette Stingray. I like this body type very much - it's really when the classic 'vette style and lines began to emerge. \n\n![20160917_13403019d84.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_13403019d84.jpg)\n\nI love the inset,<br> recessed door handles combined with the protruding door lock. When's the last time you actually used your key to unlock your car door?\n\n![20160917_1340134e57f.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1340134e57f.jpg)\n\nFinally,<br> we got to the land yachts. There were a pair of Chevy Impala convertibles on the lot,<br> hogging up the space. These things were goddamn long - one in classic maroon with a tan interior...\n\n![20160917_1342027985a.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1342027985a.jpg)\n\n ... and another in fishbelly white with eye-aching red trim - complete with fuzzy dice.\n\n![20160917_134255987ad.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_134255987ad.jpg)\n\nGoddamn that's loud. Of course the engine was no slouch either on the white Impala - a classic 327 cubic inch V-8.\n\n![20160917_134315bf628.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_134315bf628.jpg)\n\nThat's a lot of engine. It's just a lot of car in general. I could barely get the whole thing in frame!\n\n[![20160917_134246a129d.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_134246a129d.jpg) (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/image\/5Gw4p)\n\nThen there was a beautiful Ford Deluxe - the original \"Woody\" station wagon.\n\n[![20160917_134112ec458.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_134112ec458.jpg) (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/image\/5GkRI)\n\nThe wood paneling on this old girl was just beautiful.\n\n![20160917_134220660c4.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_134220660c4.jpg)\n\nEasily one of my favorite cars of the day.\n\n![20160917_134155d095e.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_134155d095e.jpg)\n\nThat was,<br> of course,<br> until the Goddamn Shelby Cobra showed up.\n\n![20160917_14314982fbf.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_14314982fbf.jpg)\n\nThis thing was - and still is - an absolute beast. Glass,<br> chrome and glossy,<br> navy-blue steel,<br> more curves than a Hollywood bombshell:\n\n![20160917_14313611252.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_14313611252.jpg)\n\nAnd of course,<br> the massive freaking engine inside:\n\n![20160917_14310755461.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_14310755461.jpg)\n\nLookit that chrome filter. Doesn't get better than that.\n\nReally just had a great time. It was a far cry from the Adirondack Nationals,<br> but it certainly took the sting out of missing it this year! Here's a final shot of the white Impala with her hood up,<br> the garden center's main entrance in the background:\n\n[![20160917_1343490053a.jpg (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1343490053a.jpg) (https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/image\/5KRqa)\n\nHope you enjoyed the show!\n\n[1 : http:\/\/www.americade.com\/\n[2 : http:\/\/www.adirondacknationals.com\/\n[3 : http:\/\/www.binleyflorist.com\/index.php\/news\/features\/185-binley-s-fall-festival\n[4 : https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/371547037985261169\/",<br>"json_metadata":" \"tags\":[\"photography\",<br>\"classic-cars\",<br>\"muscle-cars\",<br>\"cars\" ,<br>\"users\":[\"alladesria\" ,<br>\"image\":[\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1335556b1c1.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1343490053a.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20153f3.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_133344411d6.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_13340345c4e.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_13341018450.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1334369ded4.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_133620b97c9.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_133633c4888.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1339056f287.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1338555078b.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_13384113b4f.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1338522f3a1.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1338330729f.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1335027379b.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_13351695939.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_13373216ff8.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_13380704206.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_133748539a0.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_13403019d84.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1340134e57f.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_1342027985a.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_134255987ad.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_134315bf628.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_134246a129d.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_134112ec458.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_134220660c4.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_134155d095e.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_14314982fbf.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_14313611252.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/17\/20160917_14310755461.jpg\" ,<br>\"links\":[\"http:\/\/www.americade.com\/\",<br>\"http:\/\/www.adirondacknationals.com\/\",<br>\"http:\/\/www.binleyflorist.com\/index.php\/news\/features\/185-binley-s-fall-festival\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/371547037985261169\/\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/image\/5Gh7e\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/image\/5Gw4p\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/image\/5GkRI\",<br>\"https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/image\/5KRqa\" " | | vote | "voter":"beowulfoflegend",
"author":"beowulfoflegend",
"permlink":"life-s-too-short-to-drive-boring-cars",
"weight":10000 |
|