(Author’s note: This piece has topics ranging from road construction to tourist destinations to Dodge Monacos to shopping baskets. In turn, there are approximately 65 pictures. Please note some of them aren’t the best imaginable as they were taken in bad lighting conditions and/or at 70 plus mph through a windshield. Just imagine this as being a “you are there” piece. JES)
Summer is the time for roadtrips. With summer (sadly) starting to wind down, it’s time to capture the sights recently found on a roadtrip to, well…you’ve likely heard of the place, but that is secondary. It’s all about the journey. Let’s look at what was found. There is nothing if not variety with what you are about to read.
As with roadtrips, summer is also the time for road construction. This bridge work on US 54 greeted me immediately after leaving Jefferson City.
Going west on US 54 brought me to Eugene. There are many German surnames in these parts but I do not know if any Niedermeyers live in Eugene.
Ft. Leonard Wood is where my father had basic training in 1969. He broke his hip and never finished; he’s joked about being one of the few Army veterans who never once fired a weapon while in the Army.
South of Eugene is asphalt work, another remedy to slow the aging of infrastructure.
Continuing southwest is the town of Eldon. There is an unexpected amount to see.
Entering town on Business 54, this ancient auto carrier is greeting you. I had split attention when taking this picture (I stopped in the road for this picture and you can see the approaching car in my mirror), meaning it’s not the best.
Inside the trailer is the shell of a 1957 Chevrolet Sport Coupe.
This tanker truck is parked next to the auto carrier. I was standing on the throttle by this point, so this picture being presentable is a minor miracle.
Eldon, with a population of 4,567, has a claim to fame of sorts. While it isn’t the Randles Court Hotel, it’s in the same vein.
Paul Henning, creator of The Beverly Hillbillies, married a woman from Eldon. Mrs. Henning’s grandmother ran a hotel in Eldon, and Henning used his wife’s experiences at the hotel as fodder for Petticoat Junction, another show he created.
Henning is buried about ten miles from Eldon near the town of Tuscumbia.
Eldon has a couple of old trucks as visual props. This old International is one, parked near Randles Court.
Another is this 1950s Dodge. It’s just down the street from a furniture store patronized by Mrs. Jason and I several years ago.
I did not get a picture of the local establishment whose specialty is Marshmallow Pepsi. It’s a container of Pepsi stuffed with marshmallows. I hear it’s quite good, but I’ve never tried one.
At the south end of town, near the interchange of MO 52 and US 54, a classic car dealer has just opened, discovered upon my drive-by.
This Ford is what caught my attention.
Parked below the Ford was this awesome Lincoln Mark IV. It makes me miss my 1975 Ford Thunderbird, a clone that was somewhat less ostentatious without sacrificing any presence.
Elsewhere on the lot was this 1957 Ford Fairlane and early 1950s Ford truck.
A few feet away was this 1985 Chevrolet half-ton. I’m becoming more partial to Squarebodies these days, and visually this one ticks a lot of the right boxes. On the windshield, somebody had announced it having a factory four-speed. Good deal. In front of the four-speed is a factory diesel. Oof.
I can think of 350 things to replace that diesel.
To fulfill all contractual requirements for being a longstanding CC Contributor, I must include any sighting of a VW van. So here it is, near the Squarebody.
Back on US 54, I’m greeted with a sea of brake lights. More asphalt work.
Being stopped allowed opportunity to admire the storage building I saw a few days earlier. The building is being built in an old rock quarry. Repurposing is a wonderful thing.
Welcome to Lake of the Ozarks.
A few years back I was given a book by my parents. Called Lake of the Ozarks, it was written by now retired CBS reporter Bill Geist. It was terrific recollection of Geist’s time working summers during the 1960s at his uncle’s hotel in Lake Ozark. I highly recommend the book but skip the reviews on the cover. Retired CBS host Jane Pauley’s review said “the lunacy is infectious”. Little Miss Janey obviously didn’t realize the book (if she bothered to read it) is a documentary about everyday people, not lunatics.
I could say more, but back to our journey!
Lake of the Ozarks is a lake, but also a region, and a prime tourist destination. The lake was created in 1931 from the construction of Bagnell Dam and its electrical power plant. The “Lake” region includes several towns, such as Lake Ozark, Osage Beach, Camdenton, Linn Creek, and others. During Covid many who lived part time in the Lake area moved here permanently.
While I don’t have a picture, Linn Creek has a fully marked Tesla Model S as a patrol car.
But I do have a picture of the Lake. This was taken from the Grand Glaize Bridge, which is where US 54 crosses over.
While the Lake is great for boating (one constantly sees huge boats being transported on US 54), I would never swim in it. Recently a guy in his 20s passed away after swimming in the lake where some type of amoeba entered his sinus cavity which led to his passing.
A few miles further south, I encountered this 1991 to 1993 Dodge one-ton, the heaviest duty version of one of the best pickups ever built by anybody. This Dodge had the seemingly obligatory Cummins of the heavier examples and he rolled coal after he saw me take his picture.
My route continued on US 54 to the interchange with MO 5 in Camdenton. I took no pictures on Route 5 south for one big reason. For too many miles, I was stuck behind a guy in a half-ton Dodge Ram pickup pulling an empty tandem axle flatbed trailer at 52 mph…in an area having a 65 mph speed limit and actual speeds of 70 mph plus. I had to keep my distance as the left rear tire of the trailer was blown out and he was throwing chunks of rubber everywhere. By the time we reached Lebanon, he had no tread left; the trailer was rolling on the remnants of the sidewalls.
The noise was ferocious. But he just kept plugging along, hindering traffic flow. It is sometimes hard to comprehend the rationale of others.
Lebanon was the half-way point of my 170 mile journey. It was time to stretch, so I made a pit stop at the library.
Sitting on old US 66, Lebanon has embraced their history as the library contains a museum chronicling the town’s growth due in part to US 66.
The museum has grown considerably over several years. A stop there recently, for identical reasons, revealed the expanded museum. This is a miniaturized copy of a truss found over the street in the downtown area.
Found in the museum is this full-size diorama of an old cafe in Lebanon.
Another diorama is of the cabins one used to be able to rent when traveling The Mother Road. Please forgive the flash.
My favorite was of the gas station with the Ford Model A.
Route 5 intersects with I-44 at Lebanon, with my journey continuing on I-44 westbound. The Tracker boat factory is on the edge of town. I could not get a good picture of the acres of boats they have ready for shipment.
A competing boat manufacturer is located directly across I-44 from the Tracker plant.
Only one picture was taken along I-44 due to truck traffic. I’ve driven many interstates throughout the country but have never encountered one with as much truck traffic as I-44.
I-44 runs from Wichita Falls, Texas, to St. Louis.
About 50 miles west of Lebanon, on the outskirts of Springfield, is a place that is hard to describe. These places are primarily in the southeastern United States, although there is one on I-25 north of Denver.
What is it? Buc-ee’s.
Buc-ee’s, privately owned and based in Texas, is ostensibly a gas station, but what gas station has a gas island where the roof is approximately a quarter-mile long? Or where the main building is 53,000 square feet (with their station in Luling, Texas, at 75,593 square feet, being the largest convenience store in the world)?
When I visited in May, there was an advertisement out front seeking various department managers. Pay was in the $175,000 range, with some positions offering well over $200,000 annually…for working at a gas station (though not a typical one). It is estimated each car that stops at a Buc-ee’s will spend an average of $100 inside the store. These stores are open 24 hours and are always busy.
Springfield was a few miles down the road and I turned south onto US 65.
I took no pictures around Springfield as the speed limit was 65 mph and everyone was running 80 mph plus. Including me as I didn’t care to get ran over. Traffic thinned several miles south of town.
Once traffic thinned, I was able to get a picture of US 65 cutting through the scenic Ozarks. This is the segment of US 65 in which I wrote a fictional account of a character I created, Lewis Broderick, driving a 440 powered 1987 Chrysler Fifth Avenue at over 100 mph to evade some miscreants who were out to do harm to Lewis’s passenger.
Lewis’s destination was the same as mine. For those who haven’t yet figured it out, my goal was Branson.
Branson has been around seemingly forever but didn’t spring to national prominence until the late 1980s or early 1990s. At that time, it was known for being where various country music singers built theaters to compliment the long-standing local talent, such as The Pressleys and The Baldknobbers.
However, the audience has changed since that time. Perusal of various flyers found the local talent, such as The Duttons and The Haygoods, still thriving, with a distinct evolution in other musical offerings. Where else but Branson can once choose from performers covering Patsy Cline, ABBA, Stevie Nicks, Merle Haggard, Michael Jackson, The Beach Boys, The Bee-Gees, George Jones, and a host of others? It exists nowhere else.
Yet Branson is more than just musical performers. There are many fine museums, featuring everything from wildlife to automobiles, also available. Even better, all of this can all be found within a 2.5 mile radius. If you want to venture just a few miles further, you can find Silver Dollar City (although some call it “Steal Your Dollar City”), which claims to be ranked the #1 Amusement Park in the United States.
With all these various businesses in close proximity, many take steps to stand out. How better to do that than by parking an interesting car or truck out front? So, here is what can be seen:
Forget the paint job. This ’69 Charger isn’t just any old Charger.
It’s an R/T that has been left to languish as a store prop. Since the show often talked of moonshine, that reminds me…
Branson was once known for being a (nearly) dry town. Things change; alcohol can be found along with multiple cannabis dispensaries.
Just a short distance up the street was this 1974 Dodge Monaco, another prop.
This old Monaco has been here for at least a decade, but its license plates are still valid, meaning she runs and drives. It makes me think the old Dodge would start right up and make a 110 mile trip at night.
To illustrate how my polluted brain works, seeing this C-body right after seeing the Charger reminded me of Season 1, Episode 1, Scene 1 from The Dukes of Hazzard. There’s even a ’70 Polara to be seen here.
As an aside, the guy driving the Monaco can be heard nailing the throttle upon landing. Interestingly, this particular Monaco still exists. It was pulled from a salvage yard near Conyers, Georgia, where the show was initially filmed, and made to run again.
The two-toned Monaco was parked behind a theater that also houses The Celebrity Car Museum in the basement. Having visited the museum before, I did not care to go back. However, that did not stop me from viewing what was parked outside.
This Pinto was used in some Netflix show called Stranger Things. I’ve never heard of it.
This AMC Hornet wagon really appealed to me.
This Plymouth Gran Fury was a retail model, as evidenced by the 85 mph speedometer. It was fairly well equipped, having the turn signal indicators on the front fenders that had been a thing a decade or so prior.
A VW Van; contractual obligation.
Let’s head up the street…
This late 1930s Ford truck is another prop outside a restaurant / theatre. Jeff Sun recently mentioned how “And Petting Zoo” should be attached to many tourist attractions, such as “The Lincoln Monument and Petting Zoo”.
I submit “And Gift Shop” would be an appropriate addition for Branson.
Not having a gift shop just means you’ve chickened out…
Across the street from Señor Cluck was this Rambler.
Parked next to it is a right-hand drive buggy that I am speculating is Japanese Domestic Market; Jim Klein said he believes this to be a Mitsubishi. If you know what it is, please speak up.
One of the museums in Branson bills itself as being the world’s largest toy museum (and likely gift shop). This 1960s era Chevrolet was parked out front as a prop.
This old Flxible bus was on the other side of the building.
Leaving The Strip and its related props (I only photographed part of them) gave me several more finds either in use or awaiting that magical day of reuse.
I feel old including this GMC as I vividly remember when these were introduced for the 1988 model year. This is, at newest, a 1993 model. However, these were introduced pushing 40 years ago and I’ve not seen any of this generation GM pickup in such fine condition in a long while.
I’d love to have one.
Rare even when new, this circa 1990 Ford E-350 is a purpose built fifth-wheel tow rig. Constructed by a company called Cabriolet in Constantine, Michigan, these came with either a 6.9 liter diesel or a 7.5 liter gas engine.
Something tells me this formerly lovely Eldorado was cursed with the 4.1 liter V8.
We will now take a detour to old downtown Branson. This store is well worth the detour. What is it?
Dick’s 5 & 10.
Like Branson itself, Dick’s is hard to describe.
The store is 10,000 square feet of all sorts of things, from board games to housewares to a huge assortment of specialty candy and soda to basic souvenirs. Dick opened his store in 1961.
Dick’s has this amazing Wurlitzer juke box. When there in May, it was working well, with a tremendously warm sound coming from the vinyl records inside. Sadly, it was out of order this time.
Weirdly, of all the items in the store, this is what I found most captivating. They are folded up here.
Mrs. Jason is holding this unfolded shopping basket. While nothing extraordinary, Mrs. Jason and I enjoyed how rugged and unusual these were. We learned they are original to the store, but were purchased used. The clerk said they have had to replace the fabric once or twice but the chassis itself is around 80 years old.
An 80 year old shopping basket? Delightfully unreal.
Let’s make one more stop before heading home. There is another car museum in Branson. I covered this museum in 2016, but let’s hit some highlights as things have changed.
Back in January, I had a piece proclaiming my dream car as being a 1978 Dodge Monaco with a 360. I found it!
The interior is quite nice and in a pleasant color.
This is the face that combines all the best of unwavering determination and absolute awesomeness.
Drat! I don’t need the stuff stuck to it. And it’s the wrong color (plus there are major runs in the paint).
Yes, that is a second, orange 1969 Dodge Charger in front of the Monaco.
A Kaiser Traveler two-door. There were only 915 made in 1951 and merely 367 for 1952.
Sadly, this one has had an LS transplant. Gads.
This 1973 Mercury Montego needs to be included. We’ve never (that I can find) had a full-blown write-up on a Montego of this vintage. This particular 302 powered Montego was presented as having only 5,500 miles on the odometer.
There were many highly original cars to be found. The museum is worth a visit.
I suppose the museum couldn’t pass up some nod to movie cars. This Pontiac LeMans is a replica of the one driven by Jackie Gleason in Smokey & The Bandit. It’s been de-colonnaded and has toured the country along with a black 1977 Trans-Am.
This has been a long journey, but there is one last picture from my way home. On the same section of Route 5 where I had to follow the three-tired trailer, I got behind this slow-poke U-Haul pulling this Toyota Sienna. For whatever reason the driver had tied the front bumper to the corner of the trailer which somehow succeeded in ripping the bumper cover. Stuck behind it, all I could see was that bumper cover flopping around in the breeze, hoping it would not rip off.
Thankfully, I made it back home without incident.
Thanks for the road trip, nice to get out, I haven’t been more than 20 miles from home in the last 5 years.
Glad I could help!
Sad to admit that I’m pretty much the same …though I probably have been a bit more than 20 miles once, I haven’t taken a road trip since 2011. My Dad got cancer the next year, though when he passed almost 10 years ago followed by all his brothers within 6 months (flew up to the funerals, even my Dad’s who’s buried in NEPA, though his middle brother was in Mass). Mom is still with us, though her main health issue is scoliosis, which of course she was born with but the symptoms of which have gotten more pronounced as she gets older, taking care of her takes most of my time.
It’s kind of hard to even defend being a car person…my Mother’s car (which we use only to take her to Doctor appointments) gets less than 1000 miles a year on it, and mine is maybe only double that.
My Dad was in the US Army two decades before Jason’s Father, though he was only in 3 years it was a big part of his life. One time someone asked him for something like his social security number which of course he didn’t want to disclose, instead reciting another number from memory…later telling me it was the serial number from his rifle some 50 years prior. He was too young for WWII but enlisted in the National Guard and got federalized at the start of the Korean war. He’d gone on ahead to Camp Atterbury in Indiana to make preparations for his outfit but they became victims of an (actual) train wreck in Ohio; he was assigned to go back there to accompany the bodies back home (some who’d gotten through WWII and reenlisted). I guess partly because of the loss, they were assigned to Germany instead to the border with Czechoslovakia.
He lived in central Texas, as my immediate family still does, probably 20 miles from Luling, I have to confess I’ve not been to any Bucee’s, though a former co-worker who has family in the area made a point of taking his daughter who was an infant when they moved to Dorchester, Ma, to see the “sights” and proceeded to get each of his friends here a bag of Beaver Nuggets, which I wasn’t overly fond of. With apparent disappearance around my area of gas stations which seem to be a trend to close down and to convert to something else, retaining the “islands” where the pumps once stood as well as the awning, but having no use for the current business. I’m not one to spend time even at convenience stores let alone the shopping attraction it sounds like distinguishes Bucee’s though but I guess I’m atypical from a lot of highway cruisers. But since I don’t go far (there’s no Bucee’s in the city itself that I’m aware of) that isn’t surprising I guess. Plus, my longtime work location was purchased the SImon mall company, who’s developed it to within an inch of it’s dimensions…one of the old work buildings I was in still stands surrounded by shopping, resturants, apartments, and hotels, things changing so quickly that when I picked up a friend their still working (I’ve since retired) he has to tell me how to navigate to the building where I spent close to 30 years going to.
My Dad originally worked there too (retired in 1990) and I used to tease him about renting an apartment with a view of the building we worked in…he’d hold his nose and make a raspberry sound as if I was suggesting he get a place with a view of the dump. I guess I share in his distain a bit, I’ve reluctantly gone there but imagining what it used to look like (there were many buildings now gone, plus a park for employees also long gone along with the trees.
Mostly regret not reciprocating when friends come for visits (many have moved from the area, it’s kind of a city of transients) but also means my now 25 year old car (which I bought new) might end up lasting for the rest of my life. One bonus I heard about but only realized this year is that I no longer need to take my car in for inspection (only emissions test and only in certain counties in Texas now) as cars 25 years and older are exempt.
The Mitsubishi is FTO. Fresh Touring Origination, little brother to the Mitsubishi GTO.
Right, but what is that white car beside it? Rambler maybe or Pontiac?
It’s the Rambler seen in the previous picture. 🙂
Thanks for taking us along on this great trip! Long ago, I was taught this rule – when you get around anything marked “U-Haul”, get as far away from it as you can because odds are it is being driven by some chucklehead who has never piloted anything bigger than a Honda Accord in his life and has no clue what he is doing.
Mrs. JPC and I recently watched Smoky And The Bandit for the first time in years, so the sheriff’s brown LeMans was a fun sight. And it has been a long time since I saw Jane Pauley’s name in print – she is an Indianapolis native and attended high school just a few miles away from my house. I used to work with a guy who was friends with her father. And you are right, she probably didn’t read the book.
Agreed about U-Haul. My experience with them has been checkered, at best, especially when it comes to 26′ box trucks.
I had to look up Jane’s age because she has been around as long as I can remember and I’m not exactly a youngster anymore. She was younger than I would have guessed.
Jason, what a great travelogue! Although I haven’t been to Lake of the Ozarks for maybe a decade and never to Branson, I do feel as though I was there. My Labor Day travel is complete.
So many great thoughts and images… I had no idea that one could make $175K at Buc-ee’s (which is ostensibly a gas station like the Titanic was ostensibly a “boat”). That’s eye-opening.
I was wondering if you’d managed to capture a model of Bull-Man Elmer (Elsie’s “husband”), but in fact Internet research says that’s Branson’s Mo Putt Putt (and petting zoo) mascot. There’s probably an entire post to be made about the weird animals that inhabit putt putt golf courses in tourist destinations like Branson.
I’d love to see the various car museums that seem to cluster around Branson, but I think that my head would explode over the desperate attempts that these places seem to make around connecting these vehicles with TV/movie stardom. I’d rather just see a bunch of regular old cars than having to believe that every 1970’s Dodge was either driven by one character or another in the Dukes of Hazard. Oh well.
Oh, and Dick’s? Clearly a gift shop 🙂 (and a former Woolworth’s, hence the wonderful baskets which I definitely recall from my youth)
I had never realized Branson had so many minigolf places until Mrs. Jason Jr was looking for one. One has a twin engine airplane overhead (all planes look alike to me), another has a large Academy Award statue, another has a volcano that erupts every so often. That’s just what I noticed; there are likely more.
One interesting tidbit I noticed about Branson is there is an evolution of sorts going on. There were a couple of empty theatres (such as violinist Shoji Tubuchi) and a few abandoned hotels on The Strip, right off US 65. Those would be one of the first things a person would notice upon entering town. However, the downtown area has been seriously developed near Dick’s.
I would have shown more from the Farm & Auto Museum but the lighting there was atrocious. That said, there were three Kaisers (one of which was a Kaiser Darrin), a significant number of pre-war autos, and the farm machinery side was amazingly vast. There was also a Mustang (and Camaro) billiard table. The movie car element was highly over-represented in what I showed here. However, just down the street was the movie car museum, which is worth skipping past.
Some good finds there. Like the lime green ’60s Chevy fire truck. And the Flxible bus.
There were indeed some good finds. While I didn’t stop to get pictures, a 50’s themed restaurant had a Henry J parked out front, painted as a taxi.
That Kaiser is cool, a proto hatch back, took a while for that to catch on but it did Ive owned quite a few hatch back cars,
Those traffic cone events here are called road works they should be called road doesnt work and we are fixing it, in this country you cant drive far without seeing such a thing,
That is a lot of pickup to only carry 1 ton, over here that fits on an old Hilux flat deck dropsider and if youre towing anything with your vehicle maximum velocity permitted is 90kmh/56mph,trucks tend to be governed to 93kmh these days because speed cameras can recognize what they are looking at and snap trucks at 94, so now if you try flowing a road in a 50 tonner you will probably get caught.
The use of “one-ton” is a throwback to many decades ago and is admittedly a bit misleading in current times despite people still using the term. Payload is considerably more, with towing ability even better yet.
This was just great, Jason! I love road trips, and I love pictures, so this post delivered in spades.
First, Buc-ees. From my business travels, I have come to understand that it is a *whole thing*.
The Lake Of The Ozarks looks beautiful. I find man-made lakes interesting, especially given that one of the beaches I went to as a kid was off a lake that was formed by damming the Flint River.
All great stuff here!
Thank you.
When there are people who base their entire vacation around stopping at Buc-ees, there is a definite thing about it. The bit of research I did was eye-opening in their scope and draw. I’ve been to two (the featured one in Springfield, MO about four times and Fort Worth, Texas, once) and both were absolutely hopping with people. I am pulling their average down as I’ve spent about $25 total in five stops there. They have a wonderful brisket sandwich.
Thank you Jason for taking us all along on your trip to Branson Missouri and lake of the Ozarks. Holy crap has that place changed big time in the last 40 years. I was lucky to have had two family reunions in Branson in the early and late 80s just before Branson went bananas with developing.
On the subject of parking an interesting vehicle outside ones business to attract attention I would like to post this early generation Mangusta Pantera from just two days ago parked in front of a tattoo parlor in downtown Hopkins MN. Years ago I had the pleasure of speaking to it’s longtime owner Shawn. Everything is stock except the engine was built up to 600 HP and it’s been his daily driver for over 20+ years. Everytime I see it my heart skips a beat.
Branson is like light beer; it’s not for everybody. I can take it in limited doses. While I have been there twice this year, the reasons are very related. It was the first time I’d been there in five or six years and there were definite changes, with other things utterly unchanged.
I’ve never liked going to Branson, even years ago it seemed like a tourist trap; now it’s an even bigger tourist trap. I really don’t like to be entertained by the singing has beens.
Such a ray of sunshine! 🙂
We didn’t go for the touristy stuff, but the reasons for our journey there were noteworthy.
Had he known of its existence, Branson would’ve been Dante’s Tenth Circle of Hell. ;^)
I’ve been once, and if it wasn’t for the Farm & Auto Museum it would’ve been one time too many. And there are enough vacant lots and closed venues (is the Andy Williams Moon River Theater still for sale?) to add a depressing undertone to a visit.
That being said, really nice trip report, Jason! I’m glad to see that a slice of Americana like Randles is still around.
Eugene, Missouri sure is tiny compared to its’ namesake at the other end of the Oregon Trail. I wonder if there’s any connection but probably not.
According to wikipedia, Eugene, MO, was named after Eugene Simpson, the man who previously owned the property upon which the settlement was built.
I’m enjoying the new or updated site Paul .
Summer road trip ! YAY =8-) .
How did Pops break his hip ? .
I hope it didn’t trouble him the rest of his life .
It’s been a few years since I drove Oregon, it’s so green and lush, your pictures really highlight this .
I really miss Bill Geist .
This is a very nice writeup Jason, I hope you do more .
-Nate
(EDITED)
Thank you. I had debated whether to do this or not but am now glad I did.
The hip break was an odd thing. The day before Easter he was on the monkey bars and fell, landing flat footed. He suspects that is when it cracked. The next day, on Easter, they were running and he fell. That’s when it was broken.
You made the right decision.
Please do more.
The VW camper next to the square body appears to be an ASI Riviera conversion from the PNW. Riviera Motors in Beaverton Oregon was a VW distributor and ASI in Vancouver Washington did the conversion work when demand for Westfalia campers outstripped supply. The ASI pop to goes straight up on a scissor linkage instead of hinging at one end and has the kitchen mounted further forward. They also converted early Vanagons before fading into the sunset. One tell of an ASI Riviera is two tone paint, they used passenger vans as the base of most conversions and thus had white paint above the beltline