There are few things in the world quite as invigorating as a road trip. Taking a leisurely trip to a new area is always high on my list of things to do; if the reason for the trip is car related, that is simply icing on the cake.
image source: www.wikipedia.org
After fellow contributor Tom Klockau and I had such a smashing good time at the Loafer’s Car Show in Hannibal, Missouri, in May, we made plans to meet again in Tom’s territory in Monmouth, Illinois, a town of 9,800 souls in the northwestern part of the state. In addition to being the birthplace of Wyatt Earp, Monmouth is also famous for briefly being the childhood home of Ronald Reagan and hosting an enormous car show the first Friday of every August.
Spotting this 1959 Plymouth Fury for sale in the little town of Center was the highlight before my pitstop in Hannibal, a place I lived for five years and roughly the half-way point of my journey. Although this Plymouth is a little frayed inside the cabin, it is complete. It even had the key in the ignition. Venturing past Quincy, Illinois, roughly twenty miles from Hannibal, it was all new territory for your author.
Having grown up in the hilly and tree covered extreme southern tip of Illinois, driving in the central part of the state is always a shock to my system. It is so flat in comparison, with miles and miles of landscape covered in cornfields with a bumper crop of chicory next to the highway. It is truly a reminder of how much ground is needed to feed the planet.
Soon after arriving at our meeting place, Tom pulled up in his white Lincoln Town Car.
Truth is I had heard Tom coming as he had performed quite a spectacular burnout as he took off from the signal across the street.
Even though we met before the official start time for the show, the little town was already abuzz with activity and cars finding a place to park. The epicenter of the show was the town square (shown in the picture above) with all entrants spread out like a spider web from there. The estimate was there were 2,600 cars in attendance.
A warning is in order; due to the tight parking, most of these cars are presented in 3/4 view. So grab a snack and something to drink as we take a look at the highlights from the show. Some of the cars have terrific stories; some are a blank slate for creating stories. It’s quite a ride.
The Mopar contingent was either well represented or I took pictures of every one of them. Either way, this ’55 Dodge was a joy to behold in its purplish cranberry and albino paint scheme. While it wasn’t a La Femme model, it was in the Custom Royal series.
Another Mopar was this ’70 Plymouth Road Runner. This purple plays very well with the shape and style of the car.
The Road Runner graphic that runs nearly the length of the car is one of my favorite decorations on the entire body surface.
While one can likely get a better deal on a ’57 Buick than they can on a ’57 Chevrolet, I’m not sure if $6000 for this crusty-bottomed Buick is a good deal or not. The seller was stating the nailhead V8 was still running but it did need a little attention. Might a new buyer be opening Pandora’s Box?
This 1993 Pontiac Sunbird convertible was the first car in which Tom and I spoke with the owner. She has owned this car for a number of years now, it having been the replacement for another slightly older five-speed Sunbird convertible her grandson wrecked. This Pontiac currently has all of 55,000 miles on it and the owner says the women in her sewing group frequently ask for rides in it. She said it is a keeper for her.
Another red convertible was this Kaiser Darrin.
Only 435 were built for its single year run in 1954. Most were powered by a 90 horsepower six-cylinder engine.
Speaking of small cars from independent manufacturers, there wasn’t just one Crosley convertible…
There were two Crosley convertibles. The window for viewing the engine on this particular Crosley was a very nice touch for the curious ones in the crowd.
This is perhaps one of my favorite nameplates ever.
One class of vehicle I had not anticipated to see at a car show was the customized van. This old Dodge looked like it could tell a few stories.
However, this Ford seems to be having a harder time not spilling its secrets. The tales it could likely divulge might make your hair curl.
Maybe it was the way it was zoned. The interior of this Ford did have a nice scent to it.
Since we are talking Ford light duty trucks, let’s keep the theme going a bit longer. This F-150 almost looks like it just rolled off the assembly line.
I’m guessing this F150 to be an ’80 to ’83 model and it looks spectacular. This example is quite loaded, one of the few “traditional” pickups I’ve seen in a while.
In addition to these two pickups, there were a few cars that could have just rolled off the assembly line. The first is this 1950 Chevrolet.
Don’t let the few minor blemishes on the exterior fool you; this car has only 9,000 miles on the odometer.
Tom and I had a long conversation with the owners. The Chevrolet had originally belonged to an older couple they knew. When the husband died, the wife was suddenly bombarded with obscenely low offers to purchase it. She had really wanted to sell it to the current owners, who were out of town, so she held off the pressure buyers. Upon their return a deal was struck and they still own it 48 years later.
In talking with the owners I learned this car has sat for as long as eight months and will usually start on the first try.
I also learned this Chevrolet finally had the original tires replaced this past spring. The owners decided it was time and their decision was none too soon; the old, original tires started coming apart en route to the tire shop. Thankfully it made it, but not by much. It sounds like they realized the full life from those tires!
That 1950 Chevrolet is a high mileage beater in comparison to this 1984 Oldsmobile Toronado. The absolute sparkle caught my eye while Tom and I carrying on about it caught the owners attention. He came over to me and asked “My wife says I need a pimp outfit when I drive this; what do you think?” After a hearty laugh, we were able to talk more.
A co-worker had purchased the Toronado for his mother. Within a very short period of time, the mother was diagnosed with macular degeneration and gave the car back. The co-worker had no real need for the car and simply parked it in the basement of his newly finished house. After he died a year or so ago, the current owner was able to purchase it from the widow. It’s current mileage? Its odometer turned over 4,500 miles on its way to the show.
While the headliner is sagging a bit, I did ask about the backseat. Yes, the owners grandkids sat there once for about five minutes and that has been the only weight the seat has ever experienced.
My original plan had been to drive my ’63 Ford Galaxie to Monmouth; a hard starting issue due to a bad fuel pump nixed that. Generally when I go to shows, I don’t see any ’63 Fords, and this was a little like rubbing salt in the wound. Not only was there an externally modified Country Squire,
There was the black four-door sedan.
The obligatory two-door hardtop.
And even the low-dollar Ford 300, likely one of about three that didn’t see fleet use. This one was powered by the 221 cubic inch straight six hooked to a two-speed Fordomatic and had camped out in a barn for twenty years. That sounds quite familiar.
Seeing all these siblings to my Ford makes me sorely tempted to drive it to Auburn, Indiana, for the CC Midwest Meetup in October; time well tell.
Ford was by no means the only maker represented with their full-size offerings. Mother Mopar had her stuff out in force and with it being a warm evening, many of them had taken their tops off. Is this a good show or what?
This 1967 Plymouth Fury was advertising itself as having a hemi under the hood, though it obviously could not be verified if one had been transplanted into the engine bay.
A 1967 Fury convertible and a 1968 Fury two-door. Despite their slightly annoyed faces, they seemed pretty happy visiting with each other. When was the last time you saw these two models in the same place at the same time?
The convertible looks great. To get a convertible you had to opt up to either the Fury III or the Sport Fury. Neither were plentiful with 4,523 and 3,133 built respectively.
I wouldn’t kick the two-door out of my garage. It’s amazing how these have become so much more attractive over the years.
This 1965 Chrysler convertible had more natural appeal than anything else nearby.
A 1960 Plymouth Belvedere two-door is a rarely seen critter. While the Pepto-Bismol pink is a little strong, it seems to go rather well with the car. With 6,529 being built, it is one of the more rare 1960 Plymouth models.
Tom and I kept walking. Suddenly, we see a 1960 1957 Plymouth Belvedere convertible. While chromed up under the hood, it looked great.
Many of us don’t want or need a full-size car. Maybe a compact is more your speed, like this 1971 Mercury Comet GT. Powered by a 302 (5.0 liter) V8, I had seen it heading to the show shortly after meeting up with Tom. It sounded as good as it looks.
A sibling to the Comet was the Ford Maverick. This 1971 Maverick made me chuckle.
My paternal grandmother is now 93, and the first car I remember her driving was a ’71 Maverick in the same Grabber Blue as the Comet above. Having been widowed suddenly in 1966, and leaving her in a bad financial situation, she swore she would pay cash for a new car within five years. She did so just past the four year mark. Hers was a very basic model with a six-cylinder and a three speed.
While heading to school one day in third grade, I saw her Maverick parked alongside a gravel county road with the front end smashed in. She had lost control in some loose gravel on her way to work at the school and hit a very large oak tree. My father and uncle performed a backyard repair that involved pulling out the radiator support with a Ford tractor, jumping on the hood to straighten it, and rigging a very stout chain to hold down the hood. She drove it that way for about 18 months as she refused for this repair to interfere with her budget for another car in 1981. I distinctly remember riding with her afterward the repair; as soon as the car hit thirty-five miles per hour the slack in the chain holding the hood was tighten, causing the hood to raise about two inches. I have had a healthy respect for Mavericks ever since.
We have never covered a 1959 Ford here at CC. I do have an Outtake on one to prepare someday, but for now here is a 1959 Ford Galaxie Fairlane retractable hardtop. These are quite the mechanical marvel for their time, having over one mile of wire and a multitude of hydraulics.
This is one element that is all too common on these. Why, oh why, would a person want to extend an already long car further by placing this mobile park bench on its rear? These Continental kits are literally a cancer on the ass of a car. I simply don’t understand their appeal.
But, thanks to Roger Carr, I have seen ones even more horrific! Please know I’m shaking my head while typing this.
Good sights abounded and by dusk it was getting hard to comprehend it all. We were getting hungry so the last part of the show went quickly. I had never fully thought about the Pinto Squire being about one-third hood.
This GMC cousin to the Chevrolet Suburban is a rig I have never seen in the metal. I remember it having an automatic transmission and a very well kept interior.
This similar vintage GMC pickup reminded me of an article by Alan Heath from some time ago (here).
This Mercury Montego GT has a backside that is a love it or hate it type proposition. What a thoroughly 1970s exterior color. The pie pan / dog dish hubcaps are terrific.
This 1984 Dodge Aries was for sale. The owner was really exercising some age old sales tactics on me, but I need an Aries like I need to be even more near-sighted. Besides, it was getting late and we still hadn’t seen it all.
Hopefully you enjoyed this quick tour around a small town in rural Northwestern Illinios. It’s easy to envision myself going back to Monmouth in 2015.
The 56 T-birds did have the spare tire outside, but not quite like that. This was before vinyl roofs, so perhaps the same people went for continental kits?
OMG on that F150 Lariat interior. Mark IV meets F-series!
I’ve always liked that 70s steering wheel from Ford and the woodgrain on this one makes the whole interior work. The cruise control switches really dress it up and from my memory had a very high quality feel to them. Kudos to Ford for keeping it around for the 80s trucks, no wonder high-end Broncos go for such big money.
Nice burnout Tom I didn’t think those Lincolns could do that!
Good stuff; I have never seen a Kaiser-Darrin in the metal and am pleasantly surprised that you found one in a small town in Illinois.
I love roadtrips, especially if I have the time to take them on two lane roads and go through small towns instead of around them. As it happens my wife and I made a road trip to Mattoon, Illinois from our home in Evansville just last Friday, and it was nearly all on on two lanes. Unfortunately it was for something unrelated to cars and I wasn’t able to take any pictures. We did get to eat lunch at a place called “The Burger King”, a locally owned restaurant in Mattoon, completely unrelated to the national chain.
Jason did you see any vintage Volvos at that show!
No. The only non-North American cars were a VW bug or two and the Datsun (I think) wagon seen beside the Pinto.
Actually that appears to be a 1980 Toyota Corolla Wagon.
Love that ’68 Fury. I’m glad the owner chose to keep those period correct wheel covers. The yellow ’67 isn’t so bad either, but the green one… I am nearly positive those hood “scoops” were applied from a donor B-body. No thanks.
Yes, I am pretty sure the scoops were from a ’67 GTX. That car was so sharp. It would have looked even better without the “go faster, man!” incorrect scoops.
Curious no word about the Model A next to the 1950 Chevy.
I have noticed that I am one of very few 40-something enthusiasts who have much interest in pre-war iron.
Perhaps you too have noticed that the Early Ford V8 and Model A Club meets are almost exclusively populated by septuagenarians. For those of my generation, I encourage you to get to know these earlier cars. They are engaging, easy to work on, parts are plentiful, and they are still safely driveable on modern roads (Save Model Ts—-those are pretty sketchy at speeds over 30mph).
The best part about these older cars is how different the driving experience is compared to post-war cars. Learning to drive a non-synchro manual trans is a wonderful experience. I love the very mechanical gear whine of a Model A trans. Old Ford mechanical brakes are also very interesting—they work better than you might think–and you never need to worry about brake fluid leaks! The growl of an old six volt starter is also quite compelling!
As current owners of these fine older cars age out of the hobby over the next decade, I predict a dearth of these cars for sale, and prices will likely drop as a result. Take advantage of this opportunity!
I can confirm your experience on Model As. I owned one in the early 1990s when I was in my 30s. I joined a local club, and besides one other guy, every other member was somewhere from 20 to 40 years older than I was. Oddly, the other young guy was the only one who I never hit it off with.
There are few better hobby cars than a Model A from the standpoint of ownership and maintenance. The cars are so simple and durable, that they are cheap to own. My only practical problem in driving it was that it was not housebroken – it would pee a little puddle of oil every time you parked it due to the use of an oil slinger at the back of the crankshaft instead of an oil seal. Driving it to someone’s house required some planning, or a portable pan.
I would own another if the chance presented itself.
Interestingly, the ’59 Skyliner is not a Galaxie, but an early production car badged as a Fairlane 500. Both the Skyliner and Sunliner were moved to the Galaxie series when it was introduced mid-year.
Correct you are; I’ve updated the text.
The Skyliner retractable used no hydraulics. Power screw jacks and levers, flexible cables ( think very large speedometer cable) relays and limit switches for sequencing, but no hydraulics.
There were some nice Mopars at that show, and I like the Kaiser Darrin too. The faded ’59 Fury looks like it might be a good restoration candidate.
The old girl definitely has solid bones. Where the interior was chaotic, there was no visible rust on the outside.
Great variety of some cool stuff there, boys. That 65 Chrysler convertible looks like a keeper to me. I love the stories behind those super-low-mile cars, too.
The combination of a Kaiser Darrin and a Crosley Hot Shot is probably a combo that you would never see at another car show, anywhere, ever. Was there ever a better name for a car than Crosley Hot Shot?
And would you PLEASE stop tormenting me with that red 59 Fury? 🙂
Well, it was somewhat related to the story. 🙂 Beside, it’s 327 miles of easy driving interstate between Indianapolis and where the Fury is awaiting a new, loving home. That is a long ways to go.
The F150 is a 1980-1981 model as it is a F150 Ranger Lariat(this is denoted above the radio) in 1982 the Ranger compact pickup truck was released and the Ranger name dropped from the F series trucks. Its place was taken by the XLT Lariat.
That is a nice example of truck. I like older pickup trucks as they are an honest vehicle and there is no pretensions about them, they are there to haul stuff.
I was just about to mention it before you did, except I came about it from another direction:
The F-150 is an ’80 or ’81 model, as the ’82s were the first with the Blue Oval grille. And it’s perhaps the most well-kept (or well-restored, doesn’t matter which) example I’ve ever seen. Also one of the few to be include that medium brown color, either by itself or in two-tone. “Light Caramel,” as FoMoCo called it.
Modern trucks truly are the Broughams of the 21st century. We complain here quite frequently about how most modern cars are only available in black, white, and various shades of gray, but look at this: the 1980 F-Series brochure lists 14 standard and 3 “glamour” (presumably only available as part of a two-tone scheme) color choices, including “Light Medium Pine,” that aseptic green you usually saw in prisons, hospitals and asylums to keep the inmates subdued. The 2013 F-150 (my most recent brochure) was available in–guess how many–14 color choices, plus 2 two-tone options depending on trim level. Only one less color choice over nearly 35 years? Good enough for me.
Great write-up, I loved it!
I also loved the Maverick, and the Comet was pretty cool as well.
And like you, I detest the continental kits on cars. I just don’t understand some people’s tastes sometimes….
One more thing? Any idea what they were asking for that ’59 Fury?
I like that Montego, very menacing looking in a Mad Max sort of way. The widened wheels, painted body color with hub cabs wrapped in wide rubber really look great.
That red Maverick and that blue Comet are two of the most beautiful cars I have ever seen! The picture here is a fully restored #1 condition 1975 Ford Maverick.
Nice burnout, Tom! That has to be one of the funniest pictures I’ve seen in a while…how discordant! I love it!
I suspect Jason spent the better part of an evening typing “Town Car Cartier,” “burnout” and “Ivory Parchment Tri-Coat” into Google Images. 🙂
Weren’t you mentioning something about wanting to get whitewall tires for the Townie?
Sure, when the current tires wear out. But they’re still in too darn good shape, dontcha know!
+1! If a metallic cream T.C. doing a burnout has a human equivalent, it would have to be Wilford Brimley ripping his shirt off Hulkster style and yelling ‘DIABEETUS’ at the top of his lungs!
This just gave me one of the best laughs I’ve had today.
x2!
Love the old Chev a real low mileage original as is the Toronado though thats a particularly ugly car but only lightly used, a friend has an original Singer Vogue with a massive 34,000 miles but he said knowing who had it from new the back seats have never had anyone on them, it certainly looks new inside despite being a 66 model.
Hi Jason,
This seems a great show, and its interesting that there were no European cars there. It helps us remember what a big place America really is.
You’ve also onvinced me to prepare a QOTD on the continental kit question……..we need to know how the CC audience feels on this!
Roger, I think that is an excellent idea for a QOTD.
Thinking about it, I have seen very few European (and even fewer Asian) makes at the various shows I have attended. Yours is an observation of something that had never occurred to me.
Actually Europeans are to blame for that fad getting started. It is said that Edsel Ford came up with the idea after seeing small sports cars in Europe(such as the MG J Type) with their rear mounted spare tire and like the look. He commissioned the Lincoln Continental to have this spare on the rear and the rest is history. So it seems Europe is responsible for this fad.
It goes back much further than that. Here’s an American Mercer from 1911. Carrying spares on the rear was a common place on two-passenger roadsters and such on both sides of the Atlantic. Nothing “continental” about it at all, really.
But on these cars it was strictly a practical consideration; starting with the ’39 Continental, it became a styling gimmick. And that is almost a totally American thing.
Here’s a Duesenberg SJ.
In my opinion, they look just fine on prewar cars and 1946-48 Continentals. Also, I will grant a one-time only exception to the 1956 Thunderbird. But after that, no thanks.
Now those Mercer Raceabouts were amazing!
Roger Huntington argued many years ago (with a variety of examples) that a “continental” was really a distinct and largely American body style going back at least to the mid-twenties. It was not really a European thing at all, although there were a few European cars that followed that idiom.
Jason and Tom,
Thank you for taking us down the old two lane road and sharing this wonderful car show with us. I’ve been to some very large shows that offered no where near the variety of interesting (to me) cars. Lots of great cars, but my favorites are the Darrin, which I’ve never seen on the ground, those Crosleys, and a trip down memory lane with the Pinto Squire.
I had a new Pinto Squire in 1973, loaded by cheap car standards of the day, in the same green interior and exterior as this car which I believe is a ’74 and up because of the super bumpers. I know that there are those that will shudder at the thought, but you had to be there during that era to begin to understand the cars that so many of us purchased. Maybe it was the combination of high gas prices, troubled times and easy access to a variety of drugs, but we drove some weird cars. Most of us survived to tell the tale and to still enjoy and appreciate a well maintained Pinto Squire or Mustang II when we see one. Not that I would want to drive one regularly today, though. The Pinto wagon was part Mini-Me Country Squire and part torture chamber, underpowered and with a propensity for the left rear to swing into oncoming traffic under hard braking, especially on wet pavement. A three hour drive would wear the driver and passengers out and anything longer required heavy medication. But it hauled around me, my Old English Sheepdog and about all of my worldly possessions for six years of relatively trouble free highway adventure. Great memories. Thanks, guys.
Thank you for the kind words.
I could not include everything I shot. However, since you mentioned it, here’s another one…
Nice grabs! You promised Mopars and you delivered. 3 mid 60s Furies is a nice little haul. Love the shagging wagons too…even if that ‘ice blue’ paint on the Sportsman is awful. The money shot for me is that Roadrunner. That bodystyle is one of the very few that works in purple….having it a dark indigo type purp helps.
That Montego is interesting. Never seen a ‘real’ one…my only experience with that bodystyle is an AFX slot car that I had as a kid. Sadly, its the only of the original 12 or so that I don’t still have.
Thanks, Jason! That’s an interesting selection of cars for this article. Taht Kaiser Farrin is a real stunner. I must see one in the fiberglass myself!
Thanks for the post, amazing to see the Darrin, Crosleys etc. There must be a law about posing Darrins with the door open just like Skyliners with the roof half down. Would the wide setscoops on the Fury indicate a cross ram intake? How about the Montego?
Going from memory (this was three weeks ago) the Montego had a 351 (5.8 liter) with an automatic. The green Fury convertible had “hemi” badges and that engine was not available originally. I suspect the scoops to have been transplanted from another car.
I had my first ride over 100 mph in Comet GT like that.
Very nice show.
I’m not a huge fan of continental kits either, but given the limited trunk space in those retractables, there is at least a practical excuse for it.
I have to wonder how many ’65 Chrysler convertibles are that shade of red. Besides mine, this one makes at least 5 that I’ve seen pictures of in the last decade.
That Montego say’s undercover detective all over it.Although I’ve never been a fan of 60 Mopars I really like the pink and white Belvedere.(I’m a sucker for pink Mopars).Thanks Jason for a great selection and good read