I recently went along to a car exhibition, it was very informal taking place in a large pub car park, with everyone pint in hand wandering around.
Just outside of Macclesfield, starting at about 5pm, lots of men and women drive up to the Cheshire Lounge in their cars (many of whom have classic car tax on) and park them in car park for all to see, most of these cars are left unlocked for you to look inside too.
The audience was a crowd of car adorers, who, if asked a question could tell you every thing to where the car originated from to when the last one was made.
The cars themseleves were quite incredible with no one genre, there were American Dodges, Italian Maserati's and quite a few Ford Hot Rods. Two inparticular caught my eye, the first being a Ford Fairmount, a car made in the 70s and 80s, that had been restored to an old American Police Service car; complete with an old style siren and flashing lights. Note: the flashing lights were also in the front grille.
When we were there the man who had restored it had just finished painting the outside to put on stripes and a state county badge. He showed us around the car and he had restored the car with something that it would previously never had, a camera that films and a playback facility in the boot and also a speedometer! It was really something, although there is probably lots of these about, the man talked about his work so compassionately, it reminded me of art, because what he has created is art. I recently went back to ask if I could get a photograph but he wasn't there that month, if I do get one though it will definately go on here!
The other car was Dodge pickup truck I'm not sure what type but it was massive, the owner was actually disabled and the back of the truck had a bumper sticker reading: CAUTION! DISABLE DRIVER. For me to get into the truck which would have originally had 5 seats in it, I would have needed at least a 3 step ladder to get up to it, so when I saw this man demonstrating how he got in it and drove, I was amazed.
He had modified the passengers door, so that it was a 'suicide' door (meaning it opens the opposite way) from this door there was a ramp that came down with the help of some wireless controls, when it was firmly on the ground the man wheeled onto the ramp and started the controls so that it took him up so he was able to board the car, the front seat was actually missing and his wheelchair became his front seat. Having never seen anything like this, I was so intrigued, I obviously know they modified cars and such other things for people with disabilities but this man had done it all himself and on such a huge car. The way I have described this sounds like it took him about half an hour to get into his car but it was all over within 2 minutes. It was fabulous.
Since then I have looked more into restorations of old cars and the art that is hot-rodding and classic car restoration. It is very interesting and well worth having a look into.
Just outside of Macclesfield, starting at about 5pm, lots of men and women drive up to the Cheshire Lounge in their cars (many of whom have classic car tax on) and park them in car park for all to see, most of these cars are left unlocked for you to look inside too.
The audience was a crowd of car adorers, who, if asked a question could tell you every thing to where the car originated from to when the last one was made.
The cars themseleves were quite incredible with no one genre, there were American Dodges, Italian Maserati's and quite a few Ford Hot Rods. Two inparticular caught my eye, the first being a Ford Fairmount, a car made in the 70s and 80s, that had been restored to an old American Police Service car; complete with an old style siren and flashing lights. Note: the flashing lights were also in the front grille.
When we were there the man who had restored it had just finished painting the outside to put on stripes and a state county badge. He showed us around the car and he had restored the car with something that it would previously never had, a camera that films and a playback facility in the boot and also a speedometer! It was really something, although there is probably lots of these about, the man talked about his work so compassionately, it reminded me of art, because what he has created is art. I recently went back to ask if I could get a photograph but he wasn't there that month, if I do get one though it will definately go on here!
The other car was Dodge pickup truck I'm not sure what type but it was massive, the owner was actually disabled and the back of the truck had a bumper sticker reading: CAUTION! DISABLE DRIVER. For me to get into the truck which would have originally had 5 seats in it, I would have needed at least a 3 step ladder to get up to it, so when I saw this man demonstrating how he got in it and drove, I was amazed.
He had modified the passengers door, so that it was a 'suicide' door (meaning it opens the opposite way) from this door there was a ramp that came down with the help of some wireless controls, when it was firmly on the ground the man wheeled onto the ramp and started the controls so that it took him up so he was able to board the car, the front seat was actually missing and his wheelchair became his front seat. Having never seen anything like this, I was so intrigued, I obviously know they modified cars and such other things for people with disabilities but this man had done it all himself and on such a huge car. The way I have described this sounds like it took him about half an hour to get into his car but it was all over within 2 minutes. It was fabulous.
Since then I have looked more into restorations of old cars and the art that is hot-rodding and classic car restoration. It is very interesting and well worth having a look into.
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