Car Show and Tell

The 2022 Tucson show brings opportunities for storytelling.

I was looking for something Ed and I could do on a recent fall weekend and came across an ad for a car show in town. He was all about it…me, not so much, but the blogger, photographer, and writer in me was curious about this opportunity. Here are a few of the cars we saw, and the stories they inspire. Maybe I’m more of a car person than I thought.

A Trunk full of Skotch Koolers

This old station wagon didn’t interest me, but the trunk filled with Skotch Koolers did! (yes, I checked the spelling) I have fond memories of going to the Indianapolis 500 time-trials with my grandpa and Dad. Grandpa would pack his Skotch Kooler with cans of Vernor’s ginger ale and Canadian bacon sandwiches. In 1967 we watched Parnelli Jones become the first driver in history to qualify in a turbine-engine racer. He dominated that year’s race until with only 4 laps to go, his transmission failed and he had to drop out.

The Family Wagon

This 1964 Country Squire reminds me of our family car. With four kids, a station wagon was a necessity. Once, we drove from Indiana to Las Vegas to visit Aunt Betty and Uncle Doc in something like this. Mom and Dad took turns driving and to save money we only stopped for the night a few times. Before the age of seatbelts, we folded down the back seats and each kid had a corner to occupy with our toys and sleeping bags. We stopped at roadside parks and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches along the way.

We still had a big, clunky wagon when I was learning to drive. During my driver’s test, I tried 4 times to parallel park the beast. Finally the instructor said “If you don’t tell anyone, I won’t.” and he passed me. I still can’t parallel park.

First Date

On my first date, my boyfriend picked me up in his Karmann Ghia, but my date’s version was a fixer-upper, not a shiny red convertable one like this. My parents said they could hear us coming from far away. No way to sneak home late.

Ed’s Cars

Ed spent lots of time looking over this 1957 Corvette. He remembers his older cousin Ron had a ’67 Vette. Ron let Ed pull it into the driveway once and he almost ran it into the garage door. That was the last time he got to drive it.

As a teenager, Ed worked all summer in the Indiana hay fields to buy his first car, a ’64 Fury for $600. Ed’s dad owned a car lot, and Ed was always looking to trade up. During his college years he owned a ’67 Cougar, then a ’68 Cougar. He raced around the campus of Ball State University delivering pizzas in those cars. Then we got married, had kids, and his “trade-ups” were sensible family cars. But I can tell he still misses his first loves.

Status Symbols

Of course the status cars were on full display. Lots of folks were drooling over these beauties.

Hippie Van

My Choice for “Best in Show”

This 1967 Citroen was not the most valuable car in the show, but it wins my vote for being the best candidate for a good story. The original owner was an artist. She thought she had ordered a sunny-yellow model and when this dull, gray car arrived, she was very disappointed. Yet, she fell in love with the little car and put her own touch on it. I would love to write a story about it, but alas, the artist/owner beat me to it.

But wait! Maybe I can make my own story! What could I do with my vintage 2002 Saturn?