By Sam Barer

Sound Classics

Despite its claim as the “Christmas Tree Capital Of The World,” Shelton, Washington is not the epicenter of anything. Considering that the town closes its streets at least twice in June for car shows, though, it can at least be identified as the most octane-friendly place west of Puget Sound.

Shelton again hosted the annual Mason County Forest Festival (curious isn’t it that there’s a forest-themed fair in a place that lives and dies by the timber industry?) Car Show this past weekend. The show draws people from all over Mason, Thurston and Grays Harbor counties, which means that if a bomb dropped on the show, pretty much everyone who used to read my weekly “Sound Classics” newspaper column would be wiped off the map. That also meant that despite the pouring rain, I had an obligation to be there to support my car friends.

In the past I’ve taken my 1960 Triumph TR-3, 1986 Ferrari 328 GTS and a long-since-sold 1969 big block Corvette Convertible up there, but I decided this year to introduce the townspeople to the Infamous Craigslist 1976 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4. I suppose that I could have also taken the ’79 Chevy K10, but I still can’t excited about showing what I consider a work truck.

Continue reading "Mason County Forest Festival Car Show Summary" »

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Despite the SS badging, it almost looks more AMX than Camaro. Matt, who photographed the car at the Carlisle Performance & Style show last weekend, remembers the owner saying it was a Retrokits creation, and it does look like a variant on this kit. Definitely nothing subtle about it. What do you think?

Continue reading "Weirdest Camaro Kit To Date?" »

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Carlisle is known for putting on some of the most massive car shows in the East–hell, in the whole country–and last weekend was one of its most anticipated events, the Performance & Style show. CarDomain member Matt Hoover was there, and he shot us a whole gallery full of gorgeous photos. The show focuses heavily on the tuner, sport compact, and mini-truck segments, but it’s definitely a something-for-everyone kind of event–so head on over to the Events section and check it out!

By David Clarke

highspeedhijinks

One thing I’ve seen time and time again in my 15 years going to regular car shows is that people have no concept of money or what things are worth, and the car corral at the recent Rhinebeck show was proof-positive of that once again. Like many years before it, the corral was filled with clone cars asking real car prices, Grandmas’ low miles daily drivers, and rotted-out hulks of metal that used to be cars. The latter category is what I would call highway robbery to anyone even thinking of making a purchase. How someone can slap a multi-thousand dollar price on something I can see through is beyond me. Take this 1970 Impala convertible–it’s a mess.  The seller’s statement of “Doesn’t run, Needs work” is an understatement if I’ve ever heard one. With a broken right front spring and flat tire on the same wheel, almost worn-through paint, no actual metal left behind the rear wheel and a top that hasn’t come up since the Regan administration, it looks like a wounded junk yark dog. What may you ask is this car worth to someone like me? About 200 dollars as a parts car. What the seller wants is a far cry from that–follow the jump to see his well-placed ad.

Continue reading "Are You Serious…?" »

By Sam Barer

Sound Classics

I can count the number of Lamborghinis I saw driving on the road in Washington State in the 1970s and 1980s on one hand. Hell, I can count this on one finger–which represents the time in 1988 when I followed a red Countach up Clyde Hill in my 1977 Chrysler LeBaron.

But now, with Exotics At Redmond Town Center, at 8:30 AM on any given non-raining Saturday any of us can see more Lamborghinis in one day than I did in twenty years. The same goes for Ferraris, Maseratis, Lotuses, and other high end vehicles. Read on…

Continue reading "Exotics at Redmond Town Center: Bringing Cars and Families Together On Sunny Saturdays" »

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

The DUB tour kicked off this weekend in Anaheim, and we sent Larry Chen—our number one photographer—to shoot pics and video. Given how crappy the economy is, I was really curious about the level of cars that would be there.  But from the looks of this video, the DUB demographic hasn’t been effected by the downturn at all.

Larry also shot over 300 pics for our Events section. Check them out!

DUB Anaheim 2010

By Tony Castellano

Tcassa

Well it’s been a long time between drinks but I’ve finally made my way over to another local car event, this one being just an hour north of London.  The turnout was small, but there were still some lovely examples of rods and customs on display under the arena lights.  A particular favorite of mine and show highlight was a beautifully presented 33-34 hi-boy, finished off in the most gorgeous blue you could imagine! This rod, along with a choice selection of others, are after the jump!

Continue reading "Winter Warmer" »

By Rich Truesdell

Automotive Traveler

I spent my weekend covering several venues all over Southern California, putting at least 300 miles on my Corvair for Saturday, and at least a couple of hundred miles in a Pontiac Solstice on Sunday.

The alarm rang at 5:15 AM Saturday morning, and I wanted to be out the door by 6 AM so that I could grab a parking spot at Cars and Coffee just about an hour away. I decided to take the Corvair simply because I love driving it so much and after spending time the previous week in a half dozen rental cars, including a six-cylinder Camaro, and on too many airplanes, I thought rolling down the windows for the early morning drive would be invigorating and clear the cob webs out of my brain.

Continue reading "What Did You Do This Weekend?" »

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

This car show in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood had been held for years, and it’s become a favorite of local residents, gearhead and non-gearhead alike. While no cars are turned away from this event—there’s no GoodGuys-style pre-1972 rule here—there certainly wasn’t any junk on display. Along with a ’60s-era Ferrari 250 GT, there were a couple of classic Rolls-Royces, a ’30s Dodge truck sporting a new Viper motor, and plenty of sweet custom jobs. All in all, it was a great show, and since it was free, we couldn’t complain about the price. Head over to the events section to check out the photos.

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

I’ve been desk-bound—or um, not—since getting back from SEMA way back in November, which kind of sucks. Last year at this time? I was flying all around the country and seeing all kinds of wicked stuff! Oh well. I went to a bunch of DUB shows last year, and while I never stuck around for the music, I’d make an exception for the Charlotte stop. Lethal Injection was in my CD changer for years, and I’ve never gotten to see Ice Cube live. If you’re in the area he’s worth the admission alone.