Casual Cruise

Well, here we are, back to car cruises and shows. We all know that there are big shows and small shows. Shows that you pay entrance fees and hope to win a trophy as well as small shows where you just show off your ride. This story is about the second option. You know, the show where you dust your ride off, go to the show, pull out your lawn chair and shoot the bull with the other participants.
The casual cruise is not just for the ride owner, but for the whole family of the car. The cruises I have been to have families. There are kids running around, wives and moms talking, you get the idea. Of course, the ride builders are always showing off what the latest thing they have done to their rides.
Let me tell you about the different rides. You have your traditional street rods, coupes, roadsters, and T-buckets. Then there are the sporty types of cars such as Corvettes and a lot of vintage muscle cars like Mustangs and Cameros, Dodge Challengers and Chargers. Then, sometimes, you have a surprise like a big military truck with twin 50 caliber machine guns on top.
Most of the modern muscle cars had engine modifications, custom lighting, and great tuned exhausts. Most of these cars are daily drivers. One of these is a fully custom 2006 Dodge Magnum station with a 6.1 liter Hemi engine. It has custom lighting and a decal reading “Grocery Getter” across the top of the windshield.
These casual cruise shows are usually held in parking lots of shopping centers or in parking lots of businesses that appreciate classic rides. A guest ride showed up at one of the casual cruises I recently went to. It was a 1933 Ford Vicky AA/FA drag car. It was a beautiful red in color with a BAE Hemi 420 cubic inch engine and approximately 3000 HP. It’s the world’s fastest Ford Vicky and is owned by Dave and Lois Owen and driven by their son, Troy Owen. I would be scared to death to take that car for a run!
Back to the real world. The variety of cars and different manufacturers just blew me away. For small, local shows it can be pretty impressive. There were imports as well as American-made vehicles. Just a sample of what I saw at a couple of different shows: Camaros, Mustangs, Jeeps, Hondas, Chrysler station wagons, Volkswagens, a Toyota pickup with a V8 engine, Subaru, BMW, Corvettes, Mazdas and a classic 1965 Plymouth Satellite with a 440 V8.
I know it is getting to the end of the outdoor cruise shows, but if you are a car guy or a car gal, stop in and experience a casual cruise car show for yourself!