August 22: 2017 Mopar Fest

Ah, those good old days, when every car wore some sort of indication of what was under the hood. Sure, in this case, the Plymouth in question would have to be about to run you over for you to know what was throbbing under that '60's era hood. The good news is that there was also an engine call out on the front fender, so you could live to tell your friends what you had just seen. Assuming you had friends that cared.

And this brings me to today's blog. The car above was at the annual and huge Mopar Fest, held each August in New Hamburg, about 120 kms west of Toronto. Great show of eveything Chrysler and of course, the expected were on display........

But how about the unexpected? How about the strange stuff, that ended up on the show grounds? How about this throw back van from those days, when if this van is rockin', don't come knockin' type of vans ruled the custom car shows.

Scary or clever? I went to one car show back in the 70's and just about all they had were vans like this. It's my firm belief that these custom vans lead to the worldwide shortage of shag carpet.

Or, who hasn't wished for a more creative exhaust system for their car?

I couldn't agree more. Put a set of these on your new Bentley or Mercedes S Class and you'll rule the street. Terrorize the local youngsters. Cause old ladies to faint in shock. Got a set on order for the Maxima.

There is a subset of the old car hobby, that likes completely original vehicles, ones with patina.......

No question this old Dodge qualifies. And to think that only a few years ago, it would have also qualified as junk. Attracting a crowd? A few picture takers anyway.

And speaking of trucks or in this case, trucklettes, the one version of the PT Cruiser that Dodge neglected to build was the pick-up. Of course, at Mopar Fest, one enterprising soul showed them boys what they had missed out on.........

Built to answer a question that absolutely no one asked.

Thinking that creativity might have died out long ago? Oh, but you are so wrong........

Need I say more?

And on the subject of creativity.........

Two motors, two instrument panels, two steering wheels, two drive systems, two sets of brake lights, two sets of headlights. One very mixed up idea of how one should spend their leisure time. Obviously this Plymouth Horizon's creator didn't have TV or a library card.

Now back to one more shot showing that amid all this strangeness, some sanity ruled......

My biggest disappointment? Here we had thousands of folks treking around the little burg of New Hamburg. Lots of folks looking in the shops and restaurants and you know what decided to close for the weekend because of all the people? The famous local cheese factory, known throughout southern Ontario for its various goudas. Now that was just plain stupid. On a par with the double ended Plymouth? You decide.

Until next time.......