It took way too long to get these posts on the blog. Sigrid and I went to see the Art of the Car Concours show on the grounds of the Kansas City Art Institute on June 26, 2011. The show is an annual event that benefits the Art Institute. It is a great show and we highly recommend that you go if you enjoy classic old cars.
As you view these photos, you will see the "art" in the design of the cars. The photos only cover about half of the cars on display and it broke my heart to have to cut photos out just to make the blog postings a reasonable size. I did make this a two part posting to squeeze more of the great cars into the posts. The blogger software gets really slow and cantankerous after about 50 photos which is why this had to be two posts.
Anyone for a donut?
How about a cold drink?
It took so long to get the post out that I lost the document I got at the show that would have helped me identify some of the cars. Sorry about that. This one is a 1933 Ford.
Cadillac convertible
1941 Buick
1963 Austin Healy 3000
A 1910 Stanley. I am getting the info for the blog from the cards in front of the cars....its good that I had enough resolution to read the cards when highly enlarged.
1920 Studebaker
1920 Kissell
1932 Packard
1938 Studebaker President
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
The spare tire on the rear bumper was called a "continental kit".
1965 Corvette Stingray
Mercedes Benz 300SL
1928 Cunningham
1953 Nash-Healy
Rolls Royce
The new Chevy Volt is hardly the first electric car. Here is a 1916 Ohio Electric Brougham.
There were a whole bunch of electric car makers between 1900 and 1920 but the cars couldn't compete against the internal combustion engine....and they still can't even with government subsidies.
The inherent limitation in range and the time required to recharge the batteries remain major issues. The cost of operation is probably much more than most people realize since it isn't free to plug your car in to recharge it.
The electricity used for charging is now largely generated by burning coal.......not so environmentally friendly. While I love riding in an electric golf cart, I don't think we will see any great movement towards electric cars for many years.
If you are thinking solar/wind energy, forget it. Sure, you can make electricity with solar and wind, but it is very expensive and you can't afford it without government subsidy and the government can't afford much of anything. As an engineer, I can also tell you that there are some fundamental technical reasons why solar/wind isn't the answer for the future.
A nice old Jaguar.
I don't know what this one is but it is a nice color.
This is an MGA. I don't know the year but I am guessing 1960.
1935 Chrysler Air Flow
1937 Auburn Cord.....one of my favorite old cars. Note the covered headlights.
1937 Rolls Royce. This is what luxury as all about.
1956 Nash Rambler
1912 REO The Fifth. I believe that this car or one of the other REO
models was the inspiration for the name of the 1970's rock group, REO
Speedwagon. The car company was started by Mr. R. E. Olds. The name of
the company was later changed to Oldsmobile and it became one of the
founding companies that made up General Motors. Now, you know the rest
of the story as Paul Harvey used to say. Check out the comment left by a knowledgeable person at the end of this post.
Here is another nice old logo.
1953 Buick Skylark
An old Pontiac panel wagon.
1965 Corvette Stingray Convertible
Hudson Hornet
An old Ford.....I don't know the year.
1959 Corvette Roadster
Thanks to a little help from a view, I now know that this is a rare 1955 Ford Thunderbird.
1963 VW Single Cab Transporter
1960's Shelby Cobra....another of my favorite cars.
1933 Hupmobile. I never heard of this one before, but it is a beauty.
1926 Franklin
1953 MG
1966 Shelby Cobra. These cars were sold through Ford dealers and used Ford engines. This one had a 427 cubic inch engine in it.
1935 Auburn Phaeton
With a little help from our friends, I now know that this is a Citroen 2CV.
1962 Ferrari 250 GTE
Part II of the car show is the next posting. You can click on "Newer" below to get there or use the index on the right edge of the blog.
A Ferrari Lusso. I don't know the year.
Chevrolet Corvette
1932 Studebaker Special Racer.
1936 Stout Scarab...another one I have never heard of before.
1948 Daimler Green Goddess
How about a motorized bike....they have it all at the show.
I sure wish that I could tell you what this one is but there is no sign.
1932 Packard
I know it is a Jaguar XKE but I don't know the year.
What a beautiful car!
1927 Rolls Royce
My parents had a car similar to this one when I was growing up....man, that really dates me or my parents drove a really old car or maybe a little of both. A 1950 Dodge Wayfairer Coupe.
The front end of the Cobra shown earlier in the blog.
I love this car but I don't know what it is unfortunately.
1939 Studebaker
1947 Bentley
I think the sign says this is a 1921 Daniels.
1946 Chrysler Town & Country....one of the prettiest cars at the show.
An overview of the KC Art Institute grounds and the cars.
1935 Bentley Saloon
1903 Oldsmobile
Another Jaguar XKE Roadster.
Eating at the drive-in.....nothing could be better in the summer.
1930 Rolls Royce Phantom
1931 Cord
I believe this is a 1959 Corvette.
1929 Duesenberg
No info on this one.
1931 Ford Roadster
1940 Ford
Don't forget to view Part I of the posts. The next Art of the Car show will be on Sunday, June 24, 2012 at the Kansas City Art Institute.
