Happy Halloween!

In The Spirit of Halloween…The Car (1977)

I remember this movie when I was a kid.  It scared the hell out of me.  My grandmother had an old Lincoln that I thought twice about passing in front of after seeing this movie.

What Influences You Most to Attend Car Shows in the Miss-Lou? Please take our Poll!

Cruisin’ Southern Style at the Paragon Casino – Markville, LA

Seems this show went from a 3 Day show to a 1 Day show overnight due to scheduling conflicts with events at the Paragon Casino.  Southern Style Cruisers the host club for the event has released new details on the show stating the event will be a Saturday only show.  You can go to the Event update post on the their site here and Event Details here.

I did not attend this show last year and sources told me that it suffered low attendance in it’s first year.  Miss-Lou Motor Mafia will be there this year and will cover and review this years 2nd Annual event.  The host club has yet to name a Cause or Charity for the show from what I have read on their website and literature.  I have asked for a comment on this and hope SSC will respond soon.  Hope this years show will be successful.  With cooler temps and cheaper gas prices we are seeing car show attendance pick up so all of the ingredients are there for a great show.

I heard from Joe Pharis of  SSC this morning…

“We’ve chosen the Make-A-Wish Foundation to benefit from this years show. All proceeds will be donated to the State Police’s Foundation for children. We look forward to seeing everyone there.”

On This Day In Automotive History…

October 27, 1945

Porsche is arrested

Born in Bohemia in 1875, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche devoted himself to mechanical engineering early in life, providing electric light for his family at the age of 15 after constructing everything from the necessary generator to the light bulb. Porsche soon became involved in automotive design, climbing the ranks at Daimler, the Auto Union, and Mercedes-Benz. Famous Porsche-designed cars of this period include the Prince Henry Austro-Daimler, the 38/250 Mercedes-Benz, and the P-Wagon Auto Union Grand Prix car. In 1930, Porsche established a successful auto engine design company of his own, and, in 1934, submitted a design proposal to Adolf Hitler’s new German Reich government, calling for the construction of a small, simple, and reliable car that would be affordable enough for the average German. Nazi propagandists immediately embraced the idea, coining the name “Volkswagen” or “people’s car,” at an automobile show later in the year. The first completed model was introduced in 1938, available for $400. The simple, beetle-shaped automobile was sturdily constructed with a kind of utilitarian user-friendliness scarcely seen in an automobile before. But the outbreak of World War II prevented mass production of the automobile, and the newly constructed Volkswagen factory turned to war production, constructing military vehicles such as the “Kubelwagen,” a jeep-type vehicle, the “Schwimmwagen,” an amphibious car, and the lethal “Tiger” tank.
After the Allied victory in the war, Porsche, like other German industrialists who participated in the German war effort, was investigated on war-crime charges. On this day, Ferdinand Porsche was arrested by U.S. military officials for his pro-Nazi activities, and was sent to France where he was held for two years before being released. Meanwhile, the Allies approved the continuation of the original Volkswagen program, and Volkswagen went on to become a highly successful automobile company. As his brainchild Volkswagen grew, Porsche himself returned to sports-car design and construction, completing the successful Porsche 356 in 1948 with his son Ferry Porsche. In 1951, Ferdinand Porsche suffered a stroke and died, but Ferry continued his father’s impressive automotive legacy, achieving a sports car masterpiece with the introduction of the legendary Porsche 911 in 1963.

Gas Prices – FYI

I thought this was pretty interesting so I wanted to pass it along.

Today a Gallon of Unleaded Regular is $2.465.

Yesterday it was $2.486

One Week Ago it was $2.687

One Month Ago it was $3.716

One Year Ago it was $2.826

Halloween Pinup!

On This Day In Automotive History…

October 23, 1970

The Blue Flame rockets into the record books

On this day at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, American Gary Gabelich attained a record 631.367mph average speed in The Blue Flame, a rocket-powered four-wheeled vehicle. Momentarily achieving 650mph, Gabelich’s vehicle was powered by a liquid natural gas, hydrogen peroxide rocket engine that produced a thrust of up to 22,000 pounds. Gabelich’s achievement ended the domination of Craig Breedlove, the American driver who set a series of astounding victories in jet-powered vehicles during the 1960s, breaking the 400mph, 500mph, and 600mph barriers in 1963, 1964, and 1965, respectively. The Blue Flame’s land-speed record stood until 1983, when Briton Richard Noble raced to a new record in his jet-powered Thrust 2 vehicle. The Thrust 2, a 17,000-pound jet-powered Rolls-Royce Avon 302 designed by John Ackroyd, reached a record 633.468mph over the one-mile course in Nevada’s stark Black Rock Desert.

Homeruns & Hotrods Update…

I have been real busy getting things completed and my list of things to do is still a mile long but it looks as if everything is coming together. There have been a few changes like the show will take place on the Ball Field next to Vidalia High School. The Concordia Parrish School Board and Vidalia High School Principal gave me some grief over using the High School parking lot so I opted to move the Show to the Ball Park. The move does have it’s advantages. Seems they didn’t have a problem letting us use the parking lot but did have a problem letting us use the entry hall of the gym to let our guests have bathrooms. I was getting no where in getting an answer so I made the move. I don’t know why the Concordia Parrish School Board and Vidalia High School have to be so difficult. It’s a benefit for the Vidalia High School Fast Pitch Softball Program it should be a NO BRAINER! The ballpark is owned by the city so I didn’t have to deal with VHS and the School Board. As luck would have it Eddie Beach, who happened to be last years assistant coach for the girls, was over the field for the Co-Ed league who also keeps up the field. He was the “goto” guy on getting the field for the show and it was a NO BRAINER for him and then and there my headache went away.
Some advantages of moving to the Ball Field are: Bathrooms, Concession Stand, P/A, and Grills. The cars will be parked in the Outfield thus being fenced in so no spectators driving cars or riding bicycles through and around show cars. Large covered bleechers and the pavilion will give everyone a place to sit down and eat, relax and enjoy the show. Now if only the weather will cooperate, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it!
I have posted pics of some of the Live Auction items. You can click on the pics for a larger view. I have some really nice items that will be going up for bid so check them out.
I will Update everyone as things change. I’m hoping there won’t be many more though.

5th Annual Scarecrow Cruise & Car Show – Madison, MS

The Scarecrow Show took place in Madison, MS this Saturday and sources say it drew 278 vehicles from the all around.  I’m guessing the lower gas prices and cooler weather are helping with the show turnouts as well as car owners picking and choosing their shows more carefully.  It’s good to see a show draw that many vehicles since overall attendence is down in the Miss-Lou.

Congrats to Joyce and Pap Frederick for winning a Top 50 with there 1957 Ford Thunderbird.

I will be posting pics of the event soon so stayed tuned to M3 for more details.

UPDATE!  Just posted pics of this event and you can check them out here.