Cars in the Park, All Fords, The Woody and Its Brilliant Attachment, July 30, 2011

Grabbed your attention? Want more? OK. You've persuaded me!


Like flies to honey, folks just had to stop and look at these beauties. I talked with the owner who told me that he had owned this rig for a few months, that the truck is a 1931 delivery truck that had been taken from the ground up and turned into the woody, that the teardrop trailer had been built from scratch to go with the woody.




The permanent passenger.








Inside the opened back of the teardrop trailer.


Teardrop trailer interior.


One more of the interior.

Cars in the Park, All Fords, The Best Red Car, July 30, 2011

For me it's this 1967 Ford Falcon Sports Coupe, the best red that I have seen on any of these Saturdays, not a tomato red, not a blue red, it's a real red. The owner told me that their daughter believes the car makes a fire engine look brown! We talked a bit as he and his wife sat in the shade in their folding chairs, with a painting of their Falcon which their daughter had done, leaned up at the wife's right.






Can you even begin to believe that this paint job is 16 years old? My mouth fell wide open when the owner told me that. He went on to explain that the man who painted it carefully did many layers. I told him that the paint lived for me, literally lived.


All about the "67 Ford Falcon Sports Coupe.


The interior, front seat, and the dash. I wish I had asked about the gear shift--it says Hurst on the side of it!


The perfect steering wheel.


If I remember right, the owner told me the upholstery is original. Fantastic!


Under the hood.

Cars in the Park, Ford Muscle Cars, July 2, 2011

1967 Ford Mustang Fastback. It is candy apple red--I asked the owner. There's a sign in the grill that says 427 Stroker.


He told me that when the sun hits it just right, it sort of glows. I think it looks pretty good here in the shade.


A couple of hours later, more sunshine, and it does seem to glow.


1969 Ford Mustang


The same 1969 Ford Mustang, different perspective.


Now for something out of the ordinary, at least to me.


Here's the recreated 1964 Thunderbolt, about which the Wikipedia says that a stock one (with the 427 cu. in. engine) could run a quarter mile at a drag strip in 11.76 seconds (122.7 mph).


The 427 Thunderbolt engine came with special exhausts which were not street legal, technically, so that the car made too much noise for the street, had massive traction bars, asymmetrical rear springs, and a trunk-mounted 95-pound bus battery that added traction. The car had Plexiglass windows to save weight and its base price was $3,780. Only 111 of the lightweight car that utilized a Ford Fairlane body were built.






It sort of looks like a family car from the back, doesn't it?


1967 Ford Shelby GT500, listed in the Wikipedia article as a pony car muscle model. The facts on this particular car--color, dark moss green; engine 428 cu. in. Police Interceptor; 355 hp with dual Holly 4 barrel; C-6 Tranny with 3.25:1 no slip diff.; power steering; power disc brakes; roll bar; shoulder harnesses; deluxe Shelby wheels; manufactured by Shelby American, Inc. on Feb. 22, 1967, # 0561 of 2,050 GT 500's produced.




Wonder if the owners are Oregon Duck fans?


1964 Ford AC Cobra--I couldn't find this particular car in the Wikipedia article, but I imagine anyone would think the word Cobra denotes muscle when it comes to cars.








1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1, listed in the article as a pony car muscle model.

Cars in the Park, Vintage American Cars, July 9, 2011

I went camera shopping early Saturday, with Kailey and Leland, then with just Leland so that sweet Kailey could get some sleep--she works graveyard. After a total of three stops, I found what I wanted and what I could afford at Ritz Camera, a Nikon D5100. You see, my beloved Nikon D50 has been erratic at best lately, plus I pined for the sharpness of a Nikon lens again. Now I'm all set and can see about getting the D50 to the camera hospital.

Buying a new camera, of course, means charging the battery before you can go out and about with the camera hanging around your neck. An hour and a half after I plugged in the charger, I arrived at the South Park Blocks for this Saturday's car show right before 3 p.m. I figured I'd be just fine because the advertised end time was 5 p.m., so imagine how my mouth dropped open when I got to the top of the stairs at SW Main and the South Park Blocks and saw the streets 97% empty. Immediately I hot-footed it to the closest car, camera ready. As I took a few photos, I looked up and saw about a block away a Woody--the first one I've seen in person! Then in a few minutes I saw a car driving away that reminded me of a gangster movie car. For a little while I rushed around, taking photos. Here they are for you to enjoy.


1937 Ford V8. I asked the owner, the man in the red T-shirt, for the name of the color. He replied, "Autumn Brown. Like fall. That's a stock Ford color." The closest to the correct color is in that sunny spot on the front fender and in the sunny spot between the headlight and the grill--naturally the shade made the color darker.


The Ford's hood ornament; I wish I had asked whether or not it is original.


The 1939 Ford Deluxe Woody Station Wagon that caused my heart to race as I approached it--praying the owner was not inside and about to drive off. On the wall behind it is an image of one of the cars on display inside the Portland Art Museum, part of The Allure of the Automobile.


I have to tell you, the wood on this car outshone any of the totally metal cars I have seen. Rich, mellow, satiny smooth, gorgeous wood. I heard the man who owns the Woody saying that some of it was original!


More of that grin-inducing wood!


This beauty quietly drove up and then past me as I stared at the Woody, so I missed getting a photo of the front. You can see from the next photo that both cars look very much alike, which makes me think this one is a Pierce Arrow, too.


I know this one is a Pierce Arrow because I stepped up to the window and asked the driver as he waited for pedestrians to clear the intersection. This car is the one that made me think of gangster movies. Love those black-wall tires!


1938 Pontiac Two-Door Cabriolet Convertible


That's the owner standing by it in the photo above. You can tell that he's got it partially parked on the sidewalk.


I think that oblong black thing is the step you use to get yourself into the rumble seat. I wonder if he had it open earlier in the day?


The Pontiac's hood ornament.


When I looked back towards the Woody, I saw this beauty pulled to a stop behind it. The owner's getting out as I snap the photo.




The hub cab says Packard Super Eight. Unfortunately I am reflected too much in this photo--gotta pay better attention next week when I go see the Multnomah Hot Rod Council's vehicles!


Lovely, lovely car.


The Packard's hood ornament.