DREAM CARS COME TRUE COLLECTORS SHOW THEIR LOVE OF VEHICLES AT SPRING FLING.Byline: Courtney Fielding Special to the Daily News LAKE BALBOA - Darrell Smith was 17 in 1975 when he spotted the car he would spend decades pining after - a Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda. Cruising down 39th Street in his hometown of Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (1990 pop. 444,719), state capital, and seat of Oklahoma co., central Okla., on the North Canadian River; inc. 1890. The state's largest city, it is an important livestock market, a wholesale, distribution, industrial, and financial center, and a farm , the 425-horsepower coupe captured his imagination - but the price tag escaped his reach. Thirty years later, Smith is owner of a 1971 Hemi 'Cuda - bought in pieces and restored for $150,000 in "Sassy Green" paint, with four-speed transmission and "shaker" hood scoop A hood scoop is an air vent on the hood of an automobile that either allows a flow of air to directly enter the engine compartment, or appears to do so. It may be closed, and thus purely decorative, or serve to enhance performance in several possible ways. . One of only 107 built, it is valued at more than $1.3 million. "It's a real dream car," the 48-year-old investment trader said. Smith's 'Cuda is among 300 classic Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth vehicles This is a list of automobiles sold under the Plymouth brand name of the Chrysler Corporation.
The two-day show is hosted by Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, Performance West, a San Fernando Valley-based car club dedicated to Mopar, or Chrysler Corp., vehicles. Organizers call it the largest of its kind west of the Mississippi River. "Tonight Show" host and noted car enthusiast Jay Leno is expected to be there today, bringing from his own collection a prototype 1963 Chrysler turbine car Chrysler Turbine Cars were automobiles powered by gas turbine engines which the Chrysler Corporation assembled in a small plant in Detroit, Michigan in 1963, for use in the only consumer test of gas turbine-powered cars. . The event wraps up today with awards in 37 categories, including Best in Show. On Saturday, a group of friends from San Diego lounged in lawn chairs behind the powder blue 1964 Dodge 440 station wagon one just bought. They talked about muscle cars and listened to the booming sound of Hemi engines on and off the lot. "The total amount of horsepower on the ground today is unbelievable," said Ian Laidlaw. "Pure testosterone." San Diegan Nick Taylor, who said he has 11 cars and "neighbors who hate me," came to the show specifically to buy the Dodge wagon, the same model he owned briefly as a teenager. He found the car on eBay and decided it was a bargain at $6,600. In the next row, Quartz Hill resident Tom Comer sat next to a shiny black 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T R/T rather than R/T Related To R/T Real Time R/T Room Temperature R/T Round-Trip (travel booking) R/T Response/Time R/T Running Time R/T Research & Technology R/T Race/Track R/T Rapid Transit R/T Road & Track he has spent over a decade "tinkering with." The car was a "rust bucket" that didn't work when he purchased it 14 years ago, Comer said. While many classic car owners never put their vehicle on the street, Comer drives his every day. "I think cars are meant to drive," Comer said. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- 3) At top, modified vintage roadsters sit on display at Saturday's Spring Fling Auto Show at Balboa Park. Above, Mike Driscoll waits for a friend to carry classic cars rims. At left, John Mills is reflected on the rear end of his '68 Dodge Charger. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion