Katrina and I just returned from the 2019 Muscle Car And Corvette Nationals (MCACN) in Chicago. Everyone there had a terrific time. Like always, there were old friends to reunite with and new friends to meet and meeting people face to face that we have only known through emails and Facebook.
There were also some beautiful cars. Most notably, Marty Burke had his unbelievably restored Dan Gurney SCJ! There was a very large MOPAR Aero Display and a smaller Ford Aero Display. I will provide lots of photos and details about all of these over the next few weeks.
With all the wonderful things going on at the show, we were also disappointed. We have never had such a warm reception from the spectators. Far more people than expected recognized the collection of gorgeous Ford and Mercury products. Although there were the usual comments about having seen photos of similar cars they had never seen a real Talladega or Spoiler II in person, there were also those who knew what they were looking at. A few even had one at home.
That is the disappointment, we did not have enough cars there! Marty Burke was the sponsor of the collection for the show. We only had one Talladega, one modified Spoiler II, one Cale Spoiler II, and one Dan Gurney Spoiler II! No Spoilers! There were two Cyclones and two Cobra Torinos. All the cars present did very well in the judged classes if they had asked to be judged. It is the first time I can remember that the number of Spoiler II cars outnumbered the Talladegas and Spoilers. The most asked question was: “Do you know where I can find a Dan Gurney Spoiler II?”
We should have had a much bigger group of cars and I hope if we are invited back in a couple of years we can field two or three times as many cars at MCACN. Agreed it is expensive and a lot of work to get a car prepared for an indoor show that lasts several days but the camaraderie is worth it. If we have this opportunity again please consider participating.
You know that I am always talking about the Talladega Spoiler Family, that is because we a family. Not one that is related by blood or marriage but one tied together for a common love of a car. We share memories, experiences, and knowledge. We support and help each other. Our family grows every time someone new buys (adopts) one of our cars.
Support your family and attend our family reunions…they happen every time two or more of us get together!
Richard you are right we need more participation. Chuck’s Cobra was pulled from our display to be put in the winner circle, but I would like to have had more cars. We had one registrant who didn’t show and his car was featured in the program and poster ( very disappointing). Bob Ashton goes out of his way to help us promote our cars. Yes it costs us, but what better venue? Thanks to everyone who participated, all the first timers said that they would come back and were blown away by the Show. Can we do this again? Absolutely! But I would really like to have more than a dozen cars. Every car that got judged won Gold in their respective classes, that’s impressive. The day 2 judge sheet is pretty flexible and I give a lot of latitude, much more than concours FCA. So not only is it a fun event, it is also very prestigious!
It was my first time at MCACN. I was blown away by the huge number of historic and amazing cars. I was truly breathtaking to see Marty Burke’s Gurney Spoiler unveiled to the public. If you have not seen the video on YouTube look it up. This is hands down the greatest Cyclone ever built and Billups Auto Restoration and Marty have restored the car to the highest level possible. The Winged Mopar guys wanted to have the Ford and Mercury Aero cars displayed next to them next time I was told, how cool is that? There were so many historic cars there it was insane. I really enjoyed the Barn Find display of newly discovered and untouched rare muscle cars. I made new friends and met up with old ones. It was the best indoor show I have ever been to in my 35 years in the hobby. I hope to have my Cale Spoiler II there next year.