This year's Mid-Western Nationals held at the Kansas City International Speed Way September 19-21 turned out quite a wide variety of rods, customs, musclecars, and street rods. Goodguys car shows seem to always attract the finest cars, and this event was yet another perfect example of what the Mid-West has to offer. Having a chance to get out to a few of Goodguys shows this year, one fact kept popping up right in front of us. Like a breath of fresh air, we started noticing that more and more people are driving their cars to these events. We aren't talking about the cars that always get driven, we're talking about the high-end cars normally seen blowing down the freeway securely fastened to an equally expensive trailer. We hope this becomes a widespread trend. Anyway, here are a couple of shots from Kansas City to drool over, enjoy.
This '51 Chevy hardtop owned...
This '51 Chevy hardtop owned by Jeb McGregor of Wichita, KS, had it all. We especially liked the use of the top portion of a '55 Pontiac front bumper, and the very traditional Watson-style pinstriping that covered the dash, spotlights, hood, and trunk. Even the multitude of louvers on the hood are individually striped.
Now this is exactly what a...
Now this is exactly what a mid- to late-'30s sedan should look like. Chopped, dropped, black, and bad. The flames and front fender exhaust exits give this '36 a different look by adding just the right amount of hot rod to an already sweet custom.
Speaking of hot rod, check...
Speaking of hot rod, check out the cast-finish kidney bean-style wheels. American Racing did us all a favor when they offered these wheels; they're called Salt Flat Specials and have a cast-finish center. We've seen these wheels on hot rods and customs, and take it from us, they work on any type of car--especially on chopped highboy coupes like Jimi Mickle's out of Tulsa, OK. Jimi's coupe runs a stout 355ci Chevy small-block.
Just the thought of customizing...
Just the thought of customizing a '60 Buick can make your head spin. What more could anyone do to one of these Buicks to make it any more custom than what General Motors did originally?
Hub Harness from Wichita,...
Hub Harness from Wichita, KS, not only improved on the Buick's already wild lines, but did so with a style straight from the early-'60s. The body, engine, and interior all have heavy custom work performed flawlessly.
We don't get to see too many...
We don't get to see too many custom Pontiacs, and this one from Kearney, MO, begs the question, "Why not?" Oldsmobile headlights, '54 Chevy grille, and a clean shave turned this boat into one of our favorites at this show.
Dennis Taylor brought out...
Dennis Taylor brought out this freshly redone Dragula car. The coffin sports a not-so-mild small-block Chevy with a powerglide trans. The most striking part of this car, besides the fact that it's a coffin, is the perfectly sprayed heavy gold metalflake paint. This is another one of those "gotta see in person cars" if you want to really appreciate all that went into it. We need more of these old-school exhibition types showing up at car shows.