Der Dutchman in Plain City, Ohio failed to meet its goal of 300 cars on Thursday evening. Despite missing the goal, the restaurant still managed to have its best attendance of the year. The weekly cruise-in registered 243 vehicles. Forty-seven of those were first-time participants.
One of the first-timers was Matt Rittenhouse and his 2017 Camaro ZL1.
Creative Mobile Interiors and their 1972 Chevy C-30 custom camper was another first-timer.
Jeff and Lynne made their first appearance in a "slightly altered" 1973 Ford Econoline.
Barry Burdett arrived at the cruise-in with a shredded rear, driver-side tire on his 1966 Chevy C-10 pickup. Unfortunately, his pickup didn't leave the cruise-in on its own power.
Here are some more scenes from the evening:
Thursday's cruise-in was the third time this season attendance hit or exceeded the 200 mark. With only two cruise-ins left, I think it's already safe to say 2019 will be another successful year for the Der Dutchman Cruise-in.
Creative Towing/Advanced Auto Parts
The award for the most relaxed car show of the season will go to the September Creative Towing/Advanced Auto Parts event. With temperatures in the low 90's Friday evening, the majority of cars arrived much later in the evening than usual. This gave the early birds time to sit in the shade and BS for a while.
The three award winners Friday evening were Jerry
A numbers matching 1971 Dodge Challenger convertible belonging to Gary Lyons,
And a 1965 Chevy II Nova.
Caffeine and Gasoline at the ICC
The International Center for Creativity (ICC) held its Caffeine and Gasoline event on Saturday morning.
Located in Powell, Ohio, the ICC is partnered with Cedarville University to produce industrial and creative design majors.
Coffee and donuts were provided for all car owners and guests. Just like last year, Boris Fabris, an automotive designer from Turin, Italy, gave an informal presentation on modern automotive design.
A few regulars from the Central Ohio car show scene brought their vehicles to Saturday morning's event. Besides yours truly, Kevin Martin was there with his Chevy pickup, Rick Levine brought his 1970 Oldsmobile 442, Anthony Marcello showed up in his 2018 Camaro ZL1, and Todd Cooperider, the owner of Esoteric Fine Auto Finishing, arrived in his new Corvette ZR1.
The most interesting vehicle of the morning was a Nissan Figaro. The car is a front-engine, front-wheel-drive fixed-profile convertible. It contains a one-liter turbocharged engine rated at 75 horsepower. The transmission is a 3-speed automatic.
Only 8000 Figaros were manufactured during the 1991 model year. A little more than 3000 are still registered in the United Kingdom.
I attended this event last year and it turned out to be a fun way to spend a few hours on a Saturday morning. I can also say the same thing again this year. I stuck around until 11 AM and then headed off to watch the OSU football game.
Pearl Classic Memorial Car Show
Dave Bratton and his partner Lou in conjunction with Auto Smarts Radio hosted the first-ever Pearl Classic Memorial Car Show at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Hilliard, Ohio on Sunday.
For those who don't know, Pearl was Lou and Dave's beloved dog who passed away last summer. Over her 16 years, Pearl attended more than 500 car shows with the two of them. Sunday's car show was in her memory and a way to raise money and awareness for Columbus Humane.
In all my years of participating in car shows, no one has worked harder to promote an event than Dave and Lou did for this one. Dave estimates he and Lou passed out more than 7000 flyers over the summer. I'm told Dave had to take out a second mortgage to pay for all those printers cartridges he used to print those 7000 flyers (just kidding). At any rate, the hard work paid off as the show registered 162 vehicles.
Here are Boots, from Auto Smarts Radio, and his special helper registering cars:
Besides door prizes and a 50/50 raffle, the show also included a silent auction to help raise money.
Jim McGruder spun the tunes and students from Tolles Technical Center helped direct cars. Haggerty Insurance and Columbus Floor Coating had booths at the show.
The MessHall and an Ice Cream vendor were
The Awards
The show presented close to 100 laser cut metal awards on Sunday. Along with the usual Jegs, Pepsi and Auto Smarts picks, the Tolles Technical Center and Columbus Humane also picked their favorite vehicles.
Here's a sampling of the Auto Smarts, Tolles and Humane Picks:
2011 Chevy Tahoe
Owner: Kaz Silva
2009 Dodge Nitro
Owner: Amber Brown
1976 Chevy Corvette
Owner: Don Davis
1998 Lotus
Owner: Tim Wheeler
1934 Ford Coupe
Owner: Tony Long
1965 Mercury Comet
Owner: Mike Barnett
1970 Plymouth Fury
Owner: Josh Boyer
2003 Ford Mustang GT
Owner: Larry Bickers
1971 Chevy Chevelle SS
Owner: Dan Fannin
1969 Chevy Chevelle
Owner: Cliff Small
1954 Ford Convertible
Owner: Henry Brown
2011 Jeep JKU
Owner: Shawn Howard
1985 Chevy Monte Carlo SS
Owner: Dan Gladman Jr
1969 Ford Mustang
Owner: Dean Thomas
2019 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack
Owners: Chuck & Diane Smith
1967 Volkswagon Beetle
Owner: John Mayer
1960 Chrysler 300-F
Owner: Steve Beard
1973 Cadillac El Dorado
Owner: Greg Mangini
1960 Chevy Impala
Owner: Bob Church
1966 Ford Mustang Convertible
Owner; Tom Daley
1930 Ford Model A
Owner: Jim Cohagan
1972 AMC Gremlin
Owner: Mark Jasinsky
Jegs Picks:
1970 Chevy Chevelle SS
Owner: Ron Green
1933 Plymouth
Owner: Terry Davis
Pearl's Picks:
1991 Chevy Corvette
Owners: Marc & Char Cropper
1956 Ford Thunderbird
Owner: Jeff Grinrod
1970 Dodge Cornett 500 Convertible
Owner: Dave OBrien
1933 Ford Roadster
Owner: Ron Hall
1951 Chevrolet Pickup
Owner: Rodney Bumgardner
1957 Chevy Convertible
Owners: Allen & Mary Slater
2004 Harley Davidson Sportster
Owner: John Miller
1936 Ford 4-Door
Owner: Paul Powers
1930 Ford Model A
Owner: Steve Walker
1955 Mustang Delivery Cycle
Owner: Jeff Rendl
Best Exotic
2002 Porsche 911 Turbo
Owner: Matt Gray
Best GM
1962 Chevy Impala
Owners: Mark & Patty Enyart
Best Street Rod
1937 Ford Coupe
Owner: Dave Benson
Best Muscle Car
1970 Oldsmobile 442 Convertible
Owner: Rick Levine
Most Unique
2000 Ferrari Modeva
Owner: Mark Gray
Best AMC
1967 Rambler American
Owner: Mark
Best Truck
1957 Chevy Apache Pickup
Owner: Chris Fannin
Best Import
2015 Alfa Romeo 4C
Owner: Josh Graham
Best Mopar
1964 Plymouth Belvedere
Owner: Mike Hermann
Best Ford
1940 Ford Panel Delivery
Owner: Harry Ours
Best Chevy
1962 Chevy Bel Air
Owner: Pete Leib
Best Paint
1989 Chevy C1500 Pickup
Owner: John Ressler
Best Interior
1957 Chevy Bel Air
Owner: Bill Erlenback
Best Engine
2004 Chevy SSR
Owner: Mark Mitchell
Best Corvette
1969 Chevy Corvette
Owner: Quentin Sayer
Best Camaro
1967 Chevy Camaro
Owner: Chuck Smith
Best Mustang
1965 Ford Mustang (All original including
Owner: Bud Norris
Best Modern Ford
2014 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 Convertible
Owner: Bill Troyer
Best Modern GM
2000 Chevy Corvette
Owner: Frank Deering
Best Modern Mopar
2010 Dodge Challenger SRT
Owner: John Kern
Cruisin' Classic Pick
1967 Ford Mustang
Owner: Annette Leib
Pepsi Pick
1936 Chevy 2-Door Sedan
Owners: Steve & Janet Bechtel
Boot's Pick
1968 Chevy Chevelle
Owner: Andrew Van Ert
Best of Show
1967 Ford Mustang Fastback
Owners: Ken & Thelma Farmer
Final Thoughts
No question for a first-time show, the Pearl Classic Memorial Car Show hit the 3Gs, Great Cars, Great Weather, and a Great Cause, dead on. I spoke with Dave and it doesn't sound like this will become an annual event. Although it's a shame there might not be a second Pearl Classic, I fully understand. It's a lot of work to put on a show of this magnitude. Good Job Dave, Lou, and the Auto Smarts team!
Kim sorry I diddn't get back to you sooner but the 71 Challenger belongs to Gary Lyon's and the nova belongs to Darrel not sure last name but talked to him.Thanks Jeff btw GREAT reporting and pics