Wrapping Up Rollin' On the River

 It was a hot, sticky summer day that brought out about 700 amazing vehicles to the banks of the Ohio River, filling Fernbank Park to the max for the 33rd Annual Rollin' On the River classic car event. There were cars and trucks for every taste and for proof, scroll back or search for earlier posts and check out the huge variety that was on hand. Today is the last post from this great show and features a DeSoto Custom, a Buick Skylark station wagon, a Lincoln LTD, a 1968 AMC AMX, a Chevy Cheyenne Blazer, an Auburn 851, a Mercury Cougar, and a 1966 AMC Marlin. As always, I like to hear what you think of the cars and shows I post. Feel free to leave a comment (no ads, please) or drop me an email at turnerbudds@yahoo.com. Happy New Year.

The People's Car Came Rollin' On the River

Imagine a time when only one out of 50 people in a country owned an automobile. That was the case in Germany in the 1930s. To help "fix" this problem the government, through its German Labour Front, created a company called Volkswagen which translates to "the people's car." The idea was to create a reliable, yet affordable car that everyone could own. While a number of people worked on various designs, it was one from Ferdinand Porsche (yes, of that Porsche family) that was ultimately chosen and put into production. The Type 1 is the iconic version with which we are most familiar but other types were also created, such as the Type 2, seen above. But it was the Type 1, affectionately known as the Beetle, that accomplished the government's goal. Production began in 1938 but, obviously, was halted due to World War II. Following the war the VW plant was placed under the control of the British army where Major Ivan Hirst managed to get production rolling once again. And the rest, as they say, is history. So many Volkswagens were produced over the years that it's little wonder many still are around and cherished by their owners. A good selection turned up at the 33rd Annual Rollin' On the River show. Here are some of them.

Vettes Helped Fill Fernbank Park

 Chevy Corvettes are a staple of old car events all over the country. They exploded onto the American car scene in 1953 as an attempt by General Motors to take a bite into the growing market of European sports cars that were hitting the shores. Now in their 8th generation (generations are designated by a C so the first was a C1 and the most recent a C8) there are plenty still on the roads. A good selection of them showed up at the 33rd Annual Rollin' On the River show. Here are some.

Oldsmobiles Went Rollin' On the River

 

Ransom E. Olds managed to do something that very few people would even attempt, he founded two successful automobile companies. In 1897 he started what he called the Olds Motor Vehicle Company which would later be known as Oldsmobile. In the early 1900s the Olds became the biggest selling car company in America. Oldsmobile would become part of the General Motors umbrella. Also, the company founder, Ransom Olds, was pushed out of the company he founded. So what did he do? He created the REO Motor Car Company. Yes, one of their famed vehicles was called the Speedwagon and thus an Illinois rock band got its name. While REO did well it didn't last but Oldsmobile did. A good selection of them were on hand for the 33rd Annual Rollin' On the River show. Among them was a 1967 Cutlass convertible, a 442, a 1970 Cutlass, a 1970 Cutlass convertible, another 442, a Fiesta station wagon, an 88, and a Super.

Fernbank Park Saw Plenty Of Pontiacs At Rollin' On the River

In 1977 an action comedy featuring Burt Reynolds, Sally Fields, Jackie Gleason, and country music star Jerry Reed was released and sent people not only to the theater but also to Pontiac dealers. Smokey and the Bandit was the story of a trucker (Reed) and his "point man" (Reynolds) who happens to pick up a lovely runaway bride (Fields) who are smuggling, of all things, Coors beer (yes, there was a time when Coors was not sold east of the Mississippi). They were being chased by the "evil" sheriff (Gleason) who was best described as persistent. While Reed drove the 18 wheeler, Reynolds and Fields out smarted and out ran the law in a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. And that is what people wanted. The Trans Am was introduced in 1964 but it was the 1977 Firebird trim model that grabbed the nation's attention. On hand for the 33rd Annual Rollin' On the River show at Fernbank Park was a very nice 1981 version of that car. There were also other Pontiacs on hand including a GTO, a Trans Am, one of the last generation Trans Ams, a TR 6.6 Trans Am, a Firebird convertible and a Firebird hard top.

 

Some Iconic Chevys Went Rollin' On the River

Following the end of World War II, American auto makers tried to quickly switch back from making military items to once again producing cars and trucks. For the first few years they basically released slight updates of the cars they were making in the early 1940s but by the end of that decade and into the 1950s they were turning out all new vehicles. There was new technology which was a result of their work for the military but there was also a plethora of new design cues which makes this era some of the most iconic cars for collectors. Since Chevrolet was the biggest selling American auto maker it's little wonder that there are quite a few cars sporting the bow tie logo on hand at old car events around the world. The top cars from that era were the full sized Bel Air and it's two lower series models, the 150 and the 210, both of which are often made up to look like the more expensive Bel Air. There were plenty of all of these at the 33rd Annual Rollin' On the River show in Fernbank Park. Here are some that were in the park that day.

Chevelle Took Part In Rollin' On the River

 In 1964 General Motors introduced a line of A Body cars across most of their platform. These mid-sized cars were the Pontiac Tempest, the Buick Skylark, the Oldsmobile Cutlass, and the Chevy Chevelle. They were all in a sweet spot for price and performance and all did well but it was the Chevelle that, being the Chevrolet entry, had the most success. Over the years the Chevelle has become a popular collector car and so it's not uncommon to see a number of them on display at old car events across the country. That was certainly true of the 33rd Annual Rollin' On the River show held at Fernbank Park. Here are some of the Chevelles that were on display that day.