The Downtown Throwdown Saw a Camaro or Two

 

It was made to compete against the hugely successful Ford Mustang and while the Chevrolet Camaro has had a long and successful run, it was never able to live up to the joke allegedly made by one of the GM public relations people. The story goes that at the unveiling of the Camaro in 1966, a reporter asked what the name Camaro meant. Without blinking one of the PR men supposedly replied, "It's a vicious creature that eats mustangs." Well, the Mustang continued to thrive but that doesn't take away from the huge success of the Camaro. A number of them were on hand for the Downtown Throwdown in Batavia this past year. Here are some of them.

Back to the Downtown Throwdown

 

This past year's Downtown Throwdown saw over 100 cars and trucks roll into Batavia to help support the Southwest VFW Memorial Team in their efforts to maintain the graves of fallen veterans. In the past this show has suffered some inclement weather but this edition saw a near perfect September day. Among the cars on hand for this event was a 1965 Ford Futura, a custom surf wagon, a BMW Z3, a Mercedes Benz G63 AMG SUV, a Chevrolet Biscayne, a rally version BMW M3, and a 1964 Chevy II. 

Wrapping Up Heading for the Hill

 

Today I'm wrapping up coverage of this past season's Headin' for the Hill Car Show held in North College Hill. This year's event filled six blocks of the city's main street with over 300 cars and trucks as well as vendors, music, and plenty of food. Proceeds went to several organizations, primarily a group of youth-based groups throughout the city and also to local veterans. Among the vehicles on display was an Oldsmobile Cutlass, a Chevrolet Impala SS, a Chevy Monte Carlo SS, a 1963 Chevy Greenbriar, a Chevy Corvair, a MGB, and a 1966 Dodge Dart. As always, let me know what you thought of the cars and trucks at this show. Feel free to leave a comment (no ads, please) or send me an email at turnerbudds@yahoo.com.

Cars Shine In North College Hill

 

This year's Headin' for the Hill Car Show in North College Hill brought in around 300 vehicles on a perfect Labor Day weekend. The event, which has returned after a Covid induced hiatus, raises money for a number of youth charities throughout the city. This year's show saw a nice variety of cars and trucks including a Buick Electra 225 convertible, a Chevy Chevelle, a 1963 Studebaker Commander, a Honda Accord, a concours quality 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle, a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass, and a BMW Z3.

Corvettes Powered to the Hill

 

Introduced in 1953 as an attempt by General Motors to stave off the post-World War II influx of European sports cars into the United States, the Chevrolet Corvette has earned the position of America's sports car. Now in its eighth generation, the Vette continues to impress and enthrall car enthusiasts at shows and events all over the country. The same held true for the Headin' for the Hill event in North College Hill. Here are a few of the Corvettes that were on hand that day.

 

Pontiac Muscled Its Way to the Hill

 

While many people will point to the 1949 Oldsmobile 88 with its 303 cubic inch (5 L) Rocket V8 engine as being technically the first true muscle car, it was Olds' sister General Motors division, Pontiac, that did more to lead the way for muscle in the early 1960s. During those halcyon days of the early '60s, Ford and the MoPar rides of Chrysler were battling it out for drag racing supremacy. While General Motors discouraged their divisions from racing, the young, upstart president of Pontiac, John DeLorean (yeah, the same guy who would go on to create that time machine car) and engineer Bill Collins came up with a performance package for their mid-sized Tempest. Introduced in 1964, it was called the GTO. Named after Ferrari's stellar 250 GTO (GTO meaning Gran Torismo Omologato which is Italian for Grand Touring Homologated), the Pontiac was powered by a 398 cubic inch (6.4L) V8 that pumped out 325 horsepower. The car was a huge success. It was a street legal race car and people loved it. This made Pontiac the king of performance cars during the 1960s. This era Pontiac continues to be popular and you can see a number of them at most every open car show. That sure was true at this past year's Headin' for the Hill event in North College Hill. Among the beauties on hand was a 1968 GTO as well as a LeMans, a couple of Trans Ams, a full-sized Catalina, and a 1968 Goat. 

Really Old Cars Rolled to the Hill

 

At most any typical open car event the oldest vehicles on display generally get a great deal of attention. And why not? The cars, in some cases, are 80 or more years old. These are cars that were manufactured prior to World War II and the fact that they are still rolling, though many have had some upgrades for a more modern ride, they are still of great interest. They look nothing like a modern car, and many hold the distinction of being recognized by various automobile groups as being true classics. The Headin' for the Hill show in North College Hill saw a nice selection of old, pre-war vehicles on hand. Among them was a restomod 1936 Plymouth coupe, a 1935 Ford three window coupe, a 1938 Chevrolet Master, a Ford Model A, a Ford Deluxe convertible, and a post war offering 1953 Pontiac Chieftain convertible.