Oldsmobile At the Pumpkin Run

 

General Motors had a successful sales philosophy from the very beginning. There would be a car brand for every taste and, in particular, every budget. It was a kind of tiered system with Cadillac sitting boldly at the top as the most expensive and prestigious of the offerings. Buick held the slot just below that. At the bottom was the entry level brand, Chevrolet, with what would become the performance line, Pontiac, just above it. In the middle sat Oldsmobile. Founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, the line created many notable innovations such as the Model R or "Curved Dash" which was the first mass produced automobile. It ran from 1902 through 1907. Many people will point to the introduction of the Rocket engine in 1949 as being the birth of the muscle car era. Whatever the case, Oldsmobile did a fine job of amassing sales up into the 1990s. That is when GM claimed that foreign imports were eating away at its market share to the point that, in 2004, the brand was shut down. There were plenty of Oldsmobiles on hand for the Pumpkin Run Nationals including a 1972 Cutlass convertible, a Ninety Eight, a F-85 Cutlass, a number of 442 models, a 1948 Dynamic coupe, and a 1941 Series 60.

Vettes Made It to the Pumpkin Run

 

For more than 70 years the Chevrolet Corvett has been benchmark for American sports cars. Introduced in 1953 as a way to help stave off the growing number of European sports cars being imported, the Vette suffered some initial growing pains but by the late 1950s it had become the accepted leader in its class. Quite a few Corvettes were on hand for the Pumpkin Run Nationals, sponsored by the Fastiques Rod and Custom Car Club. Here are some of them.

Chevy Brought Bow Ties to the Pumpkin Run

 

Louis Chevrolet had an interesting career. Born in Switzerland, he and his father moved to France when Louis was nine. There he developed an interest in bicycle racing which would become important later in life. While in France he gained experience as a mechanic. In 1900 he moved to Canada and then to New York where he began racing automobiles. He worked for a few different manufacturers, but it was driving for Buick that would change his fortunes forever. The owner of Buick was William C. Durant who was the founder of General Motors. In 1911, along with his brother Arthur and Durant, who had been ousted from GM, with several financial backers, Louis created the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. For its logo, he chose a modified version of the Swiss cross. Today, fans of Chevy have nicknamed that logo the "bow tie" due to its shape. There were plenty of cars sporting the "bow tie" at the Pumpkin Run Nationals held at the Clermont County Fairgrounds. Among them was a 1961 Bel Air, a 1959 Impala, a 1958 Impala, a 1964 Impala, an El Camino Super Sport, a 1968 Impala, a 1955 210 station wagon, and a Chevy II.

Chevelle Muscled Its Way to the Pumpkin Run

 

Introduced in 1964, the Chevrolet Chevelle was a mid-sized car designed to be a family staple. While it looked the part of the family car, the Chevelle was ripe for the burgeoning muscle car trend. A variety of six- and eight-cylinder engines were available, it was the introduction of the Malibu SS trim that sent this Chevy model into the realm of muscle car. The Malibu would be so popular that it would earn a line of its own. Still, the Chevelle powered its way through three generations before finally seeing the last ones roll off the assembly lines in 1977. There were plenty of Chevelles at the Pumpkin Run Nationals sponsored by the Fastiques and held at the Clermont County Fairgrounds. Here are some of them.

Fords Rolled to the Pumpkin Run

 

From the early days of automobiles in the USA through World War II, cars and trucks from the Ford Motor Company were by far the biggest sellers in the country. Starting with the groundbreaking Model T, Ford, managed to set the pace for all automotive sales. But that massive lead slowly began to slip away. Many blamed Henry Ford's reluctance to change as other cars came out with more modern and convenient features. Then, when Henry did allow for changes, such as with the Model A, Ford was still barely keeping up with current technology. Following World War II, Ford slipped into second place behind Chevrolet as the top seller. Still, cars sporting the blue oval were extremely popular and there were plenty of them on hand for the Pumpkin Run Nationals held at the Clermont County Fairgrounds. Among those on hand was a slightly modified Galaxie 500, a 1957 Fairlane, a Galaxie 500 convertible, a Falcon coupe, a Falcon Club Wagon, another 1957 Fairlane, a couple 1967 Mercury Cougars, and a 1959 Edsel Corsair. 

Falcons Flew to the Pumpkin Run

 

For just over a decade, starting in 1960. Ford's entry level car was the highly successful Falcon. Built as a scaled down version of the Galaxie, the Falcon was one of the first compact cars in the USA and the first to be marketed by one of the Big Three automakers. The Falcon was so popular that there is a special show within the show at the Pumpkin Run Nationals just for that car and it's early offspring (not counting the Mustang which was partially made from the "bones" of the Falcon). Here are some of the Falcons that were at the Pumpkin Run.