Foreigners Came to the Pumpkin Run

When an event only allows cars made from 1974 or earlier, one would suspect that it wouldn't be that big. Yet the 49th annual Pumpkin Run Nationals, like its predecessors, managed to attract nearly 3000 cars and trucks to the Clermont County Fairgrounds. Sponsored each year by the Fastiques Rod and Custom Car Club, the vast majority of those vehicles were American made. But not all. There were a few foreign imports in the crowd including a 1972 Honda Z600, an Opal GT, a Datsun 260 Z, a resto mod Austin Seven, an Allard, a Saab 93, a 1969 Fiat 850 Sport Spider, and a 1964 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud which belongs to my friend. 

Chevelle at the Pumpkin Run

 

Introduced in 1964, the Chevrolet Chevelle quickly became one of Chevy's best-selling vehicles. It appeared right at the start of the "classic" muscle car era. But not all Chevelles had muscle. The base model sported a 194 cubic inch (3.2L) Hi Thrift inline six-cylinder engine. But it was the Super Sport model with its 396 cubic inch (6.5L) big block V8 that grabbed the attention of performance minded buyers. The halo trim in the Chevelle line was the Malibu, which go on to become its own model following the shuttering of the Chevelle in 1977. The Super Sport package was only available if you were buying the Malibu trim. And plenty of people wanted it. The Chevelle ran for three generations and spawned not only the Malibu its under pining was used to create the El Camino. There were quite a few Chevelles at the 49th Pumpkin Run Nationals held at the Clermont County Fairgrounds and hosted by the Fastiques Rod and Custom Car club. Here are just a few of those on hand that day.

Cadillac At the Pumpkin Run

 

The Henry Ford Company didn't even make it a full year before the namesake owner pulled up stakes and left it for dead. But the company's financial backers called in an engineer named Henry M. Leland to see what could be salvaged. Leland saw potential and persuaded the powers that be to continue making automobiles under a new name, the Cadillac Automobile Company. This was in 1902 and in 1909 Leland sold the company to General Motors where it became the halo luxury brand. Over the decades it has continued to be seen as one of the top luxury automobiles in the world. A lot of that luxury was on display for the 49th Pumpkin Run Nationals. Here are some of the Caddys that were on display for the event.

Pumpkin Run Is a Major Fundraiser

 

As in years past, the 49th Pumpkin Run Nationals, sponsored by the Fastiques Rod and Custom club, raised money for a number of charities. The largest, as it has been, is the Shrine Hospital. But other local charities such as Northeast Schools who worked in the numerous food booths throughout the Clermont County Fairgrounds, also got substantial donations. For this past year's event nearly 3000 cars and trucks, all from 1974 or before, were on hand. Among them was a Chevrolet Impala, a Packard Super 8, a real deal Shelby Cobra, a Dodge Daytona Charger, a Plymouth Road Runner Super Bird, a 1956 Buick Century, a Studebaker Lark, and a Buick Eight. 

Back to the Pumpkin Run

 

The annual Pumpkin Run Nationals is one of the region's largest and longest running old car events. This year, for the 49th incarnation of the event, the sponsors, the Fastiques Rod and Custom Car Club, saw nearly 3000 cars and trucks roll into the Clermont County Fairgrounds on a warm and sunny October weekend. What makes that number even more impressive is the fact that every one of those vehicles had to be from 1974 or earlier. Among those gems was a 1964 Chevrolet Chevy II, a 1930 Packard, a war time Chevy coupe, a 1960 Chevy Impala, a 1932 Pontiac 8, a 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger, a Studebaker Daytona, and a 1968 Buick La Sabre. 

Wrapping Up Cruisin' to a Cure for ALS with MoPar

 

Rain and cold kept the usually massive number of cars and trucks that had, in the past, headed to Lawrenceburg for the Cruisin' to a Cure for ALS show to just around 200. Still, the ninth edition of this show managed to attract a substantial number of MoPar gems. Among them was a Chrysler Newport, a pretty purple Plymouth Duster, a 1970 Plymouth Superbird, a pre-War Plymouth sedan, a Plymouth Fury I station wagon, a Plymouth 'Cuda, a Dodge Shelby Charger (yes, for a while Carroll Shelby was working with Dodge on high performance vehicles), and a 2008 Plymouth PT Cruiser. As always, let me know what you thought of this show by either leaving a comment, no ads, please, or by dropping me an email at turnerbudds@yahoo.com. 

Corvettes Sailed Into Lawrenceburg

 

Sailing into a river city is not uncommon. But seeing a large number of Corvettes cruise into Lawrenceburg, well, that isn't uncommon either if it is on the day of the 9th Annual Cruisin' to a Cure for ALS show. Here are some of those Chevy sports cars that showed up despite the rain and cold.