More From Rides on Monmouth

           A couple hundred cars lined the main thoroughfare of Newport, Monmouth Ave., recently for the annual Rides on Monmouth Classic Car Show. A lot of great machines were on display, taking advantage of the live music, all the restaurants up and down the street that were open and some beautiful weather.
          Here are some more of the cars that were on display for a host of eager people to enjoy.

The Rides on Monmouth

          The Annual Rides on Monmouth is always a highlight of car show season for me. The city of Newport, once known as the original sin city for its open casinos that inspired the development of Las Vegas, its corrupt politics and open dealings with organized crime that then became a hotbed for strip clubs and prostitution, is now a quaint little river town that is thriving with tourists and small shops and restaurants.
          In the heart of this city is the main street, Monmouth Ave.

          Each year the city shuts down it's main street for six blocks and lines it with some of the best classic and collectible cars in the region. There are going to be a lot more posts coming about the Rides on Monmouth show but here are just a few things to whet your appetite.

Sycamore Township Summer Bash and Car Show

          In my last blog I said how disappointing the turnout was for this year's Sycamore Township Summer Bash and Car Show but the truth is that close to 60 cars rolled out for it. That's respectable number unless you are a huge Concours event or something similar. Still, it was a drop off in numbers from last year. But what they lacked in volume they more than made up for in quality. Check out some more of the cars from this year's show.

Sophomore Jinx

          Last year, at their initial event, the folks behind the Sycamore Township Summer Bash and Car Show had a tremendous turnout, so much so that even they were surprised by the number of cars and the mass of people who were wandering around enjoying them (see my initial post about that event http://turnerbudds-carblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/first-time.html).

          This year there was something of a sophomore jinx. Only a handful of cars rolled out and while they were nice examples of classic and collectible cars, it was nothing compared to last year.

          Explaining what happened, why there was such a fall off in interest is hard. There was another prestigious and long running show held the same day and only a couple miles away (http://turnerbudds-carblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/you-cant-touch-this.html). But that wouldn't account for such a dramatic decline. Maybe you just have to chalk it up to bad timing and the sophomore jinx. In the mean time, enjoy some of the cars that did show up for this year's event.

More Labor of Love

          Here are some more of the great cars that showed up to support the Border Lord's Labor of Love Classic Car Show recently. As I noted yesterday this show raises money for the Shriners and their hospital. My father is a Shriner and when I was younger I did volunteer work at the Shrine Burn Institute through both the Boy Scouts and De Molay so I am aware of the great work that is done there.
          I'll be showing more cars from this great show a little later (after I catch up with some others in the queue). Plus I'll be highlighting some of the groups of cars that showed up. Keep an eye out for them. For now, enjoy these cool classic rides.

Labor of Love

            Six years ago a group of car enthusiasts got together and started their own club. This isn't rare, lots of people meet up at car shows and find they have common interests and want to share those interests with others. This group was a little different, though. Their main interest is in giving back to the community.
          The Border Lords sole reason for being is to put on their annual Labor of Love car show, held this year at Easy Street Speed and Kustoms. With beautiful weather that wasn't too hot nearly 150 great cars rolled out to support the club in their efforts to benefit the Shriners work with their hospital.
          I featured the Border Lords and their Labor of Love show in my monthly article for the September issue of Cincinnati Profile magazine. Here are some of the great cars that came out in support of the Border Lords and their cause.

A Short Lived Rarity

          Most people have never heard of a Dual-Ghia. And for good reason since the Detroit based car company lasted from only 1956 until 1958 and made a grand total of 117 cars.
          The idea of producing an exclusive car at an affordable price belonged to Eugene Casaroll. Casaroll created the Dual Motor Company with this plan in mind. To make it work he looked to noted Chrysler designer Virgil Exner's Firearrow show car. This was a car that Chrysler liked but not enough to send it into production.

          Exner's Firearrow was rather conservative looking and for Casaroll, that wouldn't work. He decided that his car needed a different, more European look. So he teamed up with famed Italian coach builder Carrozzeria Ghia to handle clothing his masterpiece.
          Ghia was noted for designing bodies for such auto makers as Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia as well as the famed Volkswagon Karmann Ghia. They would go on to team with Ford, first doing some concept cars and later becoming Ford's top of the line trim level for many of it's cars.

          What Casaroll eventually had was a Dodge frame and drive train that was transported to Italy to get its body. Beneath the hood sat a small block 315 cubic inch Dodge hemispherical-head short stroke V 8. Yes, it's a Hemi.
          Because of the cost involved in sending the car back and forth to Italy Casaroll soon realized that he wouldn't be able to make a go of it and the last of the Dual-Ghia cars was made in 1958. Of the 117 that were manufactured only 32 are known to still be running. This example was shown at a Concours event and is model number 37 of this short lived rarity.