From Fresh Paint to Patina

As I've mentioned, there is a huge variety of the types of cars on display at the annual KOI Cavalcade of Customs. They range from some of the hottest and cleanest show cars in the country to rides that people are currently working on or have just pulled out of a barn. That's what makes this event so cool. Well, one of the many reasons.

More Cars At the Cavalcade

Here are some more of the cars from this year's KOI Cavalcade of Customs car show which drew hundreds of vehicles to the Duke Energy Center.

Road Rally

While wandering around the KOI Cavalcade of Customs, my son and I saw a couple of cars that had competed in various road rallies. One was the Great European Rally (https://www.thegreatrally.com/the-great-european-rally-2014/).This is one of the coolest rally events to be staged anywhere. Just check out the roads that are traveled as part of this event. Some of the most amazing driving roads in the world are in Europe and this rally covers many of them in five days of fantastic driving.

A little game my son and I played as we wandered among the many cars at the Cavalcade was which car would we want to drive in the rally. There was lots of discussion on this and we debated between a beautiful 1971 Dodge Challenger, a 1966 Jaguar E Type, a 2005 Laborghini Murcielago, a 1962 Vette, a 2014 Vette, a 1965 Mustang,  and a very cool customized Ford 8 that had been chopped and dropped. In the end we couldn't decide but that was the fun of it all.

If you want to know more about the Great European Rally you can check out their web site where they often have a live chat feature or you can email them at contact-us@thegreatrally.com.

ISCA

The annual KOI Cavalcade of Customs is part of the International Show Car Association's schedule. Ths ISCA has been around since 1963 and judges vehicles at certain shows as part of a system through which prizes are given each year. Over 30 shows are held in over 20 different states and also in Canada. If you want to know more about the ISCA, visit their web site at http://www.theisca.com/.
There you can see their schedule and find an even in your area.

Started Early

This is the 54th year of the KOI Cavalcade of Customs. I don't remember exactly when I first got to go but I was probably around 10 years old which would make it 47 years ago. As a kid I got to go a handful of times. When my older brother turned 16 he drove us down. College interrupted my trips and so did working in a few other cities (Detroit, L.A. NYC, etc.) but my son and I have made this a regular event for the past 13 years. Hopefully I'll see plenty more of them.

An Event

The KOI Cavalcade of Customs is more than just a fantastic car show in the cold of winter. There are seminars and classes for working professionals in the car repair industry, some leading to certain types of certification. There are also demonstrations by some amazing artists who hand paint designs on cars. This year there was even an actual custom job going on with a car being chopped three inches. Two floors in the Duke Energy Convention Center filled with all things cars.

Back to Normal

Today I'm going back to the "normal" cars at the KOI Cavalcade of Customs. Though there is very little that is normal about the cars that are always on display at this show. They are beautifully restored or customized or even garage finds. Whatever they are, they're great to wander among and check out.