Chevy Showed Up At the Pumpkin Run

 Since the end of World War II Chevy has pretty much been the best selling American automobile manufacturer in the USA. With so many Chevy cars still in the hands of hobbyists it's little wonder that a lot showed up for the 46th Annual Pumpkin Run Nationals. Among them was a 1967 El Camino, a 1960 Bel Air, a 1944 sedan, a 1959 Bel Air, a Nova, and a 1962 Impala.

Ford Motor Company Was On Display At the Pumpkin Run

Ford Motor Company automobiles always have a strong showing at the Pumpkin Run Nationals and this past year's even was no different as FoMoCo cars and trucks helped fill the Clermont County Fair Grounds. Among them was a beautiful Fran Torino, a 1964 Falcon, a Galaxie 500 convertible, a Thunderbird convertible, a Deluxe convertible, a 1971 Torino station wagon with some well earned patina, and a 1968 Gran Torino.

Volkswagen Came To the Pumpkin Run

Though the Volkswagen or People's Car Type 1 began being manufactured in the early 1930s, it wasn't until 1949 they they were first shown and sold in America. They were not an instant success, selling only two cars. But into the next couple decades the VW Beetle became one of the largest import automobiles in the USA. More models were introduced along the way and people realized that the chassis of the Beetle could be used on numerous project and kit cars. There were quite a few examples that were on hand for the 46th Annual Pumpkin Run Nationals. Here are some, including the iconic Type 1 Beetle, a Type 2 van, a kit car very similar to one I drove for a while in high school that was built by my brother and I, another Beetle, and a dune buggy.

Willys Showed Up At the Pumpkin Run

In 1908, bicycle manufacturer John Willys (it's pronounced like Willis) purchased Overland Automotive. He renamed it Willys-Overland in 1912 when it became the second largest automobile manufacturer, second only to Ford, in the country. With this early success, Willys went on a spending spree, buying up various automotive and car related companies. This led to a cycle where he would be on the verge of bankruptcy. He would sell off pieces and then come out with another success which would lead to more spending. When he landed a military contract to make the Willys MB, better known as the Jeep, during World War II, the firm was fairly solvent. After the War they focused on a civilian version of the Jeep, the CJ-2 and didn't resume small car making until the early 1950s. In 1952 Kaiser Motors bought Willys, primarily for the Jeep, the lone Willys product that is still around. Most Willys cars were chopped and turned into hot rods though enough cars and, of course, those Jeeps, survived to show up at car events such as the Pumpkin Run Nationals. Here is a 1939 Sharknose, a pick up and a couple of Jeeps.

 
 

Oldsmobile Was At the Pumpkin Run

In 1897 Ransom E. Olds started the Olds Motor Vehicle Company. By 1901it became the first "high volume" gasoline engine auto maker when it sold 635 cars. General Motors purchased the company in 1907 but by then Ransom had left the company and started a new auto maker that, because he could no longer use his own name, became known as REO. One of their first successes was a vehicle called the Speed Wagon. Yes, that's where the band got its name. But back to Olds Automobiles. The name was shortened to Oldsmobile and it fit in the GM car for every price point just beneath Buick and above Oakland (which would become Pontiac). They sold well up to and through the muscle car era but in the 1990s sales began to drastically slip due to foreign competition. GM stopped production on the line in 2004 but left a large number of cars for those in the old car hobby. A lot of them showed up at this past season's Pumpkin Run Nationals including a pair of 1950 Deluxe Club Sedans, a Cutlass, a 1968 Cutlass S, a 1968 442, and a Cutlass convertible.

Mustangs Galloped To the Pumpkin Run

 

Everybody pretty much knows the story of the Ford Mustang and the influence and success it had on the industry. Introduced in April, 1964, Ford expected to sell 100,000 that first year. In reality they sold 400,000. Built out of the parts bins and based basically on the Falcon underpinnings, the Mustang got its name from the P-51 Mustang fighter plane and gave the industry the Pony Car style. No, the Mustang wasn't actually the first Pony Car released as the Plymouth Barracuda came out two weeks earlier. Still the Mustang is still being rolled out and is now in its sixth generation. To say the Mustang is popular would be an overly obvious statement. Perhaps that is why there were so many at the 46th Annual Pumpkin Run Nationals. Here are some of them

More MoPar Madness At the Pumpkin Run

The old car hobby sees a lot of cars from Ford and Chevy as well as some other General Motors lines. Over the past several years I've noticed more cars from the Chrysler group. Mostly it's muscle cars from Dodge and Plymouth. These MoPar gems are always nice to see. There were quite a few that showed up at the 46th Annual Pumpkin Run Nationals held at the Clermont County Fair Grounds, including this Dodge Coronet. Also there is a Satellite, a Duster, another Coronet, a Dart Swinger, a Charger, and a Challenger.