The Jerry Patton Memorial Car and Bike Show

The Jerry Patton Memorial Car and Bike Show was held as a fundraiser for the family of the late Jerry Patton who passed away tragically. His vast interest in the old car hobby lead his friends and family to set up this show and it has been a success. At this year's edition was a beautiful 1973 Dodge Challenger. Also on display was a one owner, fully original 1965 Buick Riviera, a 1957 Chevy Bel Air, a C3 Corvette, another '57 Bel Air, and a Malibu.

Parking Lot Cars

 I'm always on the lookout for a great old car. And I seem to find a surprisingly large number of them as I'm out doing my day-to-day activities, such as going to the grocery or running similar errands. So today I'm posing a number of photos of cars I've seen in parking lots. For example, here is a 1951 Chevy Styleline. Like other manufacturers, Chevrolet had converted their plants to wartime production during World War II. Also like the others, it took Chevy a few years to re-tool and come up with new designs. The first new Chevy, the Deluxe, came out in 1949. One of the trims in the Deluxe range was the Styleline such as this 1951 model.

The same War-era and post War situation could be seen at Ford where their first new re-design also came out in 1949. The Ford Coupe, such as this 1950 Deluxe model, was a ground up designed all new automobile that was the main competition to Chevy.

While Mercury, a division of Ford, also came out with some re-designs in 1949, it was the introduction of the 1952 Monterey that saw their biggest success immediately following the War. The Monterey would see seven generations through 1974. This is a first year model I caught in a grocery store parking lot.

I've also come across a few cars that predated WW II. The Ford Model A came out in 1927 and replaced the Model T. Legend has it that Henry Ford was opposed to halting production of and replacing the Model T but relented when he saw other manufacturers with newer designs outselling his gem. So in 1927 the Model A was released and ran through 1931. Here is a Model A Tudor Sedan.

Leading into the Great Depression Chevrolet had a series of mid-sized cars dubbed the AB National series. When the Depression hit, Chevy, along with others, downsized their cars in hopes of maintaining sales numbers. One example is this 1935 two door sedan.

The Dodge Dart was introduced in 1959 as a 1960 model. Today we would consider them mid-sized cars but Dodge marketed them as downsized large cars. The first generation was fairly typical of the era but the second generation, unveiled in 1962, saw a number of styling changes. This '62 is a perfect example.

Introduced in 1964, the Ford Mustang was a massive success. It outsold ever expectation. And while it is considered to be the ultimate Pony car featuring a long hood and short rear end, it was actually beaten to market by the Plymouth Barracuda. Still, the Mustang outsold all competition while undergoing a number of mechanical and cosmetic changes. Here is an early second generation convertible model owned and driven by a supermarket employee. 

Cadillac has long been considered one of, if not the top luxury marquee in America. While it had its problems, particularly in the 1980s and 90s, the 70s was a boon for the large cars, until the oil embargo of 1976 hit. Still, cars like this mid 70s (I believe it may be a 1977 Coupe Deville) were still attractive enough for many to purchase them.

Not all the cars I find in parking lots are old. Sometimes a nice, fancy model turns up that catches my eye, such as this Aston Martin DBS. Nice to see a supercar in the grocery store parking lot.

Wrapping Up the Green Township Show

Today I'm posting the last of the shots I have from the Green Township Police Citizen's Academy show. Among the cars on display was a first generation Chevy Corvette, a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass, a Ford Model A, a Corvair, a Buick Skylark, a pair of Volkswagen Beetles, and a 1965 C2 Vette. As always, feel free to let me know what you thought of this show either by leaving a comment (no ads, please) or by dropping me an email at turnerbudds@yahoo.com.

Sports Cars And More Were At Green Township

 The Green Township Police Citizen's Academy show had a number of different types of automobiles on display, including a number of sports cars. Here is a Sunbeam Tiger which is a rather unique British two seater. Originally made for a four cylinder engine they managed to drop in a V8 which made it absolutely lethal. Also on display was a Ford Mustang, a 1957 Thunderbird, a Cobra kit car, a Mercedes Benz 450 SL convertible, another Mustang, a 1931 Ford Model A, and a 1972 Ford Nova Super Sport.

A Wide Variety Of Cars Were On Hand In Green Township

A fairly wide variety of cars showed up for the Green Township Police Citizen's Academy show. Among then was a very well sorted 1964 Chevy Impala, a 1957 Bel Air, a Camaro, a 2001 Ford Focus ZX3, another '57 Bel Air, and a Ford Mustang.

Lots Of Nice Cars Rolled To the West Side

A lot of really nice cars rolled over to the west side of town to take part in the Green Township Police Citizen's Academy Show. Among them was this sweet Pontiac Catalina. Also on display was a first generation Ford Mustang, a Model A based hot rod, a very rare 1931 Hupmobile, a 1941 Ford Super Deluxe two door, and a roadster that started life as a Model A.