Trucks At the Pumpkin Run

 

Until recently trucks were primarily work vehicles. That's one reason why for the longest time you didn't see very many of them at old car events. While working they were worn down. Then when the cost of buying many collector cars began to rise people started turning to the beat up old trucks. But instead of restoring them to original, many owners created what are called restomods. Those are vehicles that have been restored but modified. Common modifications are to upgrade a vehicle to make it more driver friendly. Such things as disc brakes, air conditioning, power steering, and even a modern radio have become common modification. Many of the trucks that rolled into the Clermont County Fair Grounds for the 49th Pumpkin Run Nationals were restomods but the Chevrolet seen above is a pure restoration. Some of these other Chevy, Ford, GMC, and Willys trucks are pretty original as well though a few have some modifications that are easy to see.

GTO In the Pumpkin Run

 

Gran Turismo Omologato. That's what GTO stands for, "borrowed" from the famed Ferrari 250 GTO. It means grand touring homologated, a grand touring car that has met the requirements to race in the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile or English: International Automobile Federation, grand touring class. In the early 1960s the Tempest was Pontiac's entry level automobile. With muscle car mania sweeping the industry the powers that be, especially one John DeLorean, wanted to dip their toe in that performance pond and created a new trim for the Tempest. They called it the GTO. It premiered in 1963 as a 1964 option package. Pontiac wedged a 6.4L and even a 6.6L V8 into the Tempest. The GTO package was moved up to the LeMans mid size car.It sold so well that by 1966 the GTO was its own model. Despite taking a break in production from 1974 to 2003, the GTO saw five generations roll off the line. There were plenty of GTOs on hand for the 49th Annual Pumpkin Run Nationals where nearly 3000 vehicles, all from 1974 or before, filled the Clermont County Fair Grounds. Here are a few.

Camaro Came to the Pumpkin Run

 

Introduced in September of 1966 for the 1967 model year, the Chevrolet Camaro was General Motors' entry into the "pony car" market and a push to compete against the Ford Mustang. Like the Mustang it was marketed toward a younger, "hipper" crowd and, at least the entry level models, sported a fairly affordable price tag. Engines ranged from a base 3.8L inline six cylinder power plant all the up to a ferocious 6.5L V8. The first generation models, the Rally Sport, the Super Sport and the Z28, sold for three years and in 1970 the second generation was introduced. The ensuing generations lasted about 10 years each with production shutting down with the close of the fourth generation in 2002. Production was revived with a fifth generation in 2010 through 2015 with the sixth coming to market in 2016. There is plenty of enthusiasm for the Camaro as was evident by the number on hand for the 49th Pumpkin Run Nationals. Here are just a few that rolled into the Clermont County Fair Grounds for the event.

AMC At the Pumpkin Run Nationals

 

The deal became official in May, 1954 when, what was called a merger between Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and the Hudson Motor Company, was finalized. Though it was more of a take over by Nash-Kelvinator it resulted in the creation of the American Motors Corporation, then the fourth largest auto maker in the USA. The deal was the result of a major price war between Ford and General Motors, a battle which would essentially cause the likes of Studebaker, Packard, Willys-Overland, and Kaiser to all shudder their factories. Early success came in the form of the compact Rambler. Still, AMC didn't have the finances to maintain constant styling changes and to fully compete in the full and mid-sized markets. They did flex some muscle with the Javelin pony car and the AMX muscle version. Even with those they were losing money. In 1978 French automaker Renault stepped in with a joint manufacture and distribution deal. By 1980, Renault was the primary owner of AMC. Through all of the tribulations, though, AMC had one consistent seller, the Jeep, which they had purchased when Willys-Overland ceased operations. It was the Jeep, AMC's primary asset, that ultimately prompted Chrysler to purchase Renault's shares of stock and take over the company in 1987. Most everything AMC was stripped save their four wheel drive entries and today, only the Jeep survives. Still, there were a number of AMC vehicles on hand for the 49th Annual Pumpkin Run Nationals. Among them was a Rambler American convertible, a Javelin, a couple AMX models, a 1964 Rambler, a Hornet, a couple more AMX models, and another Javelin.

Customs At the Pumpkin Run Nationals

 

The group behind the annual Pumpkin Run Nationals is the Fastiques Rod and Custom Car Club. As the name implies, the group was founded by enthusiasts of hot rods and custom cars. So it is little wonder that every year at this event there are a fair number of custom vehicles on hand. This year's 49th annual event was no different as these customs and rods peppered the nearly 3000 vehicles on hand. Here are just a few of them.

Bel Air At the Pumpkin Run

 

Introduced in 1950 as their full size option, the Chevrolet Bel Air quickly became a mainstay among American families. Named after the chic Los Angeles suburb, the Bel Air lasted seven generations through the 1975 model year. It is the second generation, those cars from 1955 through 1957, that are probably the most well known. There were plenty of those tri-5 models along with other Bel Airs on hand for the 49th Pumpkin Run Nationals. Here are just a few.