Written by AZAmber (Amber's Nash Metropolitan "MetroSxl") There’s nothing better than saying goodbye to the Phoenix heat and heading up to the pines to look at some cool rides. The 2008 Route 66 Car show was held Sept 5-7 in downtown Flagstaff, and I have to say, this historic town was a great backdrop to showcase some 375+ cars. Amongst the crowd were many of the cars you would expect to see, like the old Bel-Aires and T-Birds, but a few unusual rides made quite an impression as they lined the streets in front of antique shops and mom and pop delis.   There was also a smattering of “tricked out” newer PT Cruisers and the members from a Corvette Club on hand to look at. In a grassy patch in the center of the town square, a few food and souvenirs vendor stands were set up and a DJ from a local radio station played oldies while some fresh squeezed lemonade topped off the day. According to the program, the weekend was full of activities for car enthusiasts. All in all, it was a great way to beat...

Lead East in Parsippany, NJ is definitely not like any other car show that I have ever visited. Actually the guys and girls over at Appleton Productions Inc., the company that produces the show, like to say "Lead East is NOT a car show, it is a party, a 50's party!" And you had better be well rested before you attend this party or you won't survive. Because, the party is pretty much non-stop from Thursday to Sunday night every Labor Day weekend. The event, billed as the "World's biggest 50's party", emphasized the music of the 50's with Doo Wop groups such as Kenny Vance & the Plantones, Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon, Little Isidore, and many more playing in the Hilton Ballroom. Rockabilly groups such as The Greyhounds and The Razorbacks also cranked it up to annoy the neighbors. Keeping everyone informed was the job of DJ Jerry "The Wolfman" Burst as he played the tunes and made announcements broadcasting through a low power FM broadcast and being piped to the very large speakers set ontop of the hotels. This was great because Lead East actually encourages everyone...

The first-ever SEMA Pinewood Drag Race sponsored by Fellers and DUB Publishing, was held July 25 during the SEMA Installation Banquet and Gala Fundraiser in Irvine, Calif. The benefactors are kids! SEMA combined a fun way to get SEMA members doing something they love, racing, and at the same time, give back to some important charities. All proceeds from the first SEMA Pinewood Drag Race are to be generously donated to Childhelp, a charity home for abused and at-risk kids (click here to donate); and the Victory Junction Gang, a camp developed by NASCAR racer Kyle Petty for kids with health-care needs (click here to donate). As you know, Pinewood derby racing has long been a part, for me a critical part of the Cub Scouts. I remember building a car with my dad and racing against what seemed like a million cars... when I was just a kid. We had that car flying with, probably illegal, anti-seize compound used to lubricate my highly modified wheels. Through the first couple rounds, we did great. Then, when it really mattered, a volunteer, trying to help (I think) soaked my wheels...

It's a long haul from Arizona, but I wanted to tell you about a great cause, a great man and what looks like a really fun event. It's the Iowa SuperCruise & SuperShow'n Shine in Des Moines benefiting those suffering from spinal injuries, disease, and paralysis in coordination with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (CDRF). Joe Kelly, the organizer and chief promoter, contacted me to see if I'd help spread the word. Of course I will, this is what hot rodding's all about! For the past ten years Joe has suffered and survived the crippling pain associated with spinal injury, disease, and permanent nerve damage. So it's no wonder he's got his heart and soul behind this show. He credits his beautiful wife and three wonderful children for his strength to continue when his own pain, at times, leaves him unable to care for himself. I'm inspired by his courage. It'd be easy for any of us to give up to the pain, but not Joe. Held August 30th, the Iowa SuperCruise & SuperShow'n Shine is an all-day event consisting of a cruise around metro and the surrounding...

The LA Roadster Show is one of the MUST shows of the year, at least for me. The Pomona Fairplex gets another sweet show too, the Grand National Roadster Show. (let's not forget 2 NHRA events!) It's no wonder, about a ka-jillion hot rodders and custom car builders are in the greater LA area. The LA Roadster Show is put on by, you guessed it, the LA Roadster Car Club. Founded in 1957, this is the 44th annual show. I posted some pics of the LA Roadster Show, but only of the show itself. Here's those pics (Click HERE). Sorry, they're not my best effort. Camera broke, I'm not so talented behind it anways, 'nuff said! I also got some from the So-Cal show (Click HERE). So before next year's show, I better show you what I found outside the show; in the swap and in the show lot, I call it. That's where I found this hot little sedan. This is my favorite picture from the show. (if the owner wants it, you can have it free, just email me.) One thing that's true at all the LA...

Cool Hot Rods from York NSRA Car Show Hazy, Hot, and Humid was the only way to describe the weather at the 2008 NSRA Street Rod Nationals East in York, PA. What few shady spots were available were taken shortly after the gates opened to the York Expo Center and Fairgrounds. Luckily the buildings, where most of the vendors were located, were air conditioned which provided some relief. We wimped out and parked our '48 Ford rather than cruise around the fairgrounds since the only AC is provided by a cowl vent and the windows down. There seems to be quite a change going on at the NSRA shows. While there are still a large collection of high dollar builds more and more jalopies (like my car), beaters, and dare I say rat rods are showing up. I think people are getting back to just enjoying driving these old cars rather than the stress of worrying about dirt and scratches. It doesn't appear that the price of gasoline has reduced the number of people attending these large shows. Close to 4000 vehicles gathered around the fairgrounds. Dozens of vendors...

The rains held off long enough this weekend for the wife and I to attend our first Concours d’ Elegance. Like the last few weekends, the rain has played havoc on most East coast events and this weekend was no exception. But, the clouds parted late Saturday and I decided we would risk attending the Sunday show. The 19th Concours d’ Elegance of the Eastern United States was held once again on the campus of Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, PA as a fund raiser for The Burn Prevention Foundation. Over 100 awesome vehicles, from a 1906 Reo Model B Roadster to a 2008 Audi R8 Coupe, were present to gawk and drool over. The theme of the show was “A Century of Automotive Innovation” with a special exhibit area of “The Evolution of the Tailfin”. With the theme covering such a large segment of vehicles, there was something for everyone (Antiques, Race Cars, Muscle Cars, Super Cars, Vintage Motorcycles, etc.). How often do you get the chance to be within inches of such rare and expensive machines? This was the most excited I have been about just looking...

A short 55 miles away from my house in Chandler, AZ, I met up with AzAmber, at the Saturday night 83rd Ave and Beardsley cruise-in. What a great show! I took off Saturday and stopped by Industrial Chassis, then hit the Safeway parking lot at about 6PM. There weren't many spots left! The show was a nice mix of cars. You had your hot rods, street machines and even a few exotics, but there were also a couple low riders mixed in with the new factory muscle. Something for everyone! I handed out every card I had that night to a warm group of people saying I'd write a blog about it, so here it is. I won't feature the cars I saw in this blog, but they're coming! (Leave a comment if you see your car!) Here's the sneak peak: That nasty looking 1954 Studebaker's running a former NHRA Top Alcohol dragster engine! Watch for a feature story on that one! The pretty Jag's for sale and will be show at the Brighton Ranch Paint and Body show coming up next weekend 5/17/08. Look at their website for...

It takes a while for a cruise in to catch on, but that doesn't mean while it's growing you won't see some super nice cars. Plus, when it's new, you won't hear the old... "Hey, I'm saving that spot..." or "This is for XYZ cars only..." Whatever. So here's a few of the cars I've spotted at the Friday night cruise-in at Arizona Ave. and Ocotillo. It gets started at about 6PM or so and runs until about 9:00. I think it's sponsored by the Checker Auto nearby, so they supply a DJ and once a month there's a bouncer for the kids. I'd have a few more pics if I could ever get there earlier! Me (aka shaky) and poor lighting don't get along well at all. What I should be sharing with all these pics is who owns the cars and where there from... or something interesting like how the car is completely homebuilt with only a screwdriver and duct tape. Too bad I can't read my able assistants hand writing is so hard to readl! I hope to see you down there. Make sure when you...

Aaah, spring in the Northeast. Time to take the covers off the hibernating beast in the garage and do some car stuff. The beginning of the season up in the Northeast has been marked for the last 31 years by a five day event simply known as Spring Carlisle. The event is held each year in April at the Carlisle Fairgrounds in Carlisle, PA. During this event, the 81 acre facility is just stuffed full of cars, parts, supplies, and collectibles for sale. If it is for sale on the East Coast it will more than likely be here. Finding it may be a problem though. Even if you arrive when the gates open at 7:00 AM you will have a tough time seeing everything by the time the gates close at 7:00 PM. Making it even harder is the fact that, if you are looking for cars, many of the nearby neighborhoods allow cars to park on their lawns (for a fee of course) and sellers take this opportunity to display cars for sale. Looking to buy shop equipment? With several large vendors present ordering ahead of time...

The second event that MyRideIsMe.com participated in leading up to Arizona Bikeweek was a charity ride by Taser Foundation. Each year they run “Takin’ the Ride”, to raise funds to assist the families of officers that are lost in the line of duty. 100% of proceeds go to the families, so you can be sure that you are giving directly to someone who needs it. This year, the third annual ride, started a Euromotorsport in Scottsdale, Arizona. At 8 AM we arrived to see about 50 bikes already lined up outside of the BMW dealer. Next to the first row of motorcycles was the “Drive to Remember” Hummer H3 that would lead the groups out to start the day long ride. This H3 is participating in many events across the country during the next few months to increase awareness of officers killed in the line of duty. More information can be found at www.drive2remember.org . Since we were early to registration, we got to kill some time looking around at all the bikes and watching the Police show their handiwork with their BMW police bikes. Never let anyone complain...

If you've never had the chance to visit a premier classic/hot rod show, then you might be wondering, what's it take to hit that level? It's trivial to say, "You need alot of money." While that's true, it's like they say, "Money can't buy love" and you can see and feel the sometimes years of effort it takes to put a top quality car together. A new friend from over at icwires.com would also like everyone to know that alot of the big builders farm out work too. Not everyone's an expert at everything! From the concept illustrations to the wiring to the paint and body, these cars must be done right. Alot of times, they define right and set the trends for the next super show cars. So take a look at the ultimate Under-over. These pics show the detail you could put into your rod or muscle car if you wanted to. Before the "You gotta drive it" crew chimes in, I agree. But if these cars sit on blinged-out rotating displays with their rotors chromed and headers polished and nary the tiniest oil stain on their...