Automobilize

Whether or not you like NASCAR is not the issue here. I’ll publicly admit I watch it, (OK, like everyone else, I sit patiently waiting for the ‘big one’.)

However no matter what you think of the sport of turning (mostly) left at 180 mph in a car that kinda resembles something you might purchase at your local dealer, you’ve got to give the NASCAR folks credit for minding the store. They keep their drivers, their teams, and their owners on a short leash. In the process, they present an image that keeps the sponsors that spend ga-millions of dollars supporting the sport, very proud of the integrity of their investment.

Take this past weekend when one owner had two of four team cars fail inspection because of “modifications” to body panels. It can be argued that rules might be a bit gray…but, NASCAR’s point is black and white: if we catch you trying to ’stretch the rules’, we are going to lower the boom.

There’s something refreshing about a sport that is run by the sport — rather than the players. Screw up in NASCAR and you will pay in terms of driver points, owner points, dollars, and/or suspensions. You can almost count on it. Screw up in a lot of other sports and you’re on the front of a Wheaties box. Go figure.

I’m not sure that professional baseball, football, hockey, and basketball wouldn’t be wise to take a lesson or two from the governing body of NASCAR. Nagghhh, they could never risk doing that…as the superstars might go on strike. I’ll take you all to lunch the day NASCAR teams start a union and go on strike. It will NEVER happen!

If you enjoy fast, mostly open top, vintage-looking sports cars, then London Ohio was the place to be this past Saturday June 23rd.  Billed as the largest gathering in the country of Cobras, this event was a car-lovers dream.

There were at least 250 colorful Cobras from literally all over the country parked throughout downtown London (about 25 minutes west of Columbus) from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 pm.  There were a few original Shelbys — but the vast majority were reproductions.  Most of those present were sold by Superformance who had a great display with some great cars for sale.

What makes this event even more special is the fact that they raise a TON of money for charity.  In 2006, they gave over $30,000 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a Harley-Davidson motorcyle to the London Police Department, funds to the Madison County Sheriff’s Department for their DARE program, as well as needed equipment to the London Fire Department.  This year they hope to give even more.  Amazing.

In the process, the Ohio Cobra Club raffles off a donated new Cobra with a value of almost $50k.  They haven’t called so I’ve got to assume that mine wasn’t the winning ticket.  They also give ‘demonstration rides’ down a 1/8 mile stretch of Main Street for $10 each.  Although most of the drivers never got out of second gear, those riding shotgun got the thrill of more than 400 (and in a few cases, more than 600) horses launching the 25oo pound car from a dead stop.

The Ohio Cobra Club should be real proud of the London Cobra Show and all that it does for the owners of these unique cars.  It’s a five day event that is growing each year.  However, they should be even more proud of what they do for charity.   I would guess that they raise as much per participant as any event in the country…..more than $200 per registered car.

Many thanks to Rich Bailey, President of the Ohio Cobra Club who hosted the event.  He and his hard-working staff couldn’t have been more welcoming.

LONDON (OH) — Over 250 Cobras slithered their way into rural London, OH, this weekend, but instead of locking doors and jumping on countertops, residents ran outside to get a better look. Sporting four wheels and substituting horsepower for venom, the Ohio Cobra Club’s annual London Cobra Show celebrated the classic 1960’s sports car with burnouts and benevolence for the local Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Marketed as the largest Cobra gathering in the country, the week-long event drew owners from Arizona to New York and all parts in between. Open-topped roadsters showed up in the greatest numbers, but Daytona coupes and a handful of GT40s also made the trip.

Other activities during the week included a trip to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a cruise-in at Quaker Steak & Lube in Columbus, driving tours through Hocking Hills State Park, and a day trip to the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton.

Saturday morning was the main event when replica and original Cobras made the drive into town, parking four abreast along the downtown streets for the enjoyment of onlookers. Local police and fire departments blocked off a section of Main Street so owners could offer ‘demonstration’ rides down a 1/8th stretch of asphalt in exchange for $10 donations. Despite the short runway, it was more than long enough for passengers to experience the legendary acceleration that made the Cobra famous. Combined with attendee entry fees and other charitable contributions, the Ohio Cobra Club anticipates at least $35,000 will go directly to the Central Ohio CFF to assist hundreds of children and adults stricken with the disease. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease of the lungs and digestive system that affects over 30,000 people in the United States and 70,000 worldwide.

“All of the money goes to fund additional medicine and research for our patients,” said Bruce Kerr, parent volunteer and lead promoter of CFF’s involvement in the event. “It’s been a great event for the community. We get support from the town, fire department, and local police. There are not many other cities that would allow us to do this kind of event.”

Last year enough money was raised to enable the Ohio Cobra Club to donate thermal imaging equipment and a motorcycle to the London fire and police departments. Similar-sized gifts are expected once again. Money was also raised through proceeds generated from ticket sales that gave attendees a chance to win a fully-built Cobra replica.

“The Ohio Cobra Club took over the event about four years ago when it was called the Double Venom Spring Fling. A few of those members left and our club decided to pick up the event, run with it and see if we could keep it going,” said Rich Bailey, OCC President. “Last year we had two families that flew in from Chile and Belgium. This year we have families from as far away as Washington and Oregon.”

Beyond the hallmark Cobra silhouette, no two cars are exactly alike. Carroll Shelby’s original creation was as much about automotive independence as it was quarter mile times and bone-jarring torque. Built primarily to tackle the Corvette on the track, Cobras combined an English chassis with Ford V8 power. While original AC Cobras are rare, including the coveted 427 SC, current demand for these street rods requires a long list of manufacturers willing to build replicas for the buying public. Customers wanting an exact replica based on original specifications or a custom Cobra with tailored options is limited only by imagination and checkbook. Roush Performance, Factory Five Racing, and Superformance are all household names in the Cobra world and representatives were on hand to showcase their engines, chassis, and fully-built cars for sale.

“We’ll sell at least two or three cars out of this show,” said Shane Miller of Dynamic Motorsports of Ross, OH, a company responsible for importing Superformance vehicles from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. “Last year we sold three new chassis’ so it’s a great show.”

We just got back from covering the annual London Cobra Show in London OH, and it was our first trip to the event. Like most maiden voyages, we didn’t know what to expect. This trip has a happy ending however because not only did the event coordinators surprise us, they could probably write a book on how to succeed on the car show circuit.

First things first. The Cobra show has a lot going for it and one of the most important is market saturation. Its the biggest Cobra event in the country from all the data we’ve gathered and once you’re on top, it’s hard to fall from the perch. Perhaps more important however is the Cobra itself. It’s a niche vehicle and there aren’t many around. Pop question: when was the last time you spotted a replica or original Cobra 427 SC on the road? And before that? With limited numbers, limited owners, and limited opportunities to throw a party of any substantial turnout, London’s Cobra Show doesn’t have to work as hard to corner the market as the largest Mustang or RX-7 gathering might. A quick spot check of license plates turned up owners from Virginia, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, the Carolinas, New York, Colorado, Oregon, and all stops in between. For Cobra lovers, London is the show to go to.

Sponsorship is where the Ohio Cobra Club swung for the fences and knocked it out of the park. All the bigs were there including Roush, Superformance via Dynamic Motorsports, and Factory Five Racing. A complete engine was donated for a replica Cobra waiting to be raffled off, while London city officials blocked off streets and add police oversight at no charge. Where else can you convince the locals to allow for burnouts and 1/8th mile acceleration demos? Just a year ago it was 1/4 mile and speeds were topping 108mph. The city cracked the whip and shortened the pavement. How unfair!

The $100 registration to enter a car is no deterrent whatsoever and when the streets re-open, OCC President Richard Bailey hands over more than $35,000 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, along with thousands in thank-you toys to the local police and fire departments. Vendor space and other charitable donations make up the rest of the financial windfall. Gifts of this magnitude are usually reserved for events with over 1,000 cars, but London is squeezing bucket loads from relatively benign numbers. We’re impressed.

Would I attend next year? We have a standing invitation and the hospitality was exceptional. Reps from the major sponsors, club chairs, and Cystic Fibrosis leads went out of their way to share their success story. Despite the threat of rain all morning and afternoon, the wet stuff stayed away just long enough to get our work done. Perhaps it was another meaningful, yet somewhat subliminal sign that London was indeed looking after us. It’s hard to say no to that kind of reception.

AUBURN (IN) — Just minutes before Dan St. John’s pride and joy hit the auction stage at the Kruse International Spring Motorfair on June 2, things in Auburn, IN, were falling into place nicely. His car was polished up to a high standard and attracted a number of last minute onlookers as man and machine waited their turn just outside the main pavilion. In spite of his due diligence however, the most important detail of the afternoon remained unresolved. It didn’t matter that St. John’s car was the lone example of rolling stock on the 480-acre plantation of auction paradise worth driving into a lake. Would Dan and his swimming partner take a bath, or would he cash in on endless riches from a timely bidding war? “I have no idea what it’s going to go for today. I’m kind of rolling the dice on it without a reserve, so we’ll see what happens,” he said. Lacking a reserve on the bright red 1964 Amphicar, someone else was indeed waiting to take the odd German creation home.

The Spring Motorfair is filled with similar stories of buyers and sellers searching for the holy grail and it’s arguably the best place in the world to find it. While the rest of the cars up for bid kept the fun on the pavement, the automotive intrigue never tailed off.

It’s hard to miss a Kruse auction anywhere in the country, but nearly impossible when events are held at their headquarters. Just off the highway is a matrix sign larger than most outlet malls and the vast real estate occupied by such an event is almost unimaginable, yet the spring show is just a dress rehearsal for the 5,000-car draw in early September that attracts over 200,000 visitors to rural Auburn. What the annual June event lacks in volume it makes up for in quality survivors, restorations, and Hollywood provenance.

Perhaps the unassuming location for such a large event is somewhat fitting. From the hay and corn fields of northeast Indiana spawned the Auburn Car Company – no stranger to everything over-the-top. Today, Auburns are among the most expensive collector cars out there, alongside vintage Cords and Duesenbergs. So it should come as no surprise that Kruse auctions off more of these classics than the rest of the country combined. Automobiles like these are within the means of a select few, but there is enough diversity at the Kruse Spring Auction to keep all walks of life happy.

What sets Kruse apart from other auction empires is the casual, family feel only a rural midwestern town can play host to. Bidders shed Armanis for blue jeans even when prices approach seven figures. Russell Kruse auctioned his first real estate in 1952 and later parlayed those skills into the world’s first annual consignment collector car auction in 1971. Over 250 world record setting prices later, the Kruse family remains involved in all aspects of the business, managing auctions around the country. While the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ, has a slick but somewhat artificially contrived appeal helped in part by week-long coverage on Speedvision, those in the know suggest Kruse’s hometown turf is the official car collector capital of the world.

In just two hours of watching the three auction stages running simultaneous bids, a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird reached $190,000 just moments after a 1971 Ford Ranger pickup stalled at $4,000. The high ticket item of the day was the kite-winged fantasy car from the 1968 children’s film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang starring Dick Van Dyke. Kruse appraised the vehicle for just under $1 million a few years ago and it sold for a bargain price of $505,000. We’re still kicking ourselves.

Not every car at Kruse must go to auction. Outside the pavilion is a for-sale area where several hundred owners shine and polish all afternoon to impress potential buyers. Things are even more casual here and it’s where some of the best deals are often struck. A modest look around uncovered quite a few gems capable of fetching top dollar inside the pavilion, including a rare 1956 Ford Park Lane wagon packing a period-correct McCullough supercharger. There were too many vintage Mustangs, Camaros, and Hemis to count — and it’s not often you’ll run across two identical Ford Mustang Indianapolis Pace Car tributes.

If the automobiles weren’t enough, the event attracts car culture of every flavor. Vendors peddling carburetors, stoplights, oil paintings, yesteryear signage and gas pumps, and headlight assemblies for a 1949 Ford all awaited interested buyers. Dave Bostwick paid for prime real estate inside the pavilion to showcase nearly 50 of his life-size creature creations including Willie Nelson, the Blues Brothers, and a pair of elderly butlers. “We’re going coast to coast with it following the car shows like Kruse and Barrett-Jackson and so on. We go to 40 or 45 events a year,” he said. When asked if he made a living at it, he replied “and a pretty good one too.”

As St. John’s Amphicar reached the stage, bidding started relatively slow. Just 4,000 Amphicars were built, making it a rare find on those merits alone. It’s a car that doesn’t appeal to everyone however and needs the right crowd to reach a strong price. Moments before show time, Dan told us $50,000 would make him happy. Amphicar prices are all over the map, from the mid 30s to over $100,000. As bidding stopped and he drove it off the stage, the highest taker sat at $48,500 and things were quiet. But like good book of fiction, someone beat the gavel with hardly a moment to spare and the auctioneer held the car at the end of the ramp as interest resumed. Sitting in the car with a life preserver around his neck as a sign of Amphicar pride, Dan couldn’t help but watch the bidding in his rear-view mirror as casual onlookers encircled the car. He spun the twin propellers at the stern like a true showman as apprehension faded into the surrounding auction currents. It took another three minutes but the hammer dropped at a price of $53,500. With the most important question mark now answered, Dan had everything he needed. Except a ride home.