Classic Nation

There were just so many great cars at the 2007 Spokane Goodguys car show that I just had to post some more pictures. Here is the whole gallery.

Last week while we were at the Goodguys car show in Spokane I mentioned that Dad was thinking about getting a Chevy Fleetline. Well, I got an e-mail early Tuesday moring that let me in on a pretty funny story. Turns out that he bought one off Ebay - out of Kentucky! It is in good shape and has been in the same family since it was new. It has the 6 cylinder engine in it. I will post pictures of it here soon and well track the progress of it in our resto section.

We just got back from the 2007 Spokane Goodguys car show having taken over 135 pictures from the event! It was a great day at the Spokane Fairgrounds and the weather was beautiful! There were so many sweet rides that we can’t put every single one in this post, but here are a few of our favorites!

Here is a beautiful 1965 Impala with a super trick engine. Notice the duel quads sitting side by side!

This 1968 Shelby stood out of the crowd. It looks just like the one that is on the front of the Spokane Goodguys official T shirts for the show.

Here is super-clean Chevy Impala Lowrider.

These two rides were set up nicely! They had beautiful black paint with bright red leather interiors. That 1960 Buick LaSabre (on the left) was so nice! The wheels they stuffed under the rear are huge!

We had a great time! Make sure to view our complete image gallery for full coverage of the Spokane Goodguys show.

There are several great classic car websites on the web which feature a wide spectrum of content including pictures, videos, stories, how-to articles, and breaking news. After scouring the corners of the web, we have come up with the top 10 websites for classic car enthusiasts. These sites are the best of the best, and should be bookmarked by any true classic car enthusiast.

1. Hemmings.com
Hemmings Motor News is the original classic and antique car publication. Their website features one of the largest classic car classifieds databases around - 30,000 car for sale ads. The website sports a full events calendar for vintage auto events across the country. Unlike other event calendars, this one has a search function that can pin-point events that are located in a specific state or city with a specific date, which is very useful when planning a trip or checking out your local events. Registering as a member on the site brings some added bonuses, including a page to submit your own car pictures and story for inclusion on the site. In addition to publishing the most recognized print classic car classifieds magazine, Hemmings features a fantastic weblog with articles, pictures, and tons of great information on the classic car scene. The “Research” menu link reveals a ton of great tools including a car locater, parts locater, price guides, and restoration tips. These guys know classic cars inside and out, and their site is the most valuable resource on the Internet for all things classic automotive.

2. ClassicCar.com
ClassicCar.com is one of the most popular hangouts for classic car buffs. It features all of the popular sections found on other classic car sites, such as a classified section, photo gallery, and a newsletter. Packed in between great articles and recent hot rod pictures, this website features a very active user forum with separate categories for different classic auto manufacturers - especially handy when trying to track down an answer to a tough classic car question. ClassicCar.com also features listings for classic car clubs, which serves as a great directory when trying to find a car club in your local area. One of the most popular classic car blogs on the internet is also hosted on ClassicCar.com - Ted’s Garage Blog. With posting almost daily, Ted’s Garage Blog continually informs us of recent news and informative stories from across the globe. The people at ClassicCar.com do a great job of combining all of the important aspects of a vintage car website on their site, making it one of the best on the Internet.

3. Goodguys
Goodguys is the worlds largest Rod & Custom Association known for producing some of the best classic car shows anywhere. Their website contains pictures and information from all of their past events, making this a favorite spot to browse great hot rod photography. Goodguys also has a great “news search” feature, where visitors can search for specific classic car news ranging from event news to new product news. One of the most useful pages on the website is the events page which lists all of the season’s scheduled events, locations, and details. Each season, thousands of car fans grab their calendars and mark off their local shows from the Goodguys website. Become a paying member of the Goodguys Association and you get a monthly Gazette with full color photos and articles on the events. Goodguys continually helps to expand and promote the classic car industry and their website is definitely one that should be bookmarked.

4. NADAGuides.com
NADAGuides.com is the place to go to get classic car pricing. NADA has been providing accurate vehicle quotes for years and the website has made the process even easier. This classic car pricing quote gives you a price range for your car depending on the condition it is in, so you can have the best estimate whether you are comparing prices for a classic you are thinking about purchasing or tracking the appreciation of your own car. It even lets you select the options of the vehicle which you are getting a price quote for. NADAGuides covers virtually all makes and models, and I have found the quotes to be very accurate compared to actual market value.

5. About.com : Classic Cars

About.com’s Classic Car section is great website for light reading and classic automotive tid-bits. Set up in a blog-style format, the website regularly features interesting posts about classic car stories with some insightful comments. Within some of the posts, visitors can expect to see some image galleries from car shows from across the country. The website also has a great free newsletter that visitors can subscribe to in order to stay up to date on the latest news. And, what would a classic car site be without it’s own event list? About.com’s classic car pages are excellently written and entertaining, landing it in the middle of our top 10 list.

6. Barrett Jackson
Perhaps the world’s best-known Classic Car Auction name, Barrett Jackson does a spectacular job on their website with the clean design and ease of use. Just seconds after landing on the home page, it is easy to check the running countdown clock to the next event. Need to sell your classic in one of their auctions? You are just one click away. For those of us who don’t own a “Barrett Jackson worthy” classic car that needs to be sold, the site offers some great galleries and news - a perfect recipe for drooling all over your keyboard. This site hosts pictures of some of the finest classics in the world which regularly sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

7. Jay Leno’s Garage
Jay Leno is a huge classic car fan. So, it is only fitting that NBC hook him up with a website featuring his personal collection of classic cars. And let me tell you - he has some of the rarest classic cars we have ever seen! In addition to browsing the picture gallery of Jay’s cars, his site has lots of video content, games, and a special “Ask Jay” section. Here, he answers questions from people like you and me via a blog. And if you want to show Jay your car, you can send your picture and story to him for a possible feature on his site.

8. My Classic Car

We all know Dennis Gage - that cool guy with the handlebar mustache who hosts that Saturday morning TV show “My Classic Car”. Well, the TV show’s website is also a great place to visit if you have some time on your hands. This site features a great user forum where you can chat with fellow classic car fans. This is also a great place to ask a tough technical question, and the users are very friendly and always helpful. Jump over to the “How to” section for article and a special 3D Automotive Animation on how things really work!

9. HotRod.com
HotRod.com is the website by the people at the popular Hot Rod Magazine. This site has exceptional content that you should expect, including a forum, videos, events, and featured car articles. Their new blog page offers news and other stories. Plus site visitors get a chance to show off their cars in the “Readers Rides” area. Looking for technical how-to articles? HotRod.com has you covered with a very extensive archive of informative articles.

10. MotorTrend - Classic
MotorTrend Classic offers a bunch of premium original content including articles, videos, news, and road test write-ups. In their road test articles the MotorTrend writers break down classic car specs and performance statistics in a very technical way. Known mostly for new car reviews, MotorTrend Classic is one of the only sites that documents the current performance information of vintage autos. In addition to great articles, MotorTrend Classic has a forum to discuss all of their articles and ask questions.

As we reviewed and compiled the Top 10 Websites for Classic Car Enthusiasts we could see some similarities that set these websites apart from the rest. Community participation and interaction, great writing and photography, and the frequency of updates are the factors that makes these sites head and shoulders above the rest. These sites truly have the most useful resources for classic car enthusiasts on the Internet, and they serve as the best starting point for any quest for classic automotive information.

As we posted earlier, the Spokane Goodguys car show is in town! I have been to this show every year for the last several years, and although I sometimes see some cars I recognize from years past - it is always great to see new local cars that I have never seen before. What am I hoping to see this year at the Spokane Goodguys?

1. 64′ - 65′ Buick Rivieras

2. Early 1960s Custom Chevy Impalas

3. 49′, 50′, and 51′ Chevy Fleetlines for sale (Dad is hot on the trail)

4. Custom 1967 Mustangs

To tell the truth - these are just a few of the things that I hope to see. Most of the time I end of seeing some really cool cars that I didn’t even think about. After the show I always like to recall my favorite few cars. Then I immediately start thinking about my own next project…

One more day!!!