The Glen Arbor Car Show: An Art Exhibition of a Different Kind

By Torin Yeager
Sun staff writer

Bright and early on Saturday, July 19th, the rumble of powerful engines and the glimmer of polished chrome will greet Glen Arbor, and it’s not the morning commute. The first annual Glen Arbor Car Show, sponsored by the Glen Arbor Chamber of Commerce, makes its debut this summer, rain or shine.
Among the many registrants so far, are a 1925 Packard, a 1959 Ford convertible, a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 and a 1964 Dodge Dart GT, with many other cars expected to fill up Oak Street and M-22 by the Glen Arbor Athletic Club for the show. Registration at the show is $15, with checks payable to The Glen Arbor Chamber of Commerce. All proceeds will go to the Chamber Scholarship Fund. Spectators are welcome and encouraged to attend the show as well.
Why are so many people drawn to the allure of these “antique” machines? The car show’s main organizers, Bob and Teddy House, agree that people, “enjoy the nostalgia behind the event.” Every car has its’ own interesting story. “Lots of people enjoy just looking at the lines and colors of a fast car,” adds Bob, “but car enthusiasts at a show can appreciate how much hard work has gone into every tiny detail of a car, including the working parts of the engine that people often overlook. We grew up in a time of muscle cars, and it’s great to see how well people take care of their machines. It’s a big pastime for car aficionados, and some people even plan their summers around all of the shows. You will recognize faces and vehicles from one show to the next.”
Bob and Teddy have their own unique story of the automotive world. “Bob had a 1970 Mustang in high school, and he messed around with it using his knowledge from auto classes in school,” says Teddy. “He then went into Automotive Tech at college before working for Ford Motor Company, and he still reads magazines and manuals in addition to asking lots of questions to fine-tune his skills. After we met, I ended up going to a lot of car shows with him, and eventually we started helping out in the shows. That’s how I got my experience in judging cars. Car shows are just an art exhibition of a different kind.”
Bob’s own work of art in progress, a 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1, will be a close replica of his first Mustang, classic “calypso coral” red paint and all. It won’t be ready for the show this year, but it is, ”a lot further along than it looks”. A new interior, ram air, chrome engine fittings and racing slats, to name a few improvements, will soon grace the car, which has not been driven since 1989. Pity the cars that go up against this machine once it is ready.
For those who are inexperienced in the lingo of automobiles, here is a quick dictionary to help you give the impression of automotive competence:
Muscle car – This is a production car made between 1964 and 1972 that has a very powerful engine. Think of them as street-legal racecars.
Antique car – Any car that is 25 years old or more. For this year’s show, the latest model to qualify as an antique will be from 1978.
Original – This is the term for an unmodified car that retains the same parts it was built with in the factory.
Cubic Inch (Cu In) – The total displacement of an engine. Bigger is better.
Carburetor – A mechanism that mixes fuel and oxygen for a car’s engine to burn.
Ram air – An air “scoop” on the hood of a car that allows cool air to be funneled directly into the carburetor.
So now that you’re an expert in the automotive field, come and stroll the sidewalks and admire the results of car wax and a lot of hard work. If you don’t own a classic car, you can still enjoy the machines that will be present at the Glen Arbor Car Show, and bide your time until that old Honda Accord in the garage is old enough to display at the art exhibition on wheels.