Hunters Auto Expo - Nashville, TN.

[Thunder1]

I took several shots of my favorites today at the Hunters Auto Expo in Nashville. NO rats this year unfortunately but some great rods none the less! You might recognize the American Bantam Coupe. It was the feature car in the March 09 issue of OSR. I got to talk to the builder & owner of the car for a good while. Great guys to talk to. (Two different guys) They invited me to come up to the shop to hang out which is very cool. The builder also offered to do some fabrication on my 51 f1 project. I'm stoked!!!

 

[Thunder1]

More Hunters Auto Expo Pics

This radically customized 56 Lincoln Continental Mark II is sweet! A total transformation from the original. Look for this one to get some magazine coverage. This is it's first show. On a side note, my Dad restored my Grandfather's 56 Mark II to original condition in the 70's. Only 3000 of these were built in 56 by Lincoln Mercury. Another fact, It cost $10,000 new!

 

[Thunder1]

Last of Hunters Custom Auto Expo pics

Here's just a few more that I thought were worthy of sharing.

 

[earthman]

I've never seen a MarkII at a classic car auction but they were classics out the factory door. They will never build them like that again. Did they come in any other color than black or white?

 

[Thunder1]

The 56's came in 14 solid colors & 5 two tone color variations. Your right E-man, they were incredible cars right from the start. Here's some more specs. Look at the weight of one these monsters! Just shy of 5,000 lbs. Thats a whole lotta car!

1956 Continental MK II
Base price: $ 9,966
Base weight: 4,825 lbs.
Body: Five-place two-door hardtop, steel construction
Frame: Y-shape
Wheelbase: 126 inches
Length: 218.5 inches
Width: 77.5 inches
Suspension: A-arms with fully automatic speed-compensating shock absorbers
Suspension (rear): Semi-elliptic springs with hydraulic shock absorbers
Steering: Power-assisted cam and lever
Brakes: Four-wheel hydraulic internal expanding drums, power assisted
Engine: Overhead-valve 368.6-cu.in. V-8, cast iron block, 300 bhp @ 4,800 rpm, 10:0 to 1 compression ratio
Transmission: Turbo-Drive automatic standard equipment

If your interested in knowing more about them. This is a great link below.

http://members.tripod.com/~B_u_d/MarkII.html

 

[earthman]

Surprised,can't remember ever seeing any but black or white and for sure never 2 tone.
Second choice, '58 to '60 squarebird.

 

[Bonehead]

Thanks for the car show pictures. I like the ones you posted.

 

[Gastrick]

Thanks for the show pics and commentary Thunder 1.

There was a fellow not too far from me who had a dark gray metallic Mark II. It used to sit in front of his house on the street. I haven't seen it for a while though.

 

[Tripper]

Kool

Thunder,
Kool... I love the metal-flake banty!

BoB

 

[Flipper_1938]

I heard the ads on the radio "over 200 cars and trucks" and didn't think it would have been worth the time to go.

 

[Thunder1]

Thunder,
Kool... I love the metal-flake banty!

BoB

Me too Trip! That's a radical little machine! The craftsmanship on that car is amazing. Did you see it in OSR??? Everything on it is finished out perfectly. The builder told me that when he started on it it was so badly deteriorated that he really didn't think there was any chance of ever getting it to this point. There's a lot of new, hand formed metal in the body. It's actually a unibody designed car. everything structural is welded/incorporated into the frame. The floor pans are welded to the bottoms of the frame rails and the frame actually forms a cage around the gas tank and rear mounted radiator. One thing though, it doesn't have the first sign of front brakes or front shocks of any kind other than the front spring mounted to the spring perch. The rear suspension is an air ride set up. Scary to think its street legal and they do drive it alot. That Hillborn injected early 392 Hemi coupled to a modern GM 5 speed sounds pretty incredible too. That's a big ass engine for a 1800 lb. car!

 

[bada]

I heard the car run. Its not very smooth. It sounds almost like its missing. I dont mean like hitting a lick, as in a big cam. I mean it sounds kind of ratty. But its a cool looking ride.

 

[Thunder1]

I like ratty if thats what you want to call it.