Rosemary Beach Car Show 2011

The Rosemary Beach car show is not a very big show, but it always seems to have some nice cars, and the setting is very special: the grass is golf course quality, watered daily and regularly cut, or maybe I should say trimmed. While comfortable to walk on, the green does overpower reflections in shiny things like cars, chrome... but I digress.

Here's an early 50s MG TD that was parked nearby but not entered in the show.

Next is a gorgeous little 1960 Morris Minor Estate Wagon: a woody yet! Note the surfboard: not likely an original accessory in England... Nor the left hand drive.

Here's a storied VW van/truck. Apparently imported in rough shape from an adventurous Canadian owner who drove it from Canada to Peru, living in it the whole time. Bars were installed inside the windows to prevent thieves from breaking into the VW while he was sleeping in it! Not a trip that I would be interested in doing, but I sure would like to hear the whole story.

Of course, who wouldn't like a 1962 Corvette?

1958 was the 50th anniversary of the General Motors Co. They celebrated by ushering a whole new design for most of their cars, then added chrome, lots of chrome... This Buick Super, not a top model, was no exception.

Car shows can be polluted with people; sometimes just a section of car is all you can shoot.

This black paint was stunning, and the restoration beautiful. The wheel, tire, disc brakes are all not likely original. Come to think of it, the original shine was probably not as good either.

This is the other end of the same car, a Camaro SS.

Next is an old favourite: a 1949 MG TC that has been restored with a very open check-book. I overheard amounts between $70 to $100 thousand for the restoration. It was a family vehicle since new, and had been much abused by siblings, then abandoned, until one of the sons had the means to fix her up. In my humble opinion, it was over-restored and is now a 'trailer-queen': never driven, just trailered to the occasional show. Pity, it really could be a fun car to drive.

And you're in for a surprise, the grand finale is next: a tricked out Harley. Have a close look by clicking on it, and I'll tell you more after the picture.

As I walked by, I noticed the controls in the side car, I've never seen controls other than radio controls in a side car. After all, you just sit there and pray right?

My next discovery was the badge beside the license: the American Rifle Association. Look around the picture and you'll find ammunition [seat], a machine gun [aimed backwards], a holster with more rifles [between the bike and sidecar], hand-grenades, and other likely causes of mischief. I always though the right to bear arms didn't include making a bike a two-man weapon of mass destruction.