Culture|Garage

Loveland, Co- A strong wind whips out to the East here, where trees are sparse and livestock outnumber people. Just West of Greeley, Colorado, the Budweiser Events Center is home to stock shows, rodeos and other agriculturally-related events. For one weekend during every summer, however, one of the largest car shows in the Rocky Mountain region takes place here- the Goodguys Colorado Nationals. C|G paid a visit to this year’s event- and it was well worth the trip.

No matter what kind of American Iron you are into- Lowriders, Traditional Rods, Street Rods, Showroom Stock, etc.- you can find it in some shape or form at the Colorado Nats. After paying your entrance fee to the show (raised this year to an astounding $12 per ticket) you are granted access to some of the Rocky Mountain region’s finest cars, trucks and bikes. This year, it was estimated that over 2,000 cars made the event, which makes the show THE premiere event in the state. With that many vehicles on hand, one can’t dawdle pondering the magnitude of the show- so let’s take a look at what Goodguys has to offer!

Howsabout a 1957 Merc to start off your show? This thing sports a helluva chop, suede chalkboard green paint, whitewalls on steelies and an alcoholic’s dream exhaust.

Ah, yes, nothing like the burble one gets from a good can of Bud…

Suede was in full effect this year, as it was a popular “paint” of choice for many rod builders. This ‘34 was looking simple but sweet in brown with orange steel wheels. From the look I got between the louvers, it appeared that a small-block Chevy was nestled between the framerails, and if memory serves (awesome journalistic integrity, right?) the car also was sporting a four-speed.

This ‘48 postwar Ford was a really sharp car, and the woodwork on the car showed evidence of some serious time, effort and money spent on preparing the car for show. It looked period-correct dressed in whitewalls and a lovely cream color, as well as the vintage speed equipment that graced the flathead mill. This car is an absolute showstopper, and most definitely in my top three favorite cars of the show.

There were a few cars for sale as well, but that made them no less appealing to look at. At the top of the “for sale” heap is this beautiful Elkhart Green C2 Corvette. The tan top, turbine wheels, and flawless execution make it a real looker- and there were plenty of interested parties making their way around it all day.

Not too shabby, eh? The color combo is killer, and the condition is second to none.

Oooh- Sting Ray. Why can’t they give cars names like this anymore?

This was one of a few period-style “gassers” on display. This was probably the most unique one present, as it runs an Olds motor and had one very shiny (completely chrome!) interior. The headers are custom-made pieces, and the quality of the workmanship was excellent. Probably the most interesting part was the rearend housing, which makes it’s home inside the cockpit with the driver.

This Falcon was among the finest cars at the show- and no doubt one of the most expensive to build. The “paneling” on the sides of the car was done with what appeared to be a wood frame, and airbrushed inlays. The car wears most of its factory trim, and maintains a stock roofline. Lowered all around, the metallic green paint nicely offsets the “wood” and provided showgoers with ample eye candy during the show.

The interior was no less impressive, as buttercream leather is accented by woven leather accents sewn into the seats, console and even headliner. A Billet specialties steering wheel actually looked at home in the car, and Auto Meter gauges remind divers that this Falcon sports no ordinary mill. The wood trim is echoed inside the Falcon as well, and considerable effort went into making the various contours in the cabin seamless.

A Roush engine with some fantastic headers and a unique fuel injection unit sat in front of the firewall, giving the Falcon more than just a couple of cubic inches to play with. It was a miracle that photos of the car could be shot, as there were flocks of showgoers clumped around the car all day!

Cars with insane mills were the order of the day at the show, as evidenced by the aforementioned Roush mill, and cool vintage engines such as this period-looking but still modern EFI injected Ardun flathead. A hot-rodded straight-six even made an appearance, and garnered a lot of positive comments.

Engines from every corner of the states and of every displacement could be found, and the ratios of small-block Chevies v. everything else was much improved. Hemis, LS-series engines and Fords of every ilk made their presence known at the show, as cruising around the grounds is not only allowed, but it is encouraged. Speaking of cruisers, here’s a few caught in action while at the show:

At this point in the show, I was starving, so I took a look around for some grub. Although I ended up with a meatloaf sandwich, which was better than I thought it would be, I wish I had waited for the…

Yeah. Yak Burger. And it smelled goooood, folks. Round about the time I walked past the concession stands, a primal thunder assailed me from across the fairgrounds. In the distance, one of my dream cars idled into place, backing up a grass hill…on slicks. That’s torque, folks, and here’s the beast-

That’s right, a Ford Thunderbolt, with a NASTY 427 FE under the ‘glass hood. This muther was right, all the way down to the vintage slicks and period paint. The car has real racing history, although it appears that it was converted from a stock Fairlane back in the day.

There’s the source of the racket I heard- a real gem of an engine. Despite the missing “427″ logo on the air cleaner, this car was all about motor back in the day- and nothing has changed. The large, flexible tubes route air in from the inboard headlight buckets, allowing the engine to breathe much better at speed. The “teardrop” hood was engineered to allow engine heat to dissipate, as these FE engines get hot at WOT (er…wide-open-throttle). This car had a single four-barrel, although some T-Bolts ran a dual-quad setup in competition trim. Oh, and in case the provenance of this car was under any doubt, the window stickers attest to the car’s authenticity.

Further on, still more gorgeous hot rods sat basking in the sun, proof positive that the traditional rod is still alive. This one grabbed my attention because of the little details, such as the mesh in the air cleaners, the skinny whitewalls, the stance and the overall cohesive look the thing had.

Still more cars roamed the fairgrounds, including this great looking ‘36, which had a very nicely sectioned, chopped and channeled body, as well as a great looking set of bomber green steelies.

Now, no post about classic cars would be complete without a couple of Mustangs, so here they are. The first Mustang shown was actually given the title of “best Mustang” this year, although there were many more to choose from.

It’s a lime frost green ‘68 Fastback, wearing wheels similar to those on “Eleanor” Mustangs, but is otherwise stock.

This ‘70 Boss was a real looker, and the owner was kind enough to give me the skinny on the car’s history, as well as the current specs of the car. The car was last purchased by the owner’s father in 1974, when the value of cars like this was bottom-basement. The new owner then ripped off every stock part on the engine, installing headers, an open element air cleaner and others. However, the original parts were set aside- interesting in an era when O.E. equipment was considered replaceable, and therefore, next to worthless. As time went on, and the owner aged, his son became involved, and eventually, seeing the value of muscle cars rise, the son began restoring the car, re-installing everything but the speed limiter. In fact, as the son told us, the car runs better and is quicker in the 1/4 than it was with the aftermarket add-ons. This was truly one of the show’s highlights- a real look back in time.

Mopars were in full force this year, with many interesting cars to choose from, including a ‘69 Road Runner. The car was built over an entire tube chassis, and is set up to race. The most impressive thing, however, was under the car, where a pair of massive meats resided, dwarfing the pumpkin.

This ‘71 Challenger is easily one of the nicest in the Rocky Mountain region, and sported ample power. However, it doesn’t appear that the car had A/C…

Speaking of Chrysler products, there was an exquisite deuce done up with a twin-plug (that’s right, twin plug) Hemi engine between, over, and around the rails. This car had it all- zoomies, dual magnetos, a beefy rearend housing, everything. Although definitely not traditional, it sure was cool.

This thing had a nasty-wide set of tires on the back, ready to go up in smoke at a moment’s notice!

Oh, and finally, yes, Dolores, those ARE little flappers in the zoomies. Cacklefest anyone? Dig the velocity stacks- this thing looked good.

Another cool feature of the show was the judging, which actually was done the day I visited. Once judging had concluded, there was a little procession of cars, heading up to the announcer’s booth to collect their respective trophies. Captured in the procession is one of my favorites- a flathead-motivated deuce roadster- listen to that mill!

However, my pick for best car of the show has to be this ‘32 coupe, built by Colorado-based Pinkee’s Rod Shop. The killer flathead mill, built with Baron speed equipment, multiple water-passage 24-stud heads, quadruple carbs and other traditional details make the car really stand out. The chop, flipper caps and relief-from-primer denim blue paint also helped to make yet another deuce into something, well, different!

Here’s the gorgeous engine, with one of the cleanest fuel delivery systems I have ever seen.

The interior was cleanly finished, and has cleverly integrated armrests. No Mexican blankets here, folks, this car also boasts a great shifter as well as other details.

Watching this car drive away would be something to look forward to, although no angle of this car is not appealing- it’s truly a knockout!

So whether you like R/T’s, GT’s, SS’s or other badges, you can find it at Goodguys. With a family-friendly venue, even friendlier participants and some of the nicest cars in the region, this show is a must-see. Be sure to check the show out next year, or see the Goodguys website HERE for future shows in your area.

[Author's sidenote- For more photos, or hi-res versions of the ones above, shoot me an email at jim@culturegarage.com]

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