MCACN 2016 Sneak Peek*
1966 Pontiac Special Paint GTO
Cadillac Inverness Green
Class of 1966 Invitational
Participant
Original Owner; Jim
Norton, Georgia
MCACN CELEBRATING PINNACLE YEARS; 1966 AND 1971
When we think of our favorite examples of American Muscle,
there are certainly two years that will always stand out.
Each year at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals show,
we celebrate the anniversaries of particular model years,
and this year is no exception. We will be celebrating the
50th anniversary of the 1966 model year and the 45th
anniversary of the 1971 model year, making our 2016 show
another event to remember!
Let’s start with ‘66; Funny Cars would become a regular
feature at dragstrips nationwide, and the GM intermediates
were really getting dialed in at this point. Buick had the
G.S., Chevy offered a variety of their 396’s, including
the legendary 375 horsepower L78’s, the GTO was feared and
desired and of course, the W-30 Oldsmobiles were earning
some real respect. And if you are a Corvette enthusiast,
the new 427 would certainly kick-start your heart! Over in
the Mopar camp anyone with a healthy checkbook could head
down to their local dealer and order up a 426 Street Hemi
in a variety of cars, including the all new fastback
Charger. And if the Hemi was a bit too much, you could
certainly command some respect with a 383 under the hood.
For Ford and Mercury, the Mustang would be offered with a
variety of performance goodies and nobody can dispute the
impact that Carroll Shelby was making with the GT-350.
1966 was also the year that the GT40’s swept Sebring with
a 1-2-3 finish and the massive dual quad 427’s could be
found under the hoods of the big body cars. Comets would
terrorize the national drag strips and names like
Nicholson would continue to strike fear in the
competition. Yes...1966 was a pinnacle year!
And then we have 1971. Clearly the writing was on the wall
for massively overpowered factory built muscle machines.
Insurance regulations, higher gas prices and a changing
economy would mean more restrictions, but there certainly
were plenty of great offerings. GM and Ford would drop
their compression and the Boss 302, Boss 429’s and the LS6
Chevelle’s would be no more than a memory, but Boss 351’s,
454’s and Stage 1 and H.O. 455’s would remain, albeit with
a bit less horsepower. Mother Mopar would be the last
holdout, carrying over the 426 Hemi and the multi-carb
440+6 in the B and E-Bodies, and these cars would
establish themselves to be among the most desired Muscle
Cars ever produced to this day.
With that being said, we are preparing to host two
outstanding Anniversary displays, The “Class of
1966” and “The Class of ‘71”
celebrating these years. You will see prime examples of
Hemi’s, Boss 351’s, L78’s, Tri-Power GTO’s and Corvettes
and more. And of course, if you own a prime example of
real, documented American Muscle from one of these years,
tell us what you have for consideration for these very
special displays. Cars must be real and documented,
(meaning no clones or tributes) and if there is some
interesting history, we want to hear it! Especially
looking for a 1966 426 Hemi Charger and 426 Hemi Coronet
and Satellite convertibles, a Tiger Gold GTO, K-Code
Mustangs and Comets and perhaps some Big block/big body
cars too, since we love those 390’s, 396’s and 427’s! If
you own a suitable car, no matter what the make or model,
and would like to join us for one of these special
gatherings, please e-mail pics and information to me at
bashton426@gmail.com.
Chicagoland Mopar
Swap Meet;
This Sunday, February 14 from 8 am – 2 pm, I will be attending the annual
Chicagoland Mopar
Connection swap meet. They are moving to a new home,
which is ReNu, 271 E. North, Glendale Heights, IL. 60139
and I understand they have plenty of room and plenty of
parking. I always enjoy catching up and I’ll be talking
about what we have in store for MCACN for 2016. You will
also see our friends from
Magnum Auto Restorations there
along with Ryan Brutt, the Automotive Archeologist, who
will be selling and signing his
book.
If you didn’t pick one up at MCACN, make a point of
getting one there. I
will also have a few copies of our
“In Search
of the Holy Grail”
books available, so grab one while you can, ‘cuz once they
are gone, they’re gone! I’ll have a variety of MCACN Event
T-shirts with me too,
so if you forgot to get one at the show, this is your
chance.
Car and Bike Entry
and Vendors; We are now accepting entries for
cars,
muscle bicycles and
automotive (only) vendors.
Whether you have a car that is suitable for one of our
special displays or you own another prime example of
American Muscle, we hope you will consider joining us to
share the history and the stories. We will return to the
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, (greater
Chicago), Illinois Saturday, November 19, from 9 am – 9
pm, and Sunday, November 20, from 9 am – 5 pm. You will
again see over 500 cars that will join us from across the
country and even outside of the country,
including many from private collections seldom if ever
shown.
Muscle Car Review magazine said “The best show
in the country gets even better” in the March 2016
issue, (Thanks MCR!) so please plan on joining
us, as a participant or as a spectator.
OFFICIAL HOST
HOTELS; We want to make sure your entire MCACN
experience is a good one. We have secured special rates
with FIVE area hotels, all conveniently located. Each of
these hotels has its own personality and extra MCACN
exclusive perks, and all five are really nice. The
DoubleTree O’Hare has become “party central” and is the
first to sell out. If you want to be in the middle of the
action, book your rooms now! All of these hotels are
geared up and ready for us, so take a look at our website
to learn about each of them. You will also find easy to
use direct booking links
here.
Hope to see you this weekend!
Bob Ashton
MCACN LLC
Managing Member
MCACN LLC
Managing Member
Comments