2015 MCACN IN REVIEW
2015 MCACN Hemi E Body Convertible
Invitational Display
Sponsored by
The Brothers Collection and
sYc
Photo Credit :Tim Costello Images
MCACN VII SHOW IN THE BOOKS; GEARING UP FOR 2016!
It has been over a month already, but memories of the 7th
Annual Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals show
are still fresh in our minds. I am sure that we added several
new chapters when it comes to Muscle Car and Corvette history.
In fact...I even literally wrote a book!
Of course, the centerpiece and certainly one of the most
talked about features was our 1970 and ‘71 426 Hemi ‘cuda
Convertible and 1970 Challenger R/T 426 Hemi Convertible
Invitational display. In the works for two years, we played
host to an incredible group that included 27 of the 42 that
originally left the assembly line. There has never been more
than 5-6 in one place, (ever) so this one indeed goes down in
history!
Photo Credit : Geoff Stunkard for Car
Craft Magazine
The two Richard Petty cars up front were a hit, and Buick fans
flipped when they saw the circle of eight 1970 G.S. Stage 1
convertibles along with the 3-speed drop-top, a group larger
then ever shown in one place. Perhaps you are a Corvette fan?
Well we know Corvette enthusiasts went home happy after seeing
FIVE of the finest 1968 and 1969 L/88’s along with the awesome
Corvette Legends display, featuring some
truly significant ‘65 and ‘70 Corvettes, sponsored by
Dr. Pete Gimenez. And of course our
Corvette
Central Triple Diamond display and competition was a
hit, with one of our largest fields of C1-C4 Corvettes ever.
This was the first year that each and every
contestant went home with the coveted Triple Diamond crystal
and certification, which truly shows the level of commitment
and passion our participants have. Congrats go out to all of
our winners.
Photo Credit - Tim Costello Images
Ford fans had plenty to see, with two very significant
drag cars unveiled, kicking things off with the recently found
Phil Bonner Thunderbolt. In the middle of the show floor we
uncovered the one of two ‘65 Fairlane factory drag
cars that joined us from Texas. Tom Marcucci stole the
spotlight when he uncovered his early Boss 429 Mustang, a true
black beauty that was across from the incredible group of Boss
302's put together by Bob Perkins and Rick Campbell. And
speaking of unveilings, we certainly left our mark in the Mopar community! The Last Hemi Charger R/T,
the only known 440+6 barrel 1972 Roadrunner/GTX, (complete
with a factory sunroof!), and a show-stopping ‘71 InViolet Hemi
‘cuda were each unveiled by Official MCACN Sponsors,
Apex Autosports,
Magnum Restorations and
American Muscle Car
Restorations, Inc. and then we had the “surprise” unveiling of
the original owner Challenger R/T convertible. There wasn’t a
dry eye in the place and clearly, the owner was indeed totally
taken by surprise. And speaking of surprises, what about the
In Violet ‘70 Hemi ‘cuda convertible presented by the Blake
family out of Phoenix? If you read the book, In
Search of the Holy Grail, you know the story, and
to say there were some surprised people in the building when
they saw that this car was finally back out after nearly
thirty years of hibernation is again a major
understatement.
Photo Credit Tim Costello
Images
Pontiac enthusiasts loved the ultra rare Ram Air IV ‘69
Firebird shown for the very first time by
The
Brothers Collection. Of course, we didn’t leave
out the Chevy loyal when it comes to unveilings, and once
again, significant was the name of the game. Uncovered for the
very first time was a 1968 Yenko 427 Super Camaro and the
highest known option ‘69 Camaro RS Z/28, amazingly both in eye
catching Rally Green, and another black beauty, the stunning
Chevy II that was featured in our L79 Invitational
display that certainly raised the bar for first gen Chevy II’s.
And to make it even better, the
MASCAR crew
out of California, one of our newest Official Sponsors, brought out three 1970 Yenko Deuces,
uncovering their Cranberry Red stunner Saturday morning for
the very first time.
Photo Credit : MASCAR
But wait....that isn’t the only car the MASCAR
team uncovered! After years of inviting a very significant
collector to join us, the
MASCAR team made it happen by presenting his 1970
Trans Am Javelin, certainly looking better than new. And then,
adding our lovely Co-hosts
Courtney Hansen and Kelly, who joined us from
Texas, to our Official Unveilings, certainly made host
Dennis Pittsenbargers job a lot more fun! And
that is just the unveilings. We had well over 550 show
cars in the building and this covers a small portion of them. We could go on
and on, but suffice it to say no matter what make or model you
like best, we had something for you. Barn finds? Check!
Studebaker? Check! Race cars? Check! Gassers? Yepper! Muscle
Trucks? Check! 409’s, Z16’s and LS6’s; You bet! And what about
the cool Post Sedan, Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race and
F.A.S.T. displays? Checkeroo!
Dont forget about our Anniversary
displays, featuring the years 1965 and 1970. They were both a hit
with plenty of true rarities proudly on display, including
several with the original owners. And if you were in the
market to expand your collection, we know of several great
cars that sold at the show. If you saw what was in the VIP Car
Corral area, you know we really raised the bar over there.
Among the offerings; Hemi and 440+6 Mopars, a gorgeous C2
Corvette, a truly one-off ‘68 Camaro SS, a beautiful 409 Bel
Air and not just one, but TWO Dodge Daytona’s, one recently
restored 426 Hemi and one true Day2 440 4-speed; Whew!! And
again, no matter what brand you like best, you had to be
totally blown away by the
Mecum Auctions
display, which showcased a variety of examples of "Monumental
Muscle" that will cross the block in a few weeks at their huge Kissimmee, Florida auction. Hats off to
our Official Title Sponsor, and best of luck in 2016!
I often use the term “raise the bar” when I talk about the
show and this year, I truly believe we achieved that goal. Our
vendors share my passion and we were pleased to have a return
rate of over 80% of all automotive related vendors.
And the new vendors that joined us again helped us achieve our
goal. No head-set hawkers or resort agencies here!
Also returning due to popular demand was our Muscle Bicycle
display, Sponsored by
Koolestuff, which was
bigger and better than ever. Just plain old fun for all ages
in that area!
It is hard to condense the
highlights of the show in one e-mail, so I’ll just say we
proudly presented our finest show to date, and we have been
getting rave reviews. Online feedback has been tremendous
(thanks!) and the YouTube videos and facebook posts are
helping us spread the word. Please make a point of checking
out our Official Video’s on YouTube that the
V8TV
team has already started posting, and watch for more
over the coming weeks, along with additional special segments
that are being developed now by Dennis Pittsenbarger
and his team. We are also anxiously awaiting the
Legendary Motorcars TV show featuring MCACN that you
will see in the spring. Although I had a blast being followed
by the camera man, Vicki may not share my enthusiasm! Not
to worry...it isn’t “that” kind of show! lol
MCACN 2016: So
every year we are faced with the same question; “How will
you top it?” Well, I am here to say the entire MCACN team
is committed to doing exactly that. Remember the Yenko display
or perhaps the Hurst display? What about the gatherings of
ZL1’s, Boss 429’s, Aero Warriors or ‘69 Trans Am convertibles?
Well, each year was history in the making, much like the Hemi
E-Body convertible display we played host to this year, and
our commitment to making more history continues. I will say
that we have been working on a very special gathering of some
of Carroll Shelby’s most significant cars. In
addition to the country’s finest and rarest GT-500 Shelby
Mustangs, you’ll see some of the most significant Cobra’s and
GT40’s ever shown together under one roof. Of course...if you
own one of these amazing machines, we would love to talk to
you. Additional special displays will feature Factory Sunroof
cars, Boss 351 Mustangs and of course our Anniversary displays
which will be the “Class of 1966” and the “Class of ‘71.”
Additional special invitational displays will be announced,
and as always, if you would like to join us to help coordinate
or host something special, let me know asap at
bashton426@gmail.com.
Returning special gatherings will include a fresh, (or perhaps
not so fresh) Barn Finds/Hidden Gems display, our Triple
Diamond and Corvette Legends displays, our Vintage
Certification area and our always hot Muscle Bicycles
display. If you own a significant car that may be a fit for
any of these special displays, please send pictures,
information and the history to me asap. As you know, we want
only the best of the best and the rarest of the
rare in real, documented examples with an emphasis on
first time or rarely shown cars.
Online registration is open for
cars and
vendors.
We can not express enough how
much we appreciate the continued support and participation of
our fine Official Sponsors. Without a doubt, we could not do
this without their support, especially in light of this years
lousy Saturday weather. Please make an effort to do business
with them whenever possible, as we all need to support those
who truly participate and support what we all love.
We also want to take this opportunity to thank our many
participants, whether with a car, a bicycle or as a vendor.
YOU are what make our show what it is,
which as far as I’m
concerned is the best show in the world! Heartfelt thanks from
me to you...
IN SEARCH OF THE
HOLY GRAIL BOOK:
The response to our book In Search of
the Holy Grail has been very humbling. We offered just
200 copies of the book at $100.00 each. This 72 page hardcover
book chronicles the stories of all 27 of the 426 Hemi ‘cuda
and 426 Hemi Challenger R/T convertibles that we played host
to at the MCACN show. This is not a technical book with facts
and figures, as we know that type of information is readily
available. What you will find are stories, many directly from
the owners, of these incredibly significant examples of the
most desirable American Muscle Cars ever built. If you ever
wanted to know who bought these cars when they were new and
what the history is, this is the book for you. Plenty of easy
to read information that has never been published along with
some awesome photos, many directly from the personal
collections of the owners, again, never before seen. We have
a limited amount of books remaining and when they are gone,
they are gone! Sure to be a collectors item, you can order
yours now by
clicking here;
So this is the latest from the MCACN team. We all wish you
and your family and friends a safe and prosperous New Year. As always, we
welcome your feedback and suggestions as we strive to continue
to “raise the bar” and our commitment continues.
With sincere appreciation!
Bob Ashton
MCACN LLC
Managing Member
www.mcacn.com
MCACN LLC
Managing Member
www.mcacn.com
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