Saturday March 6th, my father, Kelly Sweeney, his son Joey, and I met up at The Lucky Lab on our way to the 2004 Portland Roadster Show. This is where Kelly, through the subtle use of alcohol, convinced me I was supposed to write an article on the show. Being the kind (read: gullible) person I am, I agreed.
I have been to a few cruise-ins, but this was my first full on auto show. I was a little overwhelmed. From the AC Cobra turned into palettes of chrome and color changing paint to a Volvo made military vehicle, the variety is what surprised me the most. Some cars in an unrestored and unmodified state, others bearing absolutely no resemblance to whatever their engine or frame started as. But all of them are works of art.
The only thing that pained me about this show is how many of the cars obviously have never touched the pavement. I come from the school of thought that cars are meant to be driven. For the pampering these cars get, and how they never get driven, I can't help but wonder if they would be just as happy and their unions more blissful if they had spent the money on a painting or a sculpture. Works of art usually don't anger the wife and will be driven just as often, and you don't have to go to the garage to look at. A basic rule of thumb, "If it's got wheels, drive it."
This brings me to another automotive experience last weekend, the Chopper Won party put on by a local art collective that does a lot of art cars, motorcycles, and scooters.
Both Roadster and Art Car crowds are rabid about their vehicles, but how different are the two worlds? Both involve a lot of customization. Both are labors of love. Both get looks when they are seen on the street. As far as I can tell, the biggest differences are the age group involved, the resale value, and the quality of the paint job. Oh, and every art car I've seen has wear on their tires unlike some roadsters where the whole tire has been Armour-All'ed.
All of that aside, if I was offered the chance to drive an Art Car or a roadster, the roadster would win hands down. There is just something about all that chrome.
All the pictures from the 2004 Portland Roadster Show can be found here.