Concours d'LeMons Recap
I'm not sure if this comes through in my posts, but generally speaking I'm not particularly easy to perturb. I try to be a cheerful, happy person who rolls with the punches and makes delicious, refreshing lemonade out of life's metaphorical lemons. Unfortunately, as a Crystal Lite devotee, I very rarely make lemonade out of actual lemons--but I suppose one could argue that this blog is little more than a celebration of lemons of the automotive variety.
Anyway, I digress. My point is that my usually sanguine disposition was tested in a significant way a month or so ago when I realized I would not be able to attend a certain car show. You see, it wasn't just any car show; it was the Concours d'LeMons, a car show "celebrating the oddball, mundane and truly awful of the automotive world." In short, a Car Lust kind of car show, an event ripped from my abjectly unhealthy automotive subconscious. And, of course, I couldn't make it.
Had I been granted a violent evening thunderstorm for effect, I would have rushed out into the pelting rain, sunk to my knees, and raised my fists to the lightning-streaked heavens, screaming, "Why? WHY?" But, since it was a bright and cheery sunlit afternoon, I simply sighed and tried to find somebody who could write the event up for Car Lust could provide us a write-up.
That person is Todd Fitch, and his Car Lust credentials are solid--he just sold a hearse and is buying a 1980s Bentley as a daily driver.
More great photos and coverage from event are available at Jalopnik and Autoblog.
Todd Fitch:
This was definitely an unusual car show; much more a free-for-all than anything else. The primary theme might have been the odd, the bad, and the unloved, but there were also a lot of genuinely cool and interesting cars. For example, there was the first Toyota to be sold in the U.S., a 1958 Toyopet Crown, mostly original and unrestored, but in beautiful condition. Only four of the 250 cars sold in the first year are known survivors. There was a V-8-powered Radio Flyer red wagon and an ultra-rare 1984 Fiat Strada Cabriolet.
The usual odd French cars were in attendance, including two Citroen 2CVs and a beautiful Citroen DS that had been violently rear-ended by a Chevy Suburban. Happily, it was still at the show, body damage and all. I spotted a Renault R16 with a rare electric sunroof that the owner had purchased off eBay for $175 and driven home, one of the nicest Peugeot 505s I've seen in a long time, and a 404 Wagon somehow still moving under it's own power.
Of course there were the cars one would expect to see at a show celebrating the popular failures. There were several Pintos--some immaculate originals, and some super-modified. There were AMC products, Pacers and Gremlins of course. There were some not-so-odd Ramblers from the 1960s. I saw some immaculate Corvairs, one Edsel convertible, and even an immaculate Chevy Citation X-11. When was the last time you saw one of those?
Then there were the cars belonged in a more typical car show--a Model A Ford, an extremely nice late-1920s Rolls Royce, a 1976-ish Cadillac Eldorado, a 1963 Mercury station wagon, and even ... gasp ... a Shelby Mustang! I am at a loss to understand why anybody really thought these cars qualified as lemons.
This is definitely a worthy show to attend. This was a busy weekend for automotive events in Monterey, Calif., as the Historic Races were going on at Laguna Seca only 10 minutes from the LeMons show, and downtown was hosting an Italian car show, a Porsche meet and a classic car auction. Compared to those events, the Concours d'LeMons was definitely a small fry, but it's still worth attending if you can make it.
Todd: I can't remember the last Peugeot 404 I saw that could move under its own power.
Chris: I love this AMC 880 Cross Country Wagon.
Todd: This was the disco-ball Pinto.
Todd: This was super sad, this was a completely restored Citroen DS that had been rear-ended on the freeway by a Chevy Suburban. The Suburban took off, but he left his license plate in the back of the DS so the police eventually found it.
Todd: There can't be more than a half-dozen of these 1984 Fiat Strada Convertibles in America, and this one is in amazing condition.
Todd: I used to own one of these Lancia Beta sedans. I miss it.
Todd: This Renault R16 cost the owner only $175, and he drove it home.
Chris: This Little Red Wagon comes with V-8 power.
Todd: This must be the world's most rust-filled VW; the owner was actually proud of it.
Chris: I love the sign.
Chris: Ooh, a Challenger/Sapporo!
Todd: A Toyota S800 Roadster--I think they need to go back to building something more like this today.
Shawn on August 26, 2009 at 09:00 PM
Not bad, that Strada convertible is HAWT!
John B on August 27, 2009 at 11:35 AM
Wow...a Challenger/Sapporo.
I'd ALMOST forgotten they existed. I haven't seen one in years.
In 1981-82 I worked with a girl that had one...I was impressed by its interior features. It seemed a lot neater than my 79 Mustang.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on August 27, 2009 at 11:42 AM
Looks like a wonderful gathering of oddball iron. Love the AMC wagon and the Sapporo. (I rather wanted a Sapporo back in the day; would've been so much better than my Monza.)
Sillypickle on August 27, 2009 at 12:57 PM
That S800 is gorgeous! It seems like only a few car companies understand the beauty of curves these days, and none of them make cars I could ever afford.
That Car Guy on August 27, 2009 at 02:48 PM
What I remember most about the Sapporo was its plush interior and engine balance shaft(s). They did their best to quell engine vibration from an inline 4. That was very advanced thinking and engineering for its time.
David Colborne on August 27, 2009 at 03:54 PM
Wow... there is some truly impressive iron there! Of course, you can tell what kind of blog this is when half of the comments lust after the Sapporo.
Make that more than half. I want one!
It's at times like these that I regret living in a time when Italian passenger cars don't regularly plow through American highways. Where have all the Fiats gone?
Doustoi on August 27, 2009 at 05:06 PM
where is the Rambler Marlin?
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater on August 27, 2009 at 05:15 PM
Whaat, no Azteks?
bill on August 27, 2009 at 05:17 PM
I had a '78 Challenger, the dodge/mitsubishi counterpart to the Sapporo. The engine was a big (for a four banger I believe) 2.8litres and the balance shafts smoothed the vibration well. I had 5speed with power assist steering and air conditioning and while it was certainly no 240 or GTI, it had enough power to have fun. For this kid fresh out of high school, I couldn't have ask for a better car.
ck on August 27, 2009 at 05:32 PM
Hehe, my first car was a Peugeot 404.
Buster on August 27, 2009 at 05:57 PM
The last time I saw a Citation X-11? I owned one! Aside from the torque steer that would make a battleship envious, it was a lot of fun to drive. Especially after some *ahem* after-market modifications to the engine resulting in increased horsepower.
Maxwell Jump on August 27, 2009 at 06:28 PM
Ah, the Lancia Beta, we had two of them. I remember when my dad bought our first one. I was at work (I was still a high schooler)and my mom called me, she told me that dad had bought another car. This on top of already owning 2 large station wagons; an LTD and a Chrysler Town and Country, 2 Austin Americas, a Porsche 912, a Capri II, a '60 Willy's CJ-5, and a '56 Morgan Plus4.
Anyway, she couldn't remember the name of the car when I asked her, she only could remember that it was Italian and started with an L. I screamed "Lamborghini?!?!?", she said maybe, she couldn't remember. I told my boss I had to leave that instant and he let me go home. Imagine the let down when I got home and found that sitting in the driveway. Still it was a pretty nice car and fun to drive, and had a pretty nice exhaust note too from what I can remember.
BobMc on August 27, 2009 at 09:26 PM
R16s were for wimps. Give me a manly Dauphine or R10 any day. :)
But no R12 -- I'd rather cut out my own heart than (shudder) own another R12.
dac on September 03, 2009 at 06:48 PM
I saw an x 11 today - perfect condition! In Wisconsin! Grandma must of parked it every winter
I almost bought a Strada in 84 when we came back from Europe on our honeymoon - had rented a Fiat Ritmo there, liked it.(Ritmo = Strada) But I stuck with our 78 pinto (couldnt afford car payments)
pdennis93 on September 06, 2009 at 12:39 PM
what no Cadvalier? err i mean Cimarron by Cadillac, sorry no offense Cadillac, lol.
Robert on September 11, 2009 at 03:09 PM
Haha, the Disco Ball Pinto is awesome in a sad, horrific way. Great post!