Off to the Volvo Ball

 Saturday September 30th was the long anticipated Volvo Club of Maine gathering at the Owl's Head Transportation Museum . 

 After several weeks of working on the PV it was as ready as I would ever get it for the club's gala event of the year . Newly refinished wheels , new tires , new brakes and a rub down with an oily rag just to dazzle the gullible .

Our friends Laura and Peter Gordon joined us for the two hour ride north to the museum with their 240. An hour into the ride we make a much needed "pit stop" just south of Wiscasset .

A mile later as we roll through town the odometer turns over the hundred thousand mark before I notice it . It's OK , the car really has twenty nine thousand miles less than indicated as the odometer was a replacement with higher indicated miles as the original was making noise .

Got to the museum about a quarter past ten in the morning and parked next to one of Alan Prosser's beautifully restored 122s

Alan does exquisite work 

A few minutes later Alan drives in with his second mint 123S

Looks just like it did when it left the assembly line sixty odd years ago .

No detail left unattended

More Volvos than you could shake a stick at

Some even sporting art work

At two pm after events at the museum were concluded we all drove over to Duncan and Naomi's place in St George for the big lobster feed .

 And lined them all back in a row

In a spectacular location

all kinds of them really

Including this wild work in progress by Thomas Broome of Independent Auto in Augusta

With a 2 . 5 liter long stroke Volvo Penta block with a sixteen valve head and temporary down draft Penta marine carbs that preclude idling below 3K rpm or closing the hood while he waits for new jets and needles for his side draft Webbers .

And a mint later 240 sedan I am told a recent "barn find"

 Good times were had by all .

Peter even managed to get a shot of me while stuffing my face with a mud bug .

Thursday Night Cruise-in at Cabelas

 About three weeks ago we got invited to a cruise-in that has been taking place regularly on Thursday evenings between five and seven at the local Cabelas parking lot . As it's only a couple miles from home I had to check it out .

 Been there three weeks in a row now and it has not been disappointing at all.

Met some cool old duffers like these two rough looking cats Dan with the 64 Impala and Mike with the 64 Galaxie convertible.

 

The event was started this spring by car geek and all around good kid Derick Rabida seen here in the "topless" shirt with the little purple Nissan truck.

Mostly a boy racer and tuner thing until us Gray-beards started showing up recently .

You never know what will turn up

Bear's mint 57

Or some fool in an old Volvo

A kid with a right hand drive Toyota with tuner V8 engine

. . . or a Japanese import Honda Kei-Car

Also right hand drive

With its Japanese inspection sticker

Dan's 64 Impala

An immaculate AMC 72? Javelin

A 71 Celica

With a monster clutch eating Lexus V8 engine crammed in it

A hard top sixty something Galaxie

A well preserved 89 Nissan 240SX

With a mint interior

To a 77 Oldsmobile with the choked down F heads and monstrous Holleys just for show

Or whatever this sled is

With a giant five liter Ford V8

With an interesting interior

My friend Scott's pristine 53 Customline Ford

A superbly restored candy red 66 Charger

That tempts even the most non-Mopar schlep like me . . .

. . .  with its classic sweeping lines

. . . and iconic interior

Modern cars don't have nothing on this

Sad to think already today these are just a nostalgic memory

A baby yellow sixty something . . .

Ford Fairlane

The "Ladies Man" pimp-mobile with purple under-lighting . . .

. . . decorated with drapes and crystal tumblers for his Courvoisier

And an 83? Celica Supra with a recent buff job

 

Even the Harley Drawn Hot-Dog cart was there to feed the hungry last night.