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| Gorgeous 1958 Nomad Wagon |
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| There is an Oldsmobile Cutlass in There Somewhere |
The World of Wheels came back to Minneapolis this year after being absent for a few years. This was the second event we've attended at the new US Bank Stadium and like the first it seems like the venue could do a lot better.
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Roberts, WI resident Olin Glick took home
"Best Traditional" for his Glick, Glick, Boom 37 Dodge |
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I remember seeing kits like this
all over California in the 70'sand 80's |
It is easy to find the stadium but is difficult to find poorly marked parking garages and once in a garage we had trouble figuring out how to pay and actually ended up leaving without paying. I know I'm on camera so I suppose the storm troopers will be at my door some night to take me to public nuisance camp. Actually, I think there may have been a problem with the collection system in the garage because we talked with another couple that couldn't figure out how to pay and ended up leaving as well. We got in line to go through USBS security only to be told by a stadium employee that the $18.00 tickets we bought at O'Reily weren't tickets but vouchers and had to be exchanged at the ticket window around the corner for real tickets before we could enter. When we got to the ticket windows we realized that only one of the six or so ticket windows was for vouchers and if you got in the wrong one you had to start over. Then it was back to security. The Minneapolis Airport would be proud of the amount of effort and number of lines involved to make sure I didn't have a pocket knife, which I could have purchased from the tool vendor inside the show. We were eventually granted entry into the show which was all on the field level of the stadium. Since we had the little fella in the stroller we couldn't take the stairs but there were several employees strategically placed to direct our circuitous route to a manned freight elevator, down a few levels, through the Delta Sky-Lounge and onto the show floor.
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| Mr. Gene Winfield showing them how it's done |
We walked into the show floor and all grumbling melted away as the first thing we saw was Gene Winfield marking up a 50 Chevy for the crew of locals that was performing a top chop on site. Seeing a childhood hero is always a treat, seeing him still wielding a torch at 89 years old is an inspiration and was the high-point of the show. Thanks Gene!
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| Yea, that's a 427 |
There were autograph sessions from Mark Martin, Katherine Bach, and Tom Wopat that had long lines of people with their model cars and posters in hand, hoping to turn that $10 toy into a priceless memory that they could sell for $15 on eBay. I never did see the 'Dukes" actors on stage but did see a happy and healthy looking Mark Martin up there.
Some of the standout cars included two beautiful station wagons, a '58 Nomad and a Buick Caballero. The Piss'd-Off Pete and the Decopod from Randy Grubb were on hand as well as a Barris modified 59 Impala. The show was well laid out on the field but felt small for a show with a $20 gate ticket. I remember going to the Autorama in California back in the eighties when it seemed like the show just kept going with something to see around every turn. This wasn't it.
I'm glad to see the World of Wheels back in Minnesota but hope they can offer more for that kind of ticket price in the future. The
Gopher State Timing Association Show is coming up in April and is usually a better show at a much lower ticket price.
It is easy to find the stadium but is difficult to find poorly marked parking garages and once in a garage we had trouble figuring out how to pay and actually ended up leaving without paying. I know I'm on camera so I suppose the storm troopers will be at my door some night to take me to public nuisance camp. Actually, I think there may have been a problem with the collection system in the garage because we talked with another couple that couldn't figure out how to pay and ended up leaving as well. We got in line to go through USBS security only to be told by a stadium employee that the $18.00 tickets we bought at O'Reily weren't tickets but vouchers and had to be exchanged at the ticket window around the corner for real tickets before we could enter. When we got to the ticket windows we realized that only one of the six or so ticket windows was for vouchers and if you got in the wrong one you had to start over. Then it was back to security. The Minneapolis Airport would be proud of the amount of effort and number of lines involved to make sure I didn't have a pocket knife, which I could have purchased from the tool vendor inside the show. We were eventually granted entry into the show which was all on the field level of the stadium. Since we had the little fella in the stroller we couldn't take the stairs but there were several employees strategically placed to direct our circuitous route to a manned freight elevator, down a few levels, through the Delta Sky-Lounge and onto the show floor.
We walked into the show floor and all grumbling melted away as the first thing we saw was Gene Winfield marking up a 50 Chevy for the crew of locals that was performing a top chop on site. Seeing a childhood hero is always a treat, seeing him still wielding a torch at 89 years old is an inspiration and was the high-point of the show. Thanks Gene!
There were autograph sessions from Mark Martin, Katherine Bach, and Tom Wopat that had long lines of people with their model cars and posters in hand, hoping to turn that $10 toy into a priceless memory that they could sell for $15 on eBay. I never did see the 'Dukes" actors on stage but did see a happy and healthy looking Mark Martin up there.
Some of the standout cars included two beautiful station wagons, a '58 Nomad and a Buick Caballero. The Piss'd-Off Pete and the Decopod from Randy Grubb were on hand as well as a Barris modified 59 Impala. The show was well laid out on the field but felt small for a show with a $20 gate ticket. I remember going to the Autorama in California back in the eighties when it seemed like the show just kept going with something to see around every turn. This wasn't it.
I'm glad to see the World of Wheels back in Minnesota but hope they can offer more for that kind of ticket price in the future. The Gopher State Timing Association Show is coming up in April and is usually a better show at a much lower ticket price. 
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