Oakbrook mall is a bit of a magical place. A sort of shopping mecca within a garden. On any given summer day, the views are absolutely stunning. On every Father’s day, more so. At least to The Automotive Philosopher!

As we entered the mall from our usual spot, near the Sears, of course, it was just a short walk until we happened across our first example of rolling art. A PRIMO 1957 Ford Thunderbird – the first generation of the iconic model having first went into production back in 1955. A cursory look revealed that this car was restored to a level better than when it rolled off the line. (Sorry for the lack of photo!

The classic T-Birds lines were nearly mocked by the placement of an eleventh generation (2002-2005) model, which when parked next to the real deal, is almost like a caricature of the original. The re-release of the T-Bird was a bit of a flop. Firstly, like I said, it was a caricature of the original, and secondly, it was bloody expensive! For a heavily revamped Lincoln LS (which is what it was based off of) it was grossly overweight, and underpowered. The interior was cramp, and had the feeling as though it was assembled at gunpoint! Really, it was a shame it missed the mark y so much. I WANT ONE! 

I want one (now) because it represents a little glimmer of hope in the auto industry. Almost a vestige of better times. Cars like these simply won’t be produced going forward. Cars, unfortunately have become appliances, rather than motive forces.  

Anyway… as we continued, the next car we saw was a red beasty of a machine. A Lamborghini Diablo. As I moved through the show, I tried to take pictures of vehicles that I love, caught my eye, or are just plain amazing. There were HUNDREDS of cars to drool over.

Pictures don’t do it justice. This thing is HUGE with typically mind blowing performance. Take a turn to fast in this car, and it will rip your face off!

Check out the detail of the wheels! This wheel has more engineering in its allen bolts than most cars have in their entire drive train!

Next, a Superperformance GT40 – a homage to the great GT40 factory formula car. Ridiculously low, and just plain mean!

Check out the cooling system treatment. Rather than slap a radiator behind a grill. The GT40’s radiator is an aerodynamic, down-force producing element of the body. The air flows through the front, through the radiator, and out the top of the front of the car, and on over the body.

Next up a 1936 Chevrolet. I’m thinking that if GM still built them like this, with the attention to detail, they wouldn’t have needed the Fed to bail them out!

Check out the detail of the front wheel.

Next up, a proper Cadillac , a pre-war model.

When we think of classic Caddy’s we tend to dwell on chrome. Really, though, a new Escalade has more chrome on it!

This grille is HUGE. I’m 6’2” and the top of the Grille as at about mid chest on me!

  

Ah, next is a fine, nearly original example of a Hudson Hornet.

We have a family connection to this car. The Late Great Skunkle’s father, Carl Cenzer was an design engineer for AMC dating back to the Nash days. He was instrumental in bringing the Hudson "step-down" chassis to life. This allowed Hudson's to have a crazy-low center of gravity for their day, and allowed them to kick some serious but back when NASCAR was real racing, with real cars, by real men. The Hudson chassis is the Grandfather of the monocoque and today's unibody chassis which is the foundation for darn near every car on the road today!

A Mercedes 300SL Gullwing. An amazing machine. A 155mph car back in 1955! The understated elegance of this car is simply too much for words. Just look at the freakin thing!

An interesting feature of the interior, aside from the doors and massive sills is the steering wheel. On the top left side of the steering wheel “hub” theres a little chrome lever thingy. When you push the lever away from you, this unlocks the wheel from its spokes, allowing it to pivot on its horizontal axis, allowing more room for your legs while you slid across that massive sill, and into the seat. I can think of about a dozen modern sports cars that could use this very feature. I have a feeling that modern safety requirements would prevent it. But really, who ever had fun with safety? Harrumph!

A Stutz! A rarity these days, and soon to be topic here on The Automotive Philosopher!

The detail of the spare alone is worth the cost of entry to get behind the wheel of one of these!

My chin hit the floor when I saw this car! A 1930-32 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300, I think! There were no placards on this car, and I’m basing this on my meager knowledge of Alfa’s. It looks every bit the car though! Given what happened in Italy in the late ‘30s, just about anything pre-war pertaining to automobiles is VERY rare!

Check out the double spare’s mounted on the rear, intended to help balance the chassis. Remember, this is the early ‘30s!

The interior’s all business. No frills. Get in, and drive!

Huge brakes for the period!

Another Stutz, even larger than the last!

The Front profile of this car is just massive. Check out the little art-deco markings on the bumper brackets…

A Packard touring sedan. THE mass produced luxury car of its day.

Of course there were a few new cars scattered about by various sponsors, chiefly a local dealership, Continental Imports. This Maserati GT is an amazing beast. Really, with a $127K price tag putting it in the company of the Corvette ZR1, BMW M6, and even several Porsche models, this things a bargain. I mean, look at the bleeding thing! It’s Italian!

The visual impact doesn’t stop at the front. The rear of the car is just as, well, right.

The oldest car at the show was this 1904 Cadillac. With a single cylinder engine, I’m thinking that this historic sculpture came to the show on the back of a trailer. It’s a shame that we move so fast these days, that our automotive heritage is now relegated to side streets, and parks when it comes to motoring.

A ’26 Lincoln saloon.

Now, THAT’s a Deusy! A Deusenberg, that is. I can’t even venture as to what the purchase cost, let alone the restoration cost, of this beauty would be.

A Rolls Royce Phantom I. Strangely, I see a strong figurative similarity to today’s RR Phantom. When you compare the proportions of this car to the proportions of other car’s of its day, today’s Phantom is a good evolution of greatness. Can’t say enough good about this car.

The RR grill, and Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament. Bet you didn’t know that THE Rolls Royce mascot had a name!

This is the car that I came to see. A unicorn of sorts. THE 1936 Bentley 4 ½ litre sports touring.

This car is/was the epitome of high powered sports touring. A 100mph car. May not sound like much today, but there are cars on the road right now that WISH they could do 100mph!

The attention to detail in components as mundane as the lever action shock absorbers/dampeners is amazing.

A true British hot-rod. THE British hot-rod.   

Yeah, that’s the gas tank mounted where a bumper would normally be found. So what! In the 1920’s this was a 100mph car! There was little chance of you getting rear ended with that kind of speed! This car just reeks of brute force, and it’s total lack of regard for rear impact safety or frivolous design is a tribute to proper motoring!

Now, don’t go getting all excited by this car! I was really a bit surprised that they let it in as it’s technically a kit car. You see, this Deusenberg is actually a modern Chevrolet truck chassis with a replica Deusenberg SC body mounted on it. It’s powered by a GM 5.7/350ci V8, and requisite Gm automatic transmission. Not a bad execution, but it’s still a faker in my book!

The steering column is from a 1970s Cadillac. The interior is impressive enough, but it’s the little details (sloppy) that give it away. There are companies out there that build replicars that are spot on to the real thing. This isn’t one of them!

 A beautiful Bentley DHC. Those curves are really something.

 Bentleys always had a slightly more rounded off snoot when compared to their Rolls Royce brethren. Not bad at all!

A very interesting Jaguar MkII 3.4 litre. Another British rocket ship. Ever bit as relevant on the road today, as anything coming off a current assembly line. This car is quick! This example’s a bit rough, a REAL driver. The marker lights on the tops of the front fenders, long lost, have been replaced with tiny little LED lights. I love it! Whatever it takes to keep it original, and on the road!

The styling for the last generation S-Type is an evolution of this design.

The dashboard of this car is my all time favorite. REAL wood! A combination of birds-eye maple and figured mahogany. The oxblood interior really sets things off with the wood, and pale grey paint.

Lots of curvature going on back here…

Next up, from a brand that is no more. A Mercury Turnpike Cruiser. Look at this monster! Perhaps if Mercury still built cars like these, they’d still be in business!

A fairly rare, if not obscure car, the Studebaker doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves! This 1964 Studebaker GT Hawk is really something else!

By no means a an underachiever performance wise, the rather formal body betrays its sporting nature!

The rear of the Studebaker is really very complex. Take a careful look at the sheet metal, trim, and general details. Amazing!

The Chrysler Imperial of the 1950’s was Chrysler’s flagship product. A truly gorgeous automobile with many European styling cues. It is said that the current model Chrysler 300’s styling is a homage to this very vehicle. If that’s the case, the current 300 doesn’t do its heritage justice! It’s not a bad car, but again, the original iteration is just so much better!

And now for something completely different! I can only imagine what the boys at Velorex were thinking then they came up with this little critter. “I’ve got an idea! Let’s take apart the swing-set and use all the pipes to make a car chassis! Yeah! We can then cover the pipes with a bit of leather to save some time and money on sheet metal! OOO! Let’s also use a 350cc Jawa motorcycle engine to power it too!” Well, the conversation (I’m sure) was far more exciting, but the final product, less than easy on the eyes! Eastern Europe had a knack for turning out some of the most bizarre vehicles ever. The Velorex served its purpose as cheap transportation for a people recovering from the ravages of WWII. Styling be damned!

It doesn’t get any better in the interior!

Yes, there was a ’59 Caddy. You simply can’t have an auto show without a ’59 Cadillac. The icon of a once great American automotive tradition.

And yet another Cadillac. This one at the other end of the spectrum. A 1964 Cadillac Miller Meteor combination hearse. This vehicle was intended to serve double duty as both a hearse and an ambulance. Back in the day, funeral home owners earned a bit of extra income contracting their vehicles as ambulances in their down time. There’s nothing I don’t like about a Cadillac ambulance!

This sucker is LONG!

The rear panels are removable, exposing more glass area for Ambulance duty. When all else fails, if the patient your carrying doesn’t make it, slap the panels back on, and off to the bone yard with them!

An amazing Buick Barrelback woody sedan. None of those cheezy wood grain stickers here. That’s solid timber!

A Buick Roadmaster “woody” wagon. The best of both worlds! Beautiful automotive styling/engineering AND carpentry! I love this car!

Next up is a ’49 Chrysler Town and Country. It boggles me that they would take this great name, and today, apply it to a mini-van! UGH! The wood and color combination of this vehicle is very striking.

A ’63 Austin Mini-Cooper 1275cc. Mini’s are fantastic little vehicles. I’ll be doing a post on the mini very soon.

The engine bay of the mini with its minuscule engine. Due to it s layout, the radiator, about the size of a cereal box is mounted at the end of the engine, along the left fender!

The rear of the Mini. Form follows function!

Another obscure car that you may have never heard of. An Intermeccanica Italia! The idea here was to take a sublimely styled and engineered Italian chassis and body, and slam a HUGE American engine under the hood to provide motive power.

The interior is a study in functionality. No wood or frills. Necessary gauges, a steering wheel, gear lever, and pedals. Two minimalist seats as well!

The epitome of sports car design, the venerable Jaguar XKE! There aren’t words to describe how beautiful of a machine this really is!

At first glance, there isn’t much going on here, but look at the proportion of the curves, and the minimal application of chrome.

These are more like the frames of a fine pair of glasses rather than headlamp covers! See how it follows the contours of the body perfectly, rather than cut through them as in modern cars?

Next is a vehicle that I never thought I’d see her in Illinois. A vintage Ferrari 250GT. This car harkens from an era when Ferrari, rather than making red wedges, made vehicles that are heartbreakingly beautiful. The Modern equivalent of this car, today, would probably be Ferrari’s 612 Scaglietti.

The color scheme of the British racing green lower body, and the very pail light green roof. Notice the 1000 Miglia decal in the rear windscreen. A tribute to the Mille Miglia (1000 mile) race for which this car would be a great contender!

The interior is a typical Italian high performance office. 

The treatment of the rear is really rather understated. Something that I feel Ferrari has strayed away from a bit…

A vehicle you’ve probably never heard of, the Allard. Recipe: Take one rigid, light weight English body and chassis and add on HUGE American V8, and smile.

The interior of this vehicle is dominated by an interesting art decoish steering wheel and engine turned aluminum dash.

That’s one wild paintjob!

Another example of Anglo-Italian collaberation would be the DeTomaso Pantera. An ubber light weight, tubular frame chassis motivated by a huge Ford engine.

I was a bit shocked at how far forward the engine is mounted. Honestly, this has to make for hell like heat being transferred into the cabin. In looking at this photo, I can’t help but think that something’s missing from this engine bay. Look, the blinkin thing’s empty!

This particular Ford Mustang Mach I coupe is owned by a former colleague and her husband. This is one of the finest examples of this particular model of Mustang that I have seen to date! Much of the styling of the current 2010 Mustang finds its roots in this very vehicle.

No surprise to see a lump of a V8 under the hood. 

The rear ¾ view of the body really brings out the Mach 1’s proportions of a long wheelbase with a long hood, and a rearward set cabin, and accompanying longish rear overhang. Almost English in it’s proportions.

I have always found this to be the darned cutest Triumph ever built. The TR3. Really the rather ungainly proportions of the rather thick forward body, followed by the sharp dip of the door cutouts, and curvaceous rear fenders make one just smile.

A 1959 Cadillac, by comparison is nearly double this vehicle’s length! Take notice of the single lug, “knock off” wire wheels.

A typically austere English sports car interior. No need for frills as you should have your eyes on the road anyway! 

A bit of a controversial vehicle, the Porsche 914 was Porsche’s entry level vehicle. The reason for the controversy was due to the radical departure from Porsche’s house styling language. Also, the liberal usage of VW components in the way of switchgear, and interior fitments. For those in the know, this is a classic car bargain, and an absolute joy to drive. The drive train with its origins in the VW air cooled family make this a super cheap classic to keep running, and parts are very plentiful.

This particular model has the removable targa panel top.

One of my favorite MGs of all time, and the Late Great Skunkle’s last classic car, the MG TD was the epitome of English sporting cars in its day.

Notice the badge bar mounted in front of the grill. I love that detail! A place for you to “hang” medallions indicative of your affiliations and interests. I particularly l love the vintage AAA (triple A) badge to the left, and the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) badge in the lower center.

A very tidy engine bay, indicative of a careful, high quality restoration.

The nicest TD interior I’ve seen!

Well, that Just about covers the 2010 Oakbrook Mall Father's Day Classic Automobile Show! Again, with the hundreds of cars at this show, I tried to capture vehicles of some significance and general interest.  A few of these vehicles are indeed locally owned, and I plan to track down the owners so as to get some insight into these fantastic examples of rolling art, their care, maintenance, and what attracted them to their vehicle of choice. Should be a fun adventure in and of itself!

Happy Motoring!

Chest can hardly contain his excitement...