No rental car for me this...
No rental car for me this trip! I got to drive our Senior VP Doug Evans''57 Hardtop to the show. While slightly nerve-wracking in the fact thatif something happened to the car I'd be deader than road kill, drivingthe '57 from our Tampa office to Gainesville was spectacularly awesome!I even blew past a new C6 Corvette. Not sure what surprised people more,the sight of the car, or the fact it was passing them.
I wasn't sure what was more exciting, a chance to get out of the officefor a few days to attend the Super Chevy show, or the opportunity todrive a restomodded '57 hardtop to the event. If the black '57 looksfamiliar, it was a frequent subject of tech stories in various 2006 and2007 issues of Super Chevy. What made the trip a little nerve rackingwas the fact the car belongs to our Senior VP Doug Evans, so ifsomething happened to the car, I'd be moving to Montana and assuming anew name.
Once on the road, my nerves quickly calmed, and I enjoyed the two hourdrive up to Gainesville from our Tampa office. With a hopped up 350,700R-4 and Classic Auto Air A/C, cruising in the '57 was awesome. I'mnot sure what was better, just driving the car or seeing the looks ofstunned BMW and Mercedes owners as I blasted past them at 75 mph onI-75. At one point on the way up, traffic stopped on the highway becauseof an accident, and three different people came up to the car looking itover and giving me the thumbs up.
I remember when you couldn't...
I remember when you couldn't touch one of these in ratty condition forless than $500. Two complete TPI intakes for $150 a piece says a lotabout the aftermarket when it comes to fuel-injection for Chevys. Itused to be a TPI conversion was the only economical way to get FI on aclassic bowtie. The swap meet at the SC Show in Gainesville was loadedwith cool and useful parts just like this.
On the way back after the show ended, I spotted a new black ChallengerR/T cruising sedately ahead of me, and was forced to open up the BarryGrant triple-deuce setup on the 350 and show the Challenger what a realmuscle car looked like. Once I passed, I glanced in the rearview mirrorand saw a turn signal come on and the Challenger change lanes to try andcatch up, but the front grille of the Challenger kept growing smaller.
A late addition to the Super Chevy Show schedule, this year'sGainesville event was packed full of interesting cars and great racingaction. While all the show cars were getting set up and polished for aday in the sun, the dragstrip was firing up with the sounds of nitrocoupes and nasty doorslammers courtesy of the Southern Super StockAssociation. The True Street competitors were going through inspectionsand getting ready for their road test.
EDITOR'S CHOICE TOP 10 SHOW AWARDS
Gary & Debi Deason - Crawfordville, FL - '55 210 Gasser
Jim Hopkins - Beverly Hills, FL - '71 Nova
Michael Lloyd - Callahan, FL - '68 Camaro
Donnie Childers - Tifton, GA - '66 Chevelle
Tom Messer - Gainesville, FL - '67 Camaro
Buddy Burfind - Englewood, FL - '64 Nova
Ralph Hendricks - Jacksonville, FL - '67 Camaro
John Nobles - Callahan, FL - '55 Chevy
Wayne Folin - Willington, FL - '63 Biscayne
Larry Geiger - Callahan, FL - '72 Chevelle
 Gary & Debi Deason - Crawfordville,...  Gary & Debi Deason - Crawfordville, FL - '55 210 Gasser |  Jim Hopkins - Beverly Hills,...  Jim Hopkins - Beverly Hills, FL - '71 Nova |  Michael Lloyd - Callahan,...  Michael Lloyd - Callahan, FL - '68 Camaro |
 Tom Messer - Gainesville,...  Tom Messer - Gainesville, FL - '67 Camaro |  Buddy Burfind - Englewood,...  Buddy Burfind - Englewood, FL - '64 Nova |  Ralph Hendricks - Jacksonville,...  Ralph Hendricks - Jacksonville, FL - '67 Camaro |
EDITOR'S CHOICE TOP 10 DRAG AWARDS
George Emanuel - High Springs, FL - '55 Bel Air 2-door Sedan
Larry Flynn - Lutz, FL - '57 Be lAir Hardtop
Bob Wold - Oxford, FL - '55 210 2-door Sedan
Scott Helms - Crystal Springs, FL - '66 Impala SS
Kevin Cradduck - Murfreesboro, TN - '69 Camaro
Darren Stutts - Green Cove Springs, FL - '57 150 2-door Sedan
Jimmy Gugel - Ocala, FL - '70 Camaro
Ken & Faye Hamilton - Jacksonville, FL - Small-Block-Powered Dragster
Kelly Hicks - St. Augustine, FL - '02 Camaro Pro Mod
Paul Forte - Jacksonville, FL - '69 Camaro
 George Emanuel - High Springs,...  George Emanuel - High Springs, FL - '55 Bel Air 2-door Sedan |  Larry Flynn - Lutz, FL - '57...  Larry Flynn - Lutz, FL - '57 Be lAir Hardtop |  Bob Wold - Oxford, FL - '55...  Bob Wold - Oxford, FL - '55 210 2-door Sedan |
 Scott Helms - Crystal Springs,...  Scott Helms - Crystal Springs, FL - '66 Impala SS |  Kevin Cradduck - Murfreesboro,...  Kevin Cradduck - Murfreesboro, TN - '69 Camaro |  Darren Stutts - Green Cove...  Darren Stutts - Green Cove Springs, FL - '57 150 2-door Sedan |
 Jimmy Gugel - Ocala, FL -...  Jimmy Gugel - Ocala, FL - '70 Camaro |  Ken & Faye Hamilton - Jacksonville,...  Ken & Faye Hamilton - Jacksonville, FL - Small-Block-Powered Dragster |  Kelly Hicks - St. Augustine,...  Kelly Hicks - St. Augustine, FL - '02 Camaro Pro Mod |
 Paul Forte - Jacksonville,...  Paul Forte - Jacksonville, FL - '69 Camaro | | |
TRUE STREET RESULTS
WINNER: Jason Rollins - '71 Nova - 10.182 avg
RUNNER-UP: Kevin Smith - '95 Firebird - 11.647 avg
12-SECOND WINNER: Bud Ehrmann - '69 Camaro - 12.05 avg
13-SECOND WINNER: Larry Mengelkoch - '72 Truck - 13.08 avg
CHECK OUT PAGE TWO FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE 2008 SUPER CHEVY SHOW IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA