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Hot Rods & Classic Cars Meetup — Or, “I’m A Lonely Little Onion In A Petunia Patch”

By David Waterworth of cleantechnica.com

Tess went for a visit to a Classic Car and Hot Rod meetup this morning. I was a little wary about how she would be received, but I know the organizers and they assured me she would be welcome. In a field of muscle cars, Harley-Davidson bikes, and hot rods, she stood out like an onion in a flower bed.

After a slow start, we attracted some interest, and then it was two hours of nonstop questions and dispelling the decades-old FUD surrounding BEVs, explaining the differences between an HEV (hybrid electric vehicle) and a BEV (100% battery electric vehicle). It included telling people over and over again how long it took to charge from a wall plug, a destination charger, and a high-speed charger.

The minimal cost of electricity and lack of a maintenance schedule impressed the cost conscious.

Many people took up my offer to sit in the vehicle and I enjoyed showing them the infotainment system and the toybox. As always, fart mode was a great hit. I had to explain that they couldn’t play the Atari games, watch Netflix, or sing along to karaoke while they were driving. Yet.

It was a great morning, great conversations. I got to visit with the types of cars that I have owned in the past. A GM Holden Kingswood, a Ford Falcon. I even told the organizer how to deal with his generator, which had seized due to being run without oil. I hope my advice worked — I’ll ask him next month when I attend the next meetup.

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History of

By Tom Clark & Don Hutsell

Who goes to a hot dog cookout with no hot dogs? And how did that give rise to a hot rod round up that is widely recognized as one of the top 10 hot rod events in the United States?

For the answer to the above questions, it all began in 1976 when Joe Bailey and myself, Tom Clark, went to a Knoxville street rod association sponsored hot dog cookout totally empty handed. We thought everything was club sponsored. Boy, were we wrong!! So, having no hot dogs to roast, we quietly excused ourselves and went to a Western Sizzlin just a mile or so up the road. Over that meal, Joe and I decided to form a car club in Maryville. We contacted folks that we thought would be interested in a local club in Maryville and our first organizational meeting was held in J. R. Carnes garage.

Joe Bailey, J. R. Carnes, Carl Holmes and Tom Clark attended that first meeting and are still active members 46 years later.

In meetings that followed, we chose the name “Shades of the Past,” Joe Bailey’s idea, and confirmed unanimously by the members. By-laws were approved and we were officially a club.

By 1981, we were ready to host our first rod run. Our first two events were held in Maryville. Both shows were