What was the first car show you went to, or drove your Charger to?

[DixieRestoParts]

In my case they were one in the same. The day after my Senior (uneventful) prom, I drove from Etowah, TN. to Charlotte, NC. in my '69 Charger R/T, 4-spd, with 3.91's in place of the factory 3.54's. Riding on 14" American slots with G60-14 Tiger Paws in the rear.

While digging through some old photo's tonight I found some pics from the show. It was the MMCI show at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in May of 1983. I remember getting up early (5am?) and picking up my best friend and driving to the show approximately 5 hours away. The gas gauge didn't work, so I estimated 10mpg and pulled over every 190 miles. I didn't run out of gas that way. I think I put a couple of quarts of oil in round trip. My hometown was/is Chevy central. I never heard anything positive about Mopars, even when I put a butt whoopin' on their cars. Advice from the local parts stores was non existent if it wasn't a 350 Chevy. This show was the first car show I ever went to, drove to, and was all Mopar. I was in heaven! I saw so many cool cars. I got to take my car around the track! It was great. I heard lots of stories from older guys that I realize now were total BS, but at 17 years old, I ate them up. LOL. I got back really late that night. I followed a local guy with a Superbird and he would gun it going through the mountains to try and keep me awake. LOL. My buddy had decided to ride with him on the way back. I remember playing the music master 2.5 watt AM/FM radio as loud as I could to keep me awake! Cod coolers wide open, that's the floor vents for the uninitiated. It worked, but there were a few close calls. That was in the days before cell phones, and I only had a little cash. I can't imagine letting my kid take a 5 hour trip like that today. I'd be a nervous wreck. I was totally hooked on Mopars from that point on. I ordered the video of the event while stationed in Germany in the Army from 5 star productions. I was thrilled to see my car for a few seconds on the VHS tape. I still have it!

I paid for a photo of my car from the track photographer, but they didn't take one. So, they sent me a photo of the local Charlotte Mopar club's cars and an aerial view of the track. LOL. I just posted them in the memorabilia section of Moparts, if anyone is interested. I don't think they've been out of the envelope more than a few times in the 30+ years I've had them.

So, what stories do you have from your first show?

[Mopar Nut]

World of Wheels Car Show in Washington DC at the DC Armory and Carlisle car show. It's been around 25 to 30 years ago so I don't remember which one was first.

[myk]

The first "official" car show/cruise the Charger and I went to was Crusin' Grand in Escondido California:

http://www.cruisingrand.com/

Years before that we were hitting the street racing scene every weekend in the 90's, when that was all the rage.

Don't really have any stories from either venue; my car is never special enough to warrant much attention, good, bad or otherwise, and I absolutely refuse to street race it so most people leave us alone...

[UH60L]

Fly in, Cruise in, Steam in.  2004.  It was held in the WWII era blimp hanger in Tillamook Oregon.  Airplanes, old cars, and a steam engine train you could go for a ride on, talk about a bunch of kids in a candy store (and that was just the grown-ups!).

It was one of those things you look back on and think "what the heck was I thinking!".  I only had the car a short time, and it really wasn't completely road worthy yet, drove it from Salem to Tillamook in the rain with 3 different types of tires and crappy brakes, with the wife and kids too.

Fortunately the car ran great and a good time was had by all. 

Unfortunately that air museum is leaving the old blimp hanger and moving to Madras.  I liked making a day of it, hitting the air museum and then getting ice cream at the cheese factory....

[4cruzin]

MOPAR Nationals 1995

Bought the car in 1982 in high school . . . First car.  Drove it for about 1 1/2 years and threw a wrist pin in number 6 cylinder and blew smoke badly . . . . So I parked it in my moms garage for about 10 years since I was a punk kid and certainly didn't know much about cars let alone MOPAR's!  After the 10 years and some growing up . . . I finally decided to restore the car, rebuild the engine and did!  Car was finished in 1994 and I decided to go to the MOPAR Nationals in 1995!  I had never been and was anxious to go to the first show with my car . . . . It was amazing!   Just saw all the pictures I took the other day . . . . If you were there, good chance I have a photo of your car!  lol

[John_Kunkel]

First show for my '70 R/T was the old Mopar Marauders show in Andrews Park, Vacaville, CA circa 1989.

[odcics2]

Errr.... they didn't have shows and swap meets when I drove from MoTown to Darlington, SC for the Southern 500 in 1974.   

[DixieRestoParts]

Good stuff guys !

[1carcrazyguy]

First one to drive the Charger to....Chryslers in the Canyon 2013....just over a week ago.    The best part was my dad driving the Dart and having my brothers cars there also. It was the first time we have had the cars out, together!    One of my brothers, had not had his car out in about 9 years. So it was really nice for all of us to be there and have a good time together!!! Can't wait to make the trip back up and do it again!

First car show I ever went to....can't remember ever not going to a car show. So I guess I was to young to remember the first one.

[Ghoste]

The first show with the Charger I have now was just a local one put on by a car club here in town.  The first show I took "a" Charger to was the Mopar Nationals in 83.  The first car show I attended in "a" Charger was the first Mopar Nats.

[twodko]

My first show was in early 2011 in Calistoga, Ca. Our car also took its first trophy at that show. We met The "fromthehunt" family there as well.

[RIDELIKEHELL]

Bothwell Ontario this past July took top theme vehicle 66-70

[Mopar4me]

St. Cloud's Pantowner's annual car show back in 1992.

[bill440rt]

I was too young to remember my first car show, but I remember riding shotgun with my dad in his '57 T-bird.

First car show I attended with my '68 was back in 1987 or so. It was at the Liberty State Park car show held in Jersey City. Overlooking the park was the NYC skyline, including the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center.   

[Dmichels]

About 2 months ago. Joe's Steak Shop Tuesday Night Cruise Phillipsburg NJ. Very informal but nicely run. Good food, music, cars. I parked and walked around with the wife looking at all the cars all years styles and makes. As I was walking back it was so cool to see people checking out my car.
Dave

[myk]

About 2 months ago. Joe's Steak Shop Tuesday Night Cruise Phillipsburg NJ. Very informal but nicely run. Good food, music, cars. I parked and walked around with the wife looking at all the cars all years styles and makes. As I was walking back it was so cool to see people checking out my car.
Dave

I get really self-conscious when I see other people, especially car people checking out my car.  I "want" people to check it out, but I don't want to be there as they're doing it, lol...

[doctor4766]

My first car show with my Charger was a few years ago, just after I got the car licensed.
One of my mates is in the local Corvette club, and they were having their annual show.
He'd mentioned to his club that I had this Charger and they made a special invitation to me to bring it along, even though every other car there was either a 'vette or some other kind of GM vehicle.
Anyhow, at the end of the day I was awarded a trophy for best US Muscle resto, which is kinda wierd since my car is in no way original. Not original color, inside or out, not original drive train etc etc etc, although I've tried hard to make it all look like it had come from the factory that way.
GM guys huh?

[TPR]

Just the other day:

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,105596.0.html

TPR

[67440chrg]

I think the first car show I ever went to was around 1981. It was the Darrel Starberds world of wheels. And yes there was a general lee there.

[Road Dog]

First show I drove my car to was in May 1987. It was a Mopar show in Raleigh, NC at David O'Neal Chrysler ,Plymouth dealership.

[Lord Warlock]

First car show attended was the Hershey PA antique car show I attended with my dad when i was about 12 yrs old, after that I attended many shows while living in VA.  I intended to take the charger to the street machine nationals in 1979, even bought tickets for it, but then couldn't get off work that weekend and had to miss it.  Charger has never attended a show...yet.  Maybe one day.  

[Cooter]

Musta been back around 82. Riding with pop in his "Boss Hogg" 1968 cadillac convert.Charger didn't come till about 87..

[FC7 V code]

First one I ever attended with the 70 Charger was the 1985 St. Ignace MI Auto Show. I went with my Dad and Uncle who were piloting a 48 Nash Ambassador and 55 Cadillac respectively. Both of those still reside in the garage but by this stage they both could use a little(or a lot of )work. Both my Father and my Uncle passed away in the early 90's and I pretty much quit car shows until my Wife,Son and Daughter finally talked me into letting them take the AAR to one about 3 years ago. I didn't even go but they had a great time. They did another one early the next Summer with the AAR and they finally got me to go to one later that Summer. Now we tend to go as often as we can and attend probably 10 local ones a summer plus a number of cruise nights. It is kind of a family thing and often my Son or Daughter bring friends to ride in the cars.  

[69chargerboy]

I do not have a exciting story... It was quite boring. At least I was in good company.... except for that ugly Ford next to me  

[68RT440]

Ive been to a lot of local car shows growing up, but my first real away from home car show was the '98 Mopar Nats with my dad. I was 15, and had just convinced him to buy a Charger for us to drive around and work on together. He was all Chevy growing up, so it took some heavy convincing. We bought our '68 R/T in May of '98, so we decided to go to the Nationals to see what it was all about, and to look for some parts. We didn't take the Charger down, but since it was 1998, the '68 Charger was the feature for that year, and my dad and I can still picture the rainbow of '68 Chargers that were sitting in the grass to the left of the track. Weve been back every year since, and have started attending Carlisle about 5 years ago as well.
The first and only time that we took the Charger to the Mopar Nationals was 2005. I was 22 years old and was attending WyoTech in PA. Pops and I loaded up the Charger and drove the 3 hour trip to Columbus from Cleveland. He insisted that I drive, because we had never taken the Charger on a road trip before, and since I was the mechanic in the family, and had just put the heads back on from porting them as a school project, pops thought that it would be better if I was behind the wheel..lol It was about 98 degrees that whole weekend, the car is black with dark green interior, no A/C, and manual brakes and steering, and we had an awesome time. The Charger is now on a rotisserie and Im restoring it from the ground up, and already looking forward to pops and I making the trip to the Nats, and Carlisle...