Saturday, May 23, 2009

Car Buff Of The Year

This year HotKarz is going to try something new. From among all the good folks who are a part of our hobby, we will choose Car Buff of the Year. Anyone may nominate an individual whom they think is most deserving, based upon factors such as character, friendliness, contribution to the world of Car Nuts and any of the other qualities we like to find in folks.

The winner will be honored at a local cruise-in, and will be the recipient of a special award. There may even be cake.

To nominate a person as Car Buff of the Year, simply send me an email with your nominee's name. HotKarz will choose one person from among the nominees, and a date will be set to make the presentation, which will be advertised here.

So, send me your nomiation to ptwoodycrew@aol.com , ASAP, so we can get this show on the road...

Just make sure you type CAR BUFF OF THE YEAR along with the nominee's name, so I do not confuse it with a vote for Best of the Best awards.

Bill

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Best of the Best - Shows

A few folks have asked if we know yet which shows we will be attending this year. Seems they want to attend the same ones whenever possible in an effort to win one of the trophies in the HotKarz Best of the Best contest. Fair enough - folks like to be able to schedule their calendar.

Now please do not hold me to the following schedule - it is tentative, depending on factors such as weather, other obligations, etc. But these are the shows we THINK we will be attending:

American Legion, Naples ME (5/24)
PureAdrenalineMotorsportsNH in Center Harbor, NH (5/30)
Edward Little School (formerly Auburn WalMart) Auburn ME (6/7)
Bayleys, Scarborough ME (6/20)
Hodgmans, New Gloucester ME (6/21)
Either Searsport or Rumford ME (7/11)
Acton ME (7/19)
Gorham Lions Club Gorham ME (7/25)
Belgrade (7/26)
Sanford Summah Days, Sanford ME (7/31)
Parsonsfield Seminary (8/1)
Oxford ME (8/2)
Kiwanis Beach, Standish ME (8/8)
Telstar, Bethel ME (8/15)
Moose Festival, Canaan VT (8/29)
Vineyard Church,(9/5)
Shaws Ridge, Sanford ME (9/6)
Windham Boosters, Windham ME (9/13)
OOB ME (9/19)
*Windham ME (9/26)
*Durham ME (9/27)

(*) Depending on weather, we hope to announce the winners and award the trophies at one of these last two shows. The last show for qualifying will be OOB, to allow folks time to vote before the awards are announced the following weekend.

This schedule, though a tough one to follow, should provide an opportunity for all to vie for Best of the Best.

Though we have not yet received the info on them, we also expect to attend the Boy Scout show in Stratham, NH, and if they have it, the Foster's Daily Democrat Show in NH. Also a possibility of the Kiwanis Show, Concord NH.

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Cruises & Stuff

Gibby (Two Trails Diner, rt 25 Standish) stopped at the house today to inform me that the cruises at Two Trails will resume on Wednesday, June 3. He also let me know the Kiwanis Beach show in Standish will be held on August 8. More info on that to follow.

The new cruise-in at Ray's (used to be Don's) in Hollis is this evening. Unfortunately, my wife and I cannot make it this week.

According to Allison Romeo of PineTree Academy, there will be no Casco Bay Car Show at the Academy this year. Too bad - it was a good show. No explanation given, although last year they did mention they were looking for someone else to take it over. I guess thast did not pan out.

Got my new wheel, got it painted and Dick Fritz was good enough to get it mounted with a new trim ring to boot. Looks like new.

Here are a couple of pix of what Maine potholes can do to a solid steel wheel...

So far, 142 votes have been cast for the BEST OF THE BEST contest.

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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Bad Penny

A few months ago I mentioned that, because of the myopic mindset of politicians, we would see another Senator propose yet another edition of the "Cash For Clunkers" bill.

Hang on to your hats - word has it that Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill plans on reintroducing that bill.

Just so you know...

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Monday, May 18, 2009

Naples

I understand there is expected to be a pretty good show at Mount Vernon this weekend. However, for us, Mount Vernon is 1.75 hors, while Naples is only 45 minutes. So....

Guess I will be spending Sunday in Naples. 26 classes. Breakfast. BBQ. Bar opens at noon. Lotsa room.

For those of you who may endeavor to go to the Naples show, but are coming from a ways off, it is my understanding that decent accommodations are available at www.alyssasmotel.com. Just tell Alan & Robin that we sent ya. Who knows - they might cut you a break. (On the other hand, they might charge you more :o)

Still awaiting my new smoothie wheel, to replace the one damaged by a huge Kezar Falls pothole. Perhaps it will show up in time for me to get it painted, clear coated and mounted by this weekend. Hope so! Getting tired of pumping air into it.

If anyone reading this happens to see or get hold of Polly Van Herten, please have her get in touch with me or Robin at 637-2238 (we no longer have the old number). Gotta talk to her. Thanks!

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Apology

Well, Frank says I misinterpreted his fine letter, and that is entirely posdsible. He says he agrees about Special Interest, and giving due respect to all classes. I agree. And I apologize if I misread his letter.

Frank thinks I should be more tactful, or politically correct - that you catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar, and that he was only being facetious. I understand, and he may very well be correct. If we want changes in how classes are acknowledged or respected, we need to use tact and bring lots of sugar.

But that is not my job. Make no mistake about this: I have never been tactful, nor politically correct, and at my age I don't see that changing one iota.

All I can do is point out the disparities, and try to get everyone to at least acknowledge that classes should be understood and respected. I may not be tactful about it. And perhaps it seems like I'm swinging a 2x4 when I should be bringing roses. But that simply is not me. I will leave such intracacies to others. As for me, I simply speak my mind, and I try to be straightforward so no one mistakes where I stand. I will bring forth the information that folks can use for themselves to either ignore or stand and be counted. And the folks can then use their own tact, if they wish, and bring their own sugar to try and convince organizers and friends.

So, to make a long story short:

I acknowledge that each class has a specific definition. And I believe show organizers and participants have an obligation to learn them, and use them properly and fairly. And when it is apparent that is not happening, my job is to point it out.

But it is not my job to actually CHANGE it. That is the job of the organizers and participants. That is your job. If you notice that organizers or other participants are not adhering to the definitions, and are not "playing fair", then speak up. Let organizers know how you feel, and why. Let violators know how you feel, and why. If enough people - you - do that, then the changes will eventually be made and everyone will benefit.

And if you choose to just ignore it, then that, too, is your choice. Again, all I can do is point things out, and provide all of you with a forum for getting things done if that is what you want to do.

I liken this to how things are in our government these days. We have a lousy, ineffective and wasteful government. We would like it to be better. And there are folks like Glenn Beck or other journalists who try hard to point out how we, the people, can change things. But Beck cannot change them - only we can do that. If we sit on our butts and do nothing, then nothing changes, and our government gets worse, instead of better.

In other words, I can put out the call to arms, like Paul Revere. But if no one shows up on the green to fight the good fight, it is all for naught.

Frank, dear friend, if I misread your letter, please accept my apology. But please do not hold your breath waiting for me to be tactful. It will not happen in this lifetime :o)

Meanwhile, another commenter was "disappointed" because I did not specifically mention his car (out of several hundred). I had said "of 13 vehicles, only 5 could remotely be considered Special Interest". That I failed to specifically mention that his car was one of the 5 seems to have offended him. I guess he did not notice I did not specifically mention ANY of the 5 that were legitimately in the class, so why would I need to mention his in particular?

So, let it be known: I apologize to all several hundred participants whose vehicles I did not mention by name.

As for you, my fine, anonymous friend, yes - your all electric car is special interest. As was the Monte pace car, the military jeep and a couple others. Please don't allow your persecution complex to get the best of you - I just do not understand why you are "disappointed" because I did not highlight your vehicle, when I did not highlight any others, either. I try not to personalize things when I find problems.

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Dear Frank

Another post concerning Special Interest, from our beloved Frank. This is the HotKarz response to your fine letter.

While your diligence in finding definitions for each of the words in Special Interest is laudable, those definitions have little, if anything to do with the combination term. In the English language, when two words are coupled to form a term, the term, itself, will often have its own, distinct definition apart from those words that make the term. For example, "Street Rod". If you look up the definition of "street" (a public road in a town or city; esp. a paved thoroughfare with sidewalks and buildings along one or both sides), and the definition of "rod" (a long thin implement made of metal or wood; any rod-shaped bacterium; a linear measure of 16.5 feet; a square rod of land; a visual receptor cell that is sensitive to dim light; a gangster's pistol ), it will not have any relevance to the term Street Rod. After all, Frank, your own vehicle, a street rod, is not a paved roadway, nor is it a stick or a mobsters weapon, nor a measurement of land. Hence, it is not a sticky Smith & Wesson road 16.5 feet long.

The term "Special Interest" has already been defined, as far as car shows are concerned, just as "Street Rods" have been defined. You can call a 1955 Custom Chevy a "Street Rod" because you drive it on the street, and it is a hot rod. But it is NOT a Street Rod by the definition of the term, because Street Rods end in 1948.

So, just because a vehicle may claim someone's attention (Interest), and may be of a particular nature (Special), it does not make the vehicle Special Interest. What makes it Special interest is whether or not it meets the definition of Special+Interest, just as a vehicle is not a Street Rod unless it meets the definition of Street+Rod.

A Street Rod is properly defined as "A motor vehicle, or a reproduction thereof, with a model year of 1948 or older which has been materially altered or modified by the removal, addition or substitution of essential parts and with a gross weight or registered gross weight of not more than 9,000 pounds." Therefore, a vehicle is NOT a Street Rod if it weighs more than 9,000 pounds, or is newer than 1948, or has not been materially altered.

By the same token, Special Interest has its own proper definition as "a vehicle uniquely distinguishable from the usual, and/or designed for a particular purpose, such as a race car, military vehicle or bus, or built to a specific and unusual theme, either of which would generate interest because of its uniqueness or specialty function." Therefore, a vehicle is NOT Special Interest if it is not uniquely distinguishable from the usual, or is not designed for a specific purpose, or is not designed around a specific and unusual theme. As with Street Rods not being a matter of "taste", or "opinion", neither is Special Interest a matter of taste or opinion. There is a set, predetermined criterion for EVERY car class.

Yes, everyone has a right to think a vehicle has a special interest for them. But that does not make the vehicle Special Interest, any more than a person thinking a '55 Chevy is a street rod would actually make it so.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. But classes are not opinions - they are predetermined by definition, not opinion. Classes cannot be left to interpretation because to do so would create chaos - anyone could register anywhere. A '96 Caddy could register in Street Rods, and a '67 Mustang could register in Hot Rods,simply because someone thinks of those in that fashion.

One more time: Special Interest is a bonafide class, with a bonafide definition, just like any other class. If a vehicle does not fit the definition, regardless of a person's opinion, then it does not belong in the class. Period.

Frank, you would be the first to holler if a vehicle from the '50's or '60's were to register in Street Rods. In fact, I have an earlier letter from you a couple years ago expressing your strong concern about vehicles inappropriately registered in Street Rods. At that time, you were the one who provided me with the technical definition of Street Rod.

Well, we all need to give every class the same respect - even Special Interest.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

"Interest"

We have a new "Pic of the Week". There is no question about the class...

A reader commented that as far as Special Interest is concerned, "interest is in the eye of the beholder".

With all due respect, frankly, that is not the issue. The class has a legitimate, accepted definition, and that definition goes beyond mere "interest". I quoted the definition earlier. And any vehicle that is not UNIQUE, and/or with a specific theme or unusual purpose is not Special Interest. To be Special Interest the vehicle must have a special interest. Something unique and unusual (like TowMater), or themed (like a decked out "stars & stripes" limo), or unusual specific purpose (like an armed WWII Army jeep or antique firetruck).

I simply cannot figure out what is so difficult to understand about that. Or how anyone can simply accept allowing a class to be violated, as long as it is not their class. Anyone with a Mustang would scream bloody murder if I entered my PT Woody in their class. And anyone with a 55-57 Chevy would holler like crazy if Jim Peacock put his Satellite in their class. Well, it is no different for folks who truly are Special Interest - it is just plain wrong to put anything in that class that does not fit the definition, and those who are Special Interest have just as much right to gripe about infringement as does a Mustang owner, or a '50's Custom owner.

I feel sorry for anyone who does not understand that, or who believes a double standard is just fine, as long as THEY are not the victim of it.

And it is even more difficult to understand when, in fact, show organizers could very easily solve the disparity by incorporating an OPEN class, for all those vehicles that do not belong in any other class. By simply doing that, they can preserve the integrity of EVERY class.

The American Legion in Naples, whose show is coming up this weekend, understands. They do have an Open Class for orphans (and 25 other classes). I hope that means Special Interest will not be populated by vehicles that do not fit the definition.

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Bonny Eagle

The Best of the Best pix for Bonny Eagle are up - check 'em out; cast yer vote!


As is often the case with the Bonny Eagle show, it started out WET! But quite a few intrepid souls spent hours getting soaked just for the chance to show their rides.

Nowhere near as big as last year, partly because of the weather, it was still a good show. It is still a great deal of walking, however, since the categories are split up between the two school grounds.

The only major shortcomings including a missing class (Mopars, which usually draws a couple dozen) and with the lack of class enforcement (there were several Jeeps, but only one registered in the Jeep class). And of 13 vehicles in Special Interest, only 5 could actually be considered as even remotely of special interest - the other 8 were stock, off-th-showroom floor models or ordinary vehicles.

A suggeswtuion for Bonny Eagle organizers - if your show is going to attract so many "orphans" that do not actually BELONG in a class, perhaps you should consider including an Orphan Class, or an Open Class, so all those vehicles that do not fit in any other class can competer amongst themselves, without treating other classes unfairly by inserting them where they do not belong.

I really hate to harp on this, buit for the benefit of show organizers, please note:

Special Interest is an actual class. It is not a catch-all for anything and everything. Just as the Mustang class should only include MUSTANGS, Special Interest should only include vehicles with a SPECIAL INTEREST. It is not a place for stock vehicles, or newer vehicles you do not have a class for. It simply is not fair to other owners to toss orphans into classes where they do not belong.

For the record, here is the actual definition of Special Interest:

"Special Interest - a vehicle uniquely distinguishable from the usual, and/or designed for a particular purpose, such as a race car, military vehicle or bus, or built to a specific and unusual theme, either of which would generate interest because of its uniqueness or specialty function". Stock vehicles of newer vintage are neither unique nor do they have a specialty function. Nor are older cars from the '30's or '40's, unless there is something UNIQUE about them. Being old does not make a vehicle Special Interest.

If a vehicle does not fit that description, it should not be allowed to register in Special Interest. Period.

In the case of Bonny Eagle, several of the stock vehicles that incorrectly were allowed to register as Special Interest did, indeed, have legitimate classes to register in. A newer Ford Fusion, a newer Cadillac, and a newer Dodge Magnum all could have, and SHOULD have, registered in the 90's to present. They did not have a chance in Special Interest (unfair to them), and the vehicles that really were Special Interest may also have suffered (also unfair to them).

By having an Orphan or Open class, you make it possible for ANY vehicle to compete fairly.

Still and all, it was a great show, and a fun time. If only the weather had been more accommodating...

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