Inside the building the Hollywood Hot Rods–built ’40 Ford tour coupe was on display for everyone to see. This year’s ride has been popular wherever we have had a chance to show it off.
Our first stop of the Aeromotive...
Our first stop of the Aeromotive Tour was at the National Corvette Museum. The museum has undergone a recent expansion and is filled with treasures that tell the Corvette story.
For many years the official fuel systems sponsor of the AMSOIL/STREET RODDER Road Tour has been and still is Aeromotive. Their background originated in the drag racing and high-performance end of our automotive hobby. With the growth in popularity of street rods and street machines, Aeromotive took their years of experience on the track and applied that knowledge to that new and growing market.
With the Vintage Air Road Tour ending at the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and the huge Back to the 50’s event in St. Paul, Minnesota, the following weekend, Aeromotive suggested we have a Road Tour through the Kansas City area on our way to St. Paul. Their headquarters in the Kansas City suburb of Lenexa, Kansas, was the perfect place to hold a big get-together and with that the Aeromotive Road Tour was set.
The Aeromotive Tour got off to a great start on the Sunday following the Hot Rod Reunion. There were almost 40 vehicles registered for the second leg of the AMSOIL/ STREET RODDER series. Our first drivers’ meeting of the week took place at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bowling Green. It was then a short drive to the National Corvette Museum. The museum has gone through a recent expansion and pays tribute to the history and heritage of that popular marquee. Significant Corvettes from the past are featured and the Hall of Fame salutes the people who were instrumental in the history of the Corvette. It was a good way to kick off a week on the road as we traveled to the Back to the 50’s event in St. Paul.
Our lunch stop was in Evansville,...
Our lunch stop was in Evansville, IN. These folks are members of the Road Knights Club in Evansville who showed up to welcome us to their city. It is always fun on our travels to meet local street rodders.
By 10 a.m. we were headed to our lunch stop in Evansville, Indiana. We were greeted at the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant in Evansville by members of the Road Knights Car Club. Arrangements had been made with club President Norris Grey to have a welcoming party meet us at the restaurant. The club members helped us with parking and we were all given dash plaques from their monthly cruise that is held at the restaurant on the first Sunday of every month. Many thanks to Norris and the members of the Road Knights for the great greeting in Evansville.
It was a three-hour drive to our evening destination of St Charles, Missouri. After checking in to our hotel on the banks of the Missouri River some folks cleaned their cars and others walked down to the casino on the river to enjoy some dinner and to try their luck.
Monday morning in St. Charles,...
Monday morning in St. Charles, MO, we got our first history lesson of the tour at the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center. Lewis and Clark were the original Road Tourians, and they were definitely hard-core.
It was a great start for day two on the Aeromotive Road Tour. After our daily drivers’ meeting we drove a short distance to our first history lesson. In 1804 Lewis and Clark and their men set out from the banks of the Missouri River in St. Charles to begin one of the greatest adventures in our nation’s history. They crossed unexplored territory as they traveled to the Pacific Ocean. It’s an amazing story and it was told very well at the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center. Everyone enjoyed learning more about the Lewis and Clark saga.
By 10 a.m. it was time for us to head west. The folks at Aeromotive were planning a big get-together at their headquarters in Lenexa, and we were going to be guests of honor. It was a very windy four-hour drive across I-70 and we arrived at our hotel with just enough time to check in and head to Aeromotive in nearby Lenexa.
Monday afternoon we were special...
Monday afternoon we were special guests at a huge get-together at Aeromotive. They’re the official fuel system sponsor of the Road Tour and have been for many years.
We arrived at 4 p.m. and there were already folks parked in anticipation of the show. There were tents set up and barbecue was on the grill. By 6 p.m. there were over 350 vehicles filling all of the parking areas and along the streets leading to the Aeromotive offices. The food was great, the country music was fantastic, and everyone had a great time. The folks at Aeromotive went out of their way to make everyone feel welcome at the party. Door prizes were given out at 8 p.m. and day two of the Aeromotive Road Tour was in the history books. Our thanks to everyone at Aeromotive who made this a wonderful evening.
After a great evening at Aeromotive Monday our Tuesday morning drivers’ meeting came early at 7:30 a.m. We went over our plans for the day and we all headed north on I-29 to our destination of Lincoln, Nebraska, the home of Speedway Motors and the Smith Collection of American Speed.
Our official car care company,...
Our official car care company, Surf City Garage, supplied the pizza and the folks at Speedway Motors provided the beverages for our lunch at the Smith collection. Bill Smith’s son, Clay (far right), even pitched in to get everyone served. We even see, Damon Lee (black shirt serving) former Rod & Custom staffer, who has relocated to Nebraska.
It was another windy drive on the interstate and we rolled into Speedway Motors at about 11:30 a.m. We were greeted by Damon Lee and Clay Smith of Speedway Motors and the Smith Collection of American Speed staff. We spent about an hour on the first floor of the four-floor museum. It was then time for some lunch. Surf City Garage, the official car care sponsor of this year’s AMSOIL/STREET RODDER Road Tour made arrangements to buy pizza for all 70 people on the Aeromotive Tour. The folks at Speedway Motors provided the beverages and it was a great lunch. Thanks to Surf City Garage and Speedway Motors for a great lunch and a cool place to enjoy it.
It was then time to explore the rest of the amazing museum. To try to convey the Smith Collection Museum of American Speed to someone who has never been there is next to impossible. We have been fortunate enough to have visited a number of times on past Road Tours but it still overwhelms us every time we visit. The extent of the collection is incredible. From vintage race cars, speed equipment, pedal cars, and Model T accessories to the most exotic high-performance engines anywhere, it is sensory overload wherever you look. We were divided into three groups and the museum staff gave all of us real insight into the stories behind the items on display.
We were greeted at Dakota...
We were greeted at Dakota Digital’s headquarters on Wednesday afternoon with sub sandwiches and cool hats. We were also treated to tours of their facilities. Our Road Tour ’40 is equipped with their new VHX gauge series.
The Dakota Digital folks are...
The Dakota Digital folks are understandably proud of their state-of-the-art production and research and development facilities. They have always been one of the most innovative companies in our industry.
We were invited to the private...
We were invited to the private car collection of Carol and Larry Olson on Wednesday evening. They are standing beside their beautiful Bobby Alloway–built ’63 Corvette that debuted at the 2010 SEMA Show.