THE GRAND EXPERIENCE 2002

By Jay S. Kolb

I have been to many old car events, but none have had a more fitting name the "The Grand Experience". What a show it was! Or should I say shows, since there was the Grand Classic on Saturday and The Experience on Sunday.

I arrived at the host hotel Friday afternoon to be greeted by a Pierce-Arrow sedan and a red Chrysler roadster parked in front. Now that’s my kind of hotel. After taking my bags to my room, I departed for the half-hour drive to the Gilmore Museum. I have been there many times before, but the beauty of the grounds is always a welcome site.

Soon after my arrival the cars that were on the tour started to return. Seeing antique cars in static display is very good, but to see and hear them being driven is special. The 2 guys in a red Stutz speedster looked like they had the best time of the group. Later I saw that car with the hood up. It has an impressive intake manifold with 4 carburetors. This owner really knows how to have fun.

The barbecue that evening on the museum grounds, on a whole, was very good. Having to turn in your dinner ticket for a plate that was stacked in the middle of the buffet and then go to the back of the line was confusing. But they ran out of RIBS! That was hard to swallow (pun intended). After some scintillating dinner conversation, I ambled out of the tent to look over the cars that were parked nearby. There were many neat cars including the Stutz mentioned above and a 1932 Stutz DV-32 Convertible Victoria with a Waterhouse body. What a magnificent car! There was a similar car with a Rollston body that was also very nice. Another car that caught my attention was an early ‘20’s Franklin with a "V" windshield. A very interesting car. Its nice to see non-classics mixed in with the full classics.

Saturday dawned sunny and warm, perfect weather for a car show. After the miserable spring we have had in the mid-west, we deserved a great weekend. As the cars started to take their places on the show field, it was hard to know which one to look at first. Unfortunately there are not enough Stutz, Franklin and Marmon cars surviving to make a big enough show alone, but it was a stroke of genius to put them together. Along with all the other full classics this was the place to be. Its rare to see a V 16 Marmon at a show, but there were a half dozen at this show including a maroon and silver convertible coupe that was breathtaking. The Indiana region had a light participation. Cars shown (I hope I don’t miss anybody) were:

Gene Perkins 1934 Packard V 12 1107 Coupe Roadster; Bill Greer 1923 H.C.S. 5 passenger touring and 1926 Stutz AA R.S. coupe; and Gerald Mann with his 1927 Cadillac 314 D/C Phaeton. Club members present without cars were Shawn Miller, Helen Vogel and Bob Titlow, George and B.J. Maley, Howard Clark, and yours truly. Again, hope I didn’t miss anyone.

With over one hundred full classics shown, it was unusual not to find any Cord 810/812’s or Packard Darrens. Two cars that got my attention were a 1937 Alvis Speed 25 roadster with an Offord body and a 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500K roadster with a special Sindelfinglen body without doors. I saw the owner get in and out of the car, it was not easy.

After a full day it was time to head back to the motel to get cleaned up for the evening’s activities. In one corner of the banquet room a martini bar was set up. This consisted of 2 ice sculptures shaped like car radiators. The martini glass was put underneath, the ingrediance were pored in the top, flowed through and out the bottom. Very cool. I however went to the other bar and got a glass of wine.

Soon it was time to find a seat so the auction of art and other things could start. The auctioneer was very entertaining and did a good job of getting that higher bid. I was going to bid on the sculpture by Alex Buchan, but the bidding was quickly out of my price range. I would like to thank the artists and club members who donated items. The auction was followed by a fine dinner, the awards and speeches. The keynote speaker was the Grand Marshal of the Experience, Beverly Rea Kimes. I had a chance to talk to her on Sunday, always a pleasure. It was nice to see her doing so well after some health problems earlier this year.

Sunday was another beautiful day. This time the cars were arranged in the usual "Cercle D’Elegance" area. I got a ride around the grounds in the Gilmore Museums 1928 Lincoln. It was not running too well, bad gas guessed the driver. I also got to ride in Phil Taxman’s 1926 Franklin 11A sedan. That was my first ride in an air-cooled car other than a VW. Thanks Phil.

After another trip through the art tent, all to soon it was time to go. This was truly a magnificent weekend. For those of you who missed it, you missed something special.