Chicago, Illinois – Often referred to as “Mc-Ack-En” thanks to its MCACN acronym, the annual Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals is one of the top show car events for classic car aficionados. And thanks to our pal Tommy Dupree with the Summit Racing Motorsports Dept., we were there on the scene, snapping photos of everything we could.
Take a scroll through the photos below, and if you’re near Sweet Home Chicago next fall, this is a show that’s definitely worth checking out.
***
Since the show literally has “Corvette” in its name, we were treated to a jaw dropping mix of ‘Vettes. First up is a tribute to the iconic Owens Corning Corvette race cars from the late 1960s. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Perhaps even more famous than the Owens Corning Corvettes were the “Stars & Stripes” Stingrays from the same era. This is the actual car driven by folks like Don Yenko, Robert R. Johnson, John Greendyke, Dick Smothers, and John Greenwood at LeMans and Sebring, and is still campaigning on the vintage circuit today. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Or if you prefer to keep your Corvettes on the street, this is a super rare 1969 Stingray that’s carrying the race-bred L-88 powerplant. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Equally impressive is this 1972 Corvette wearing the LT-1 package. Don’t let the hood fool you, the LT-1 features a high performance version of the 350 small block, yet the taller manifold demanded the extra clearance afforded by the big block hood. Learn more about the C3 Corvette Stingray generation here. (Image/OnAllCylinders)With all the hubbub surrounding the high performance Corvettes from the 1960s and 1970s, we LOVE seeing original small block 1967 Sting Rays that haven’t been turned in Stinger Hood 427 clones. And yeah, you can learn more about C2 Sting Ray Corvettes here too. (Image/OnAllCylinders)We alluded to Don Yenko earlier, and there were a few really good examples of his handiwork at the show too, starting with this 1969 Nova. (Image/OnAllCylinders)A year later in 1970, Yenko unveiled a limited run of “Deuce” Novas fitted with the aforementioned LT-1 small block—easily spotted thanks to its special rear fender graphics. We’ve got a detailed history on Don Yenko you can see here. (Image/OnAllCylinders)A contemporary to Yenko Super Cars was the Baldwin-Motion dealership/speed shop partnership from New York. Supplied with cars from the Baldwin Chevrolet dealership, Motion Performance released a handful of special high performance models, including the fearsome 454-powered Phase III Camaros of the early 1970s. (Image/OnAllCylinders)But Motion applied its magic to more unique models too—like this tribute to the legendary Chevy Mako Shark II concept that inspired the C3 Corvette. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Speaking of being inspired by the 1962 Mako Shark II, this is one of the two prototype XP-833 Pontiac Banshee sports cars known to exist. This unfathomably rare concept from 1964 was the brainchild of John DeLorean, who hoped to bring a European-inspired sports car to the Pontiac showroom. Sadly, GM brass feared it would cannibalize sales of the Corvette and it never entered production. What’s even more interesting is that this specific car was powered by the unique overhead cam I6 engine. Read all about that Pontiac OHC six here. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Parked nearby was another fascinating chapter in Pontiac history: one of the two Fitch Firebirds. This car was also fitted with the OHC six engine, and then sent to racer and builder John Fitch. Fitch was charged with developing a GT package for the car and fitted the F-body with a series of unique upgrades, notably the air intakes at the rear, the front grille, and chin spoiler. Unfortunately, GM never approved the package for production. (Image/OnAllCylinders)In stark contrast to that tidy Pontiac inline six was the massive 428ci V8 that powered full size cars like this 1967 2+2. Pontiac would later resurrect the 2+2 name for its G-body NASCAR homologation special during the 1980s. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Equally not small is the 455ci Buick V8 in this four-speed equipped 1970 Buick GS Stage 1. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Much like its GM cousins had done with the Heavy Chevy Chevelle and Pontiac GT-37, Oldsmobile launched a budget-priced A-body musclecar in 1970: the Olds Cutlass Rallye 350. Among other updates, it featured special hood ducts, a unique paint/sticker package, and a 350ci Oldsmobile V8. (Image/OnAllCylinders)The El Camino that could have been? Note the steering wheel location here: This is an Australian market Holden Ute, derived from the LS-powered Holden Commodore. We got its sedan form in the states via the Chevy SS and Pontiac G8. (Image/OnAllCylinders)One of the Summit Racing Videographers has an alarming obsession with the Buick Reatta, so we felt obligated to snap a pic of this one. We admit, it’s aged really well. (Image/OnAllCylinders)OK, enough GM. And enough muscle cars…for the moment. This unmistakable paint scheme immediately tells us this is the Stroppe Bronco that campaigned in famous events like the Baja 1,000 back in early days of off-road racing. (Image/OnAllCylinders)On the subject of incredibly famous Ford Broncos, right here is Rod Hall’s Baja 1,000 winning race truck. Summit Racing built a Rod Hall tribute Bronco a while back, and you can learn all about that Bronco project here. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Yup. This isn’t a kit car. This is a real 1965 Ford GT-40 mk1. *Chef’s Kiss* (Image/OnAllCylinders)We’ve talked about Yenko and Baldwin-Motion, so we’d be remiss not to mention Carrol Shelby. This one’s real too: a 1965 GT350. (Image/OnAllCylinders)And this is a stunningly accurate tribute to the fierce Shelby GT500 road car. (Image/OnAllCylinders)One of the most smile-inducing displays we came across at the show was a lineup of Ford Mustang King Cobras in EVERY color Ford offered. If you’re as big a fan of these cars as we are, you may enjoy this: The 1978 Ford Mustang King Cobra was a Nice Goodbye Hiss from the Mustang II (Image/OnAllCylinders)This one’s really interesting, it’s a 1969 Intermeccanica Ford-Italia. Intermeccanica was an Italian company that wanted to build sports cars using American parts, specifically for the North American market. Under the beautiful hand-built steel body rests a 302 Ford V8. Sadly, the company couldn’t respond to the changing safety and emissions rules that came about in the 1970s, and Intermeccanica left the American market in 1974. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Of course, if you like pure-bred Italian sports cars, this 1962 Ferrari 260 GTO certainly didn’t disappoint. (Image/OnAllCylinders)You don’t see many Cyclone Spoilers around, so this one made us grin. If these cars are your jam too (specifically the Spoiler “II”), you’ll definitely want to read this: 200 MPH & Street Legal: Check Out This 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II That’s a Regular at Bonneville (Image/OnAllCylinders)Kenosha, Wisconsin is just up the road from Chicago, so there were plenty of choice AMCs at the show too, like this delightful Javelin Trans Am. (Image/OnAllCylinders)We’re big fans of the Gremlin X already, but a 360ci V8 and side pipes made this one’s inclusion here mandatory. (Image/OnAllCylinders)We will never not photograph a “Vanishing Point” Challenger. (Image/OnAllCylinders)…And if you can’t immediately identify this Mopar movie car, note the empty bag of M&Ms on the dash. Yes, this was the actual car used in the film too. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Mopars had a massive footprint at the show, and with the High Impact colors, they were all tough to miss. (Image/OnAllCylinders)We spotted this rare Challenger T/A nearby too. This was Dodge’s homologation special produced to compete in the Trans Am race series, and is similar—though distinct—from the AAR ‘Cuda from Plymouth. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Obligatory.(Image/OnAllCylinders)
Paul is the editor of OnAllCylinders. When he's not writing, you'll probably find him fixing oil leaks in a Jeep CJ-5 or roof leaks in an old Corvette ragtop. Thanks to a penchant for vintage Honda motorcycles, he spends the rest of his time fiddling with carburetors and cleaning chain lube off his left pant leg.
Comments