While we were in Las Vegas for the SEMA Show, we made time to stop by the Imperial Palace. Though they are not the newest or the fanciest hotel on Las Vegas Boulevard, they do have a stunning collection of rare and vintage automobiles.
One of the cars that caught my eye was this 1967 Ford Mustang GT500 Fastback, also known as “Eleanor” from the movie Gone in 60 Seconds starring Nicolas Cage.
Okay, I know what you’re thinking: when was the last time you heard the words “Volvo” and “sports car” in the same sentence? Volvos are famous for being some of the safest and most reliable cars on the road, but they’re also quite boring. However, it wasn’t always this way. Volvo did make a sporty little coupe that was introduced back in 1960: the P1800.
The Lincoln Continental has been around for a long time, but I would say that the fourth-generation (1961-1969) Continentals are the ones that come to mind when most people hear the name. The car’s slab-sided design and suicide rear doors are signature design elements that people instantly recognize as “Continental.”
At the Scottsdale Pavilions car show, I ran across a 1968 Lincoln Continental sedan that’s been customized in a pretty cool way. First, the roof has been completely cut off. There is no top at all! That’s a pretty bold move to make, and I like it.
There aren’t many cars on the road that I don’t recognize, but this one totally caught me by surprise at Cars and Coffee. I confess that I don’t know much about mid-century French cars, so I hope you will forgive me for not recognizing this one right away. However, I thought it intriguing enough to take some pictures – and boy, am I glad I did!
As it turns out, this gleaming silver beauty is a Facel Vega HK500. One article I read called it “The best car you’ve never heard of” and after doing some research, I can see why the author made that statement.
My friends and family often ask me why I go to the Scottsdale Pavilions car show so often. “Don’t you get tired of looking at the same cars all the time?” they inquire. While you do see a few of the same cars, it’s different enough to be interesting. You just never know what might roll its way into the Pavilions, and today’s post is a perfect example of what I am talking about.
This car is a 1947 Studebaker Commander Starlight Coupe. I’ve never seen one before and with only 13,299 ever produced (and far less than that surviving today), I doubt I’ll see very many more of these things around.
On the last day of the 2012 SEMA Show, we stuck around to watch the official SEMA cruise. Now in its second year, the cruise is a chance to see many of the cars from the show floor in motion as they exit the convention center. It was absolutely packed with people and difficult to get good photos of the cars because of the cross-traffic. I would have liked for the road to be closed for the cruise; I think this would have made it a lot better.
So without further ado, here are a few of my best photos from the 2012 SEMA Cruise:
