Auto Plaza
I was going to drive up Downtown Plaza earlier today but it was blocked off. There were a bunch of classic cars, or things that looked like classic cars. A few really were. The rest were 'rods of one sort or another.
There were a bunch I simply did not recognize, and not all had the little window note saying just what they were. Many were things that had an old style shape, but a flame paint job and way too much chrome. There were at least three Bel Aires' (all robin's egg blue or close - as if they didn't come in any other color). Some were listed as '37 Chevy or '38 Ford, but with automatic transmissions? Come on. That's a retrofit, and not a right one. The left & right buttons or such I can forgive - safety and keeping up with the laws, but I saw way too many "old cars" with silly plexisglass PRNDL indicators on the steering column. Don't tell me someone who can restore or rebuild a car can't drive a stick. One or two, I might believe, but so many? Erf.
Not all the cars were screwed up like that. The vehicles from the 1960s would have automatics, at least the land yachts I saw. And there were two cars that were about right, as far as I could tell.
One was a '57 Chevy. I think this still had the 4-on-the-floor as many seem to consider the '57 Chevy a peak of automotive style and would not dare risk the wrath of others if they modified one.
The other was a 1960 Rolls Royce (must be nice to have money...) It looked as if it had simply been kept up (which would be no surprise at all) and had no real changes. Yes, Phar, it was right-hand drive. With a manual transmission from what it looked like - but the control was on the steering column, like an automatic. It was not a 'three on the tree' as it had a gear '4'. Whoever owns it has a sense of humor, too. In back, there's a tray table (yes, like on an airplane) and it was down. On this tray was a plush hot dog and a real jar of Grey Poupon.
ADDENDUM: The thing was put on by a "Street Rod" group.. so one can't expect authenticity, but it's still jarring and feels wrong to see things modified in such silly ways.