1967 Shelby GT350 Mustang.

1967 Shelby GT350 Mustang.

Seeing an authentic Shelby Mustang in the Driver Participation Class is always a reason to get excited. This car has the inboard hi-beams and a 4-speed manual transmission.

This car is one of 1,175 GT350s made that year. The GT350 is actually harder to find than the GT500, (2,048 made).

Power comes from the Shelby modified Ford 289 CID V8 that makes 306 hp.

1966 Pontiac Catalina convertible.

1966 Pontiac Catalina convertible.

The mid-1960s were great times for Pontiac styling. This Catalina convertible is one of 14,837 made that year.

This car features Pontiac's 8-lug wheels.

The Pontiac Catalina convertible finished the last row of DPC cars. Both HPOF and DPC cars fall into the category of Certification Classes. Now I have arrived at the beginning of the Competition Judged Classes.

Depending on the size of the show, not every class may be represented, as was the case today. Since there were no three-wheeled vehicles, WWI-era "High Wheel" vehicles, or electric vehicles on display today, the first judged class was Class 04B: Small Vehicles, 1942 - 1994.

In this context, a "Small Vehicle" is one with a 95" or shorter wheelbase and an overall length of 161" or less. Engines must have 1 - 4 cylinders and be less than 91 cubic inches, and make 50 hp or less.

1949 Crosley CD wagon.

Powell Crosley, Jr. wore a number of hats in the pre-WWII era - radio manufacturer, refrigerator manufacturer, and owner of the Cincinnati Reds MLB team. Crosley added the car business to his repertoire in 1939 when he started building small cars. His first offerings were a 2-passenger coupe and 4-passenger sedan, both of which came with a soft-top. They were later joined by a sport utility, sports car, and the wagon seen in the photos above and below. Want to buy one ? All you had to do was head into one of Crosley's appliance stores where car sales and service were handled.

In the plus column, these cars were tiny, barely 10 feet long and weighing a mere 950 pounds. As expected, they were also dirt cheap, as in starting-at-$299 cheap. And using a 13 hp 2-cylinder to move that 950 pounds resulted in 50 mpg.

But there is a reason why Crosley went under in 1952. Tiny didn't work in a "bigger is better" era. At $ 0.10 per gallon, nobody cared about saving fuel. It was also shown that refrigerator mechanics didn't do nearly as well with automobiles. And though the already awesome 13 hp was later upgraded to the-big-hammer-26.5 hp, this was a bit lacking even by 1950s standards, (zero to 60 mph in around 20 seconds has been reported).

And then there was the D'oh! engineering. "Cable-operated mechanical brakes" sounds fine for my bicycle, but not so much for a passenger car. Driveshaft u-joints were deemed "unnecessary" because a) Engineering believed the "flexible rubber engine mounts" could take care of any vibrations that may be present, and b) Marketing liked the idea that eliminating the u-joints lowered the price of the car.

The mechanical issues were rectified after a few years. But the damage was done. After a peak of just over 28,000 cars sold in 1948, sales took a tumble. Crosley was out of the car business by 1952.

Immediately after its introduction, the 26.5 hp "CoBra" engine, (so named because of its braised copper and sheet steel construction), began developing holes in the cylinder bores as a result of electrolysis.

Class 05D: Motorized Bicycles and Mopeds thru 1994.

Class 05D: Motorized Bicycles and Mopeds thru 1994.

Class 05G: All motor scooters and other two or three-wheeled vehicles with small diameter wheels (excluding Mustang cycles), 1961 - 1993.

1962 Vespa 150.

1962 Vespa 150.

1969 Honda Z50-A.

Class 05H: Motorcycles, 1960 - 1994.

Class 05H: Motorcycles, 1960 - 1994.

1968 Triumph TR6R Trophy.

1968 Triumph TR6R Trophy.

Honda Trail 70. I remember my uncle having a pair of these that my brother and I would ride around his neighborhood when we visited.

Class 09A: Gas Vehicles, single cylinder thru 1912.

1904 Oldsmobile Model 6C "Curved Dash."

1904 Oldsmobile Model 6C "Curved Dash."

The curved-dash Oldsmobile is recognized as the first mass produced car.

Around 19,000 curved dash Oldsmobiles were produced from 1901 - 1907.

The 118 CID single cylinder engine under the seat produced 7 hp which was enough to propel the 850 pound car to a top speed of 20 mph.

1901 Packard Model C.

1901 Packard Model C.

This was the first Packard to use a steering wheel, (everything to that point had utilized tiller-style steering).

The body on this car features one forward-facing seat for the driver and front passenger, and two center-facing rear seats for additional passengers.

If conceptcarz.com is correct, only 81 Model Cs were produced making this car extremely rare.

I like the details of the brakes.

Packard began life in 1899 as the Ohio Automobile Company based in Warren, Ohio. The name was changed to the Packard Motor Car Company in 1902. The following year, the company relocated to Detroit.

Packard is also recognized as one of the first manufacturers to use the modern "H" shifter pattern for the transmission seen in the photo above.

Power comes from a 183 CID single-cylinder engine that makes 12 hp.

Packard single-cylinder engine, 183 CID.

Packard single-cylinder engine, 183 CID.

Class 10A: Ford Model T, Brass radiator, 1909 - 1912.

1911 Ford Model T.

1911 Ford Model T.

The "Tin Lizzie" is widely regarded as the car that put America on wheels. Henry Ford's use of an efficient assembly line kept the cost of the car low. The middle class could afford the car and took advantage of this. By the time the Model T was phased out in 1927, more than 15 million had been produced making it one of the most successful cars of all time.

Power comes from Ford's 177 CID I4 that makes 22 hp.

I like the display of all the original tools !

1911 Ford Model T.