Show Report
Special Americana International
Prestwold Airfield, Near Loughborough. July 11 – 13
A
mericana has historically been way more than just a car show; it’s more of a
lifestyle show, something reflected everywhere you look, from themed clothing
stalls, onsite pin striping (ensuring you and your car look the part) to live
music stages and all the foods from all over the world. Throw in a wall of
death, zorbing, prospecting folk in period clothing and a bespoke dance floor in
front of each stage, and you’ve got yourself a memorable weekend. This was
Americana’s first year at its new venue Prestwold, and despite some murmurings
of the location being too spread out, and signage being too sparse, looking at
it positively, it means the show now has scope to grow at the new location, encouraging even more
visitors from further afield, with its proximity to the M1. Sadly, poor weather
conditions may have kept some of the ‘fair weather’ fans at bay, but it needn’t
have, as despite a tiny spell of rain and it being a little overcast on the
Sunday morning, the rest of the weekend was warm and sunny, with a cooling breeze.
A mericana has historically been way
more than just a car show
One
huge advantage with the extra space was the ability to drive from arena to
arena, meaning motor heads actually got to see some automotive sights and
sounds, and people could ‘legally’ ride in the backs of their friend’s
pick-ups, which let’s be honest, everyone loves to do. It also meant the two
outdoor stages had a ‘drive-in’ feel, as tail gates and benches were utilised
and giving convertible owners the best seats in the house. So the show kept
changing as people drove around the site finding cars similar to their own to
park next to; it was interesting to note that certain cars seemed to come in
‘signature’ colors; so inevitably there was more than one pink Cadillac, red
’65 Mustang, or white Thunderbird on the field, sometimes in close proximity to
one another. There were plenty of modified vehicles on site to excite fans, and
a certain John D’ Agostino (of Celebrity Kustoms fame) had been invited over
from the States to help judge and pick ‘his’ car of the show, which
unsurprisingly was a sublime, but heavily modified Plymouth Belvedere owned by
Richard Jackson. Not a door handle in sight and a mirror finish to every panel!
So inevitably there was more than one
pink Cadillac, red ’65 Mustang, or white Thunderbird on the field, sometimes in
close proximity to one another
On
the note of celebrity customs, Scooby Doo made an appearance in the Mystery
Machine, as did Captain America, played this time by Paul Allera, with his 2001
Ram Magnum Sport, representing AACI and their well known hospitality trailer.
As ever, the A-Team were on hand, as was Bumblebee, KITT, the General Lee and
the king of cool’s Highland Green ‘68 Mustang. Stand out cars were John Waplingtons 1954 Desoto, which
had covered a mere 30,000 miles from new and has only been in the UK for five
weeks, (and had been treated to some delicate pin striping by Sweet Jane,) and
Paul Dransfield’s oh-so-useable looking Model A Coupe, which, after picking up a
Judge’s award, went over to be treated to some pin striping too! Gary and Sandy
looked suitably cool in their ’56 Mercury Monterey, spotted in many locations
around the show ground, and, Cary and Anne with their faultless ’66 Straight
Six Mustang, sporting twin pipes, sumptuous paint and ‘hour- to-clean’, wire
wheels. Alongside the occasional burble of a V8 were of course the star turns,
so whether you’re a boot-scooter or a lindy-hopper, there was an act or stage
for you. Noteworthy were The Hayriders, who even with broken guitar strings and
a comically derogatory compere, got the crowd to their feet and showed just
what can be done with a double bass. If you needed time to cool down, and you’d
had your fill of TexMex, Fried Chicken, Twist a Chip or even Gourmet Popcorn,
then there were plenty of stalls selling ‘Retro Millinery’ or ‘Kustom Clothing’
all with evocative names like ‘Dolly Cool’ and ‘Cheeky Tiki’.
Stand out cars were John Waplingtons
1954 Desoto, which had covered a mere 30,000 miles from new and has only been
in the UK for five weeks
Proving
this was the definition of a family show, were the stunning array of Motor
Homes/RVs/Day Vans, with them having their own judging category and plenty of
space to sprawl. My favourite on the Sunday being an Airstream Argosy, in almost
a too subtle brown/cream color scheme. To summarise, if you like cowboy hats,
boots, denim, plaid shirts, fins, chrome, pick-ups, flags, dancing, Hershey bars
and soda, then Americana is for you. Roll on next year and let’s fill all that
extra space that’s been supplied.
