Chipman & Taylor: Car Show and Stuff Blog.

The summer is a great time for the classic car. Sure spring and fall are good and all, but in the spring, people are still finishing up their last touches on their projects, and in the fall the classics are just finished with a good summers worth of use and are most likely not looking their best.

In the early to mid summer the best side of classic cars comes out and I have to say I love going out and visiting the local car shows and seeing what has been worked up over the winter. One of these such events that I anticipated this year was the Chimpan & Taylor car show in Pullman Washington, my hometown. This place is a college town in the middle of a farming community which in my opinion is on of the best combinations for the preservation and showcasing of the classic car.

There is a university to feed the pockets of bored professors, and fuel the restoration of barn finds, but also there is an older community of people that grew up in the muscle car era that love to come to these shows and relive the glory days when drag racing down Grand Avenue was the best thing to do on a Saturday Night. This car show in particular is in my opinion one of, if not the best on the Palouse, I overheard a number in the range of 125 cars on the complex for the car show, and have to admit I didn't have the time to take in the details I would have liked of all the cars there.

Now in all reality I feel like this was an overcrowded, almost unprofessionally put on show but none the less I was there for the cars, not to speculate on how the cars could have been shown better. One thing for sure is that this was a family event, there were free hotdogs, a truck bed full of trophies for different categories of cars and live music. The magical combo for any small town large car show.

So as I post more on the Pumps I wanted to showcase from, keep in mind I wanted to show projects that were something unique, that I haven't covered on Pumps and that also had a high level of finish so until the wait for the first post is over, watch a video on how to Drift, something I enjoy watching very much and have been though at least three times.

Joshua Sewell

Instagram: josh_sewell_photo

Corvair 140: Dogwood Show and Shine

The Chevrolet Corvair is a pump that many mistake for a Camaro. Living under a name like that did no good for the sales of the Corvair. These cars were not only commonly mistaken for their higher up but also they were constantly misunderstood.

Many people looked at the Corvair and saw a smaller more affordable Camaro, but were they ever so wrong with what this car really was. This Corvair, with correct tire pressure and maintenance, was rival only to the Porsche 911 and fiat 500 abarth.

To the surprise of to many, the engine of this car was located in the trunk. When Camaro drivers would place their smuggled goods in the trunk of their rig, easily assumed as the stashing place for recreational goods by the local PD.

These Corvair drivers, took the next step in penitentiary avoidance and put their "golf clubs" up front where everyone assumed the engine was.

Knowing that Chevrolet had this in mind and kept the American public in check with their own built in anti-pen specific features, this gives a better understanding of what the company was really shooting for with this car, they left the high class Corvette and Camaro driving citizens hanging while giving the little guy a break. interesting more Chevy, interesting

This type of thing is what makes or breaks a company. Chevrolet took the common problem of getting caught with goods in the trunk and kept their loyal costumers loyal by watching their back and loving them, when they needed it most.

And while digging deeper it seems they were not only looking out for their costumer but they were looking out for themselves because in reality how much of the economy back in the sixties was boosted by the import, export, and transportation of recreationals. Not that I'm trying to relate Chevrolet to the drug problems of north America, but its hard to think they weren't thinking about this at least a little bit when designing this car.

so here is it, the one thing that this car has that took costumers from state pen parties to penthouse parties, from the slums, to still-houses, and from orange soda to Orange-Cardamom Madeleines, the rear mounted engine of the Chevrolet Corvair.

Joshua Sewell
Instagram: josh_sewell_photo

Pumped: Monster 'Maro

The Camaro was one of the original muscle cars. With some hiccups in its past I defiantly think it has come full circle and holds true to its muscular roots even in its modern form.. this brings the second section on Air Pumps called "Pumped" a small peak of a rad ride I come across in the wild.

This beast is oozing with character, it's rare to find a modern car with so much personality. Like it or not, this pump makes an impact on its viewers. 

I believe the theme the owner was going for is a Landshark or Bigfoot.. or a bobcat or a cougar. Not really sure but I think it is some sort of land going fang sporting animal... as can be seen in the lower grill.. Menacing isn't it?

Adding to the animal theme the wheel nut spikes elude to some sort of claws... Hinting further to a Bobcat or Cougar. The Incurve wheels are on point with the theme. 

Any way you look at is this Camaro makes an impact. And maybe the owner isn't trying to resemble any kind of already known animal, maybe he's trying to show the Camaro for what he believes it to be a small vicious animal that eats mustangs... 

One thing I don't like about winter is literally all the road going cars are dirty, but in this particular case I feel it only ads to the breathtaking personality this car has. I'm waiting for the day I stumble across the owner and get a date for a more in depth shoot. 

Joshua Sewell

Instagram: josh_sewell_photo

*(Photos shot with an iPhone 4s)