AMSOIL Shines at "Back to the Fifties"

There were cars galore at the 35th annual MN Street Rodder Association's Back to the Fifties event in St. Paul this past weekend. The gathering was the endpoint in Street Rodder's Road Tour which passed through Superior, WI last week.

AMSOIL CFO John Hosler described the scene like this: "At the show you can see everything from pristine frame off restored trailer queens to down & dirty rat rods – from survivors to drivers to brands which have unfortunately gone away like Auburn, Studebaker, Oldsmobile, Willys, Henry J., Hudson, Simpson, Packard, etc. – sedans to rags to woodies. They were all there, 11,693 of them in fact." More than 60,000 people per day came to pay homage to these vintage cars and the memories they foster.

It was a special delight to have Jo Coddington on hand for the duration, a classic car enthusiast in her own right. Jo rode in Jerry Dixey's lead car for the part of leg three of the Road Tour and was delighted to see so many familiar faces and enthusiastic youth getting introduced to the rodder scene.

For those car collectors whose rides don’t fit into MSRA there is the Minnesota Street Machine Association (MSMA) featuring muscle cars and cars of the 60s & beyond in conjunction with Car Craft magazine another sizable show at State Fairgrounds in July.

Click on the images to enjoy them at full size.

It's a Happening!

The AMSOIL sponsored 2008 PPG Street Rodder Road Tour slipped into town tonight, and whoa, were there cars to see or what! The word on the street was that the street rodders were a-comin' and that local car clubs were busy with spit and polish for the shindig. The AMSOIL Center parking lot became a full fledged car show.

In case you missed it, here are some images to give you a taste of tonight's spice. The festivities began at 5:30 for those who were in the road tour. The public had been invited from 6:30 - 8:00 but a lot of folks got here early to put their pride and joy into the choicest spots on the asphalt. Like more than two hours early! And a good thing, too, because there were more than 400 cars on hand, along with countless rodder fans checking things out.

A lot of old timers had flashbacks looking at the cool cars from a 1927 Model T to some rather hip muscle cars, rat rods, and everything in between. It was a full color spectrum and a spectacle rolled into one.

Add to the mix an absolutely perfect day, cloudless sky and sunshine, a little Fifties rock 'n roll, and celebrities like Jo Coddington and Jerry Dixey. A pinch of sass and local media coverage made it a kick. If you got to be part of it, we're glad you were here. Thanks to all who helped make it happen.

Click on photos to enjoy at full size.

Street Rodder Road Tour Coming To Town

For a lot of folks, it’s like Christmas in summer. Wednesday night, June 18, the Street Rodder Road Tour will be making its last stop before heading to the Minnesota Street Rod Association’s Back to the Fifties event in St Paul. We’re currently anticipating 28 cars and a contingent of local street rodding enthusiasts. This leg of the Tour which originated in Bowling Green, Kentucky, currently has 22 vehicles making the whole trip, but six more will be joining soon. That’s how road tours go, with enthusiasts hopping aboard along the way.

A special feature of this stop will be the presence of Jo Coddington, wife of the late Boyd Coddington, one of street rodding’s most influential builders and centerpiece of American Hot Rod. Jo will be joining Road Tour Director Jerry Dixey in the lead car for the last segment of this journey.

June 18 Agenda
The agenda here on Wednesday is for the Road Tourians to arrive at AMSOIL Center after checking in at their hotel. From 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. we’ll have suitable street rod music blaring and vendors on hand if you need a bite to eat or something to quench your thirst. And of course there will be the cars, which is what it's all about. Happily, the weather appears to be promising. Local car clubs and the public have been invited to view the cars on the tarmac inside Gate A at the AMSOIL Center.

Evidently there’s a lot of buzz out on the street. Anyone wishing to join the parade of classic cars on Thursday’s day trip to St. Paul is more than welcome. We’ll be gathering again in the morning at the AMSOIL Center to head south at approximately 8:30 a.m. If you’re planning to drive Back to the Fifties, be sure to double check the start time when visiting Wednesday eve.

Are We Having Fun Yet?

As summertime approaches, the opportunitites to be part of an AMSOIL sponsored event almost seem to be stacking on top of one another. It is a very exciting year with head turning thrills wherever you look.

Next weekend the NSRA will gather in Springfield, Missouri for the Mid-America Street Rod Nationals at the Missouri Entertainment and Event Center. This is the 25th year of the annual event, which is noted as the city's largest vintage car show. Fans of these wonderfully cool old-time cars can see them live from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday thru Sunday, May 23-25.

I know a few off road truck enthusiasts who would probably give their eye teeth to be part of the Top Truck Challenge in Hollister, California the first week of June. There will be a lot of shredded metal and other carnage again this year, no doubt, as the editors and publishers of Four Wheeler magazine dream up new ways to put equipment to the test. More info on that will follow soon.

A little later in June the Street Rodder Road Tour will be passing through Superior and stopping at the World AMSOIL Center the evening of June 18. The public is invited to see these classic cars from 6:30 till 8:00. (We'd party till midnight, but the drivers will have just finished a long day's trek and out of courtesy we'll let them check in to their hotels and get some rest.)

Those who have followed the tour in Street Scene and Street Rodder magazines will know that columnist Jerry Dixey drives the lead car. It's a lot of work putting these road tours together, but Jerry loves all the great people he's met along the way. This is your opportunity to meet him in person.

For the record, anyone interested in joining the parade of vintage street rods on Thursday as they head to St. Paul can meet us at the AMSOIL Center at 8:30 a.m. The word on the street is that Jo Coddington, co-star of the American Hot Rod TV show, will be along for the ride.

And if it is racing you're after, be sure to check out the AMSOIL Racing Blog. There's a lot of racing going on this time of year, and it keeps our racing manage Jeremy Meyer pretty busy with his fingers on the pulse of all of it. Check it out. It's a fun read.

In the meantime, take a deep and let's plunge forward. The best is yet to come.

Visit the AMSOIL website for more information on AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants.

Classic Automobilia Tour Goes Back to the 5o's

It won’t be long till summer is here.... the season of boating, picnics and classic car shows. This year AMSOIL has become an official sponsor of the Street Rodder / PPG Road Tour. It is especially exciting to note that the third leg of the Road Tour will wind its way up to Superior, WI where we can put our newly renovated AMSOIL Center on display. The destination for leg three will be the 35th gathering of the Minnesota Street Rod Association’s Back to the Fifties event, coincidentally coinciding with our own 35th Anniversary celebration year. For 35 years AMSOIL has been delivering the power of synthetics, and what better way to tell the story.

Beginning in Bowling Green, Kentucky, these classic street rods will detour through Youngstown and Cleveland in Ohio, make a fast break up through Michigan and the U.P. to weave through the Great Lakes on their way to AMSOIL where local car enthusiasts will gather to greet this hardy breed of road warriors.

Details:
~ All local car enthusiasts are welcome to join the festivities Wednesday evening June 18 and then cruise with the Road Tour to St. Paul’s Back to the 50’s on Thursday morning, June 19th.
~ This year’s Back to the Fifties weekend will probably break last year’s attendance record of 11,532 registered vehicles.
~ You can follow the Tour at www.streetrodderweb.com, watch the pages of Street Rodder and Street Scene Magazines, or call the Road Tour hotline at 1-800-664-1362 for all the latest updates.