This past weekend I was excited to have the opportunity to attend the 2021 Knoxville NSRA Street Rod Nationals South car show with ScottieDTV. This was its 47th year running and we were blessed with beautiful weather in typically rainy springtime. I heard there were over 1,000 cars registered and even more showed up to attend. People enthusiastically flocked to the area to view the amazing array of cars and enjoy the lovely day. The show had vendors of all types, custom builders, car parts, insurance, barbecue, and some seriously good snow cones. There was something for everyone. The NSRA even provided a mobile mechanic in case anyone had issues with their car after arriving at the show.
Scottie and I walked many miles making sure we didn’t pass any car by. We found some amazing builds, really detailed graphics, and a lot of serious horsepower. Some of the highlights for me were a ’55 Cameo, a ’32 Ford, a VW bus with groovy graphics, a ’68 GMC Step Side, a ’48 Bentley, and a ’53 Nash Pink Panther theme with metallic flake paint and ghost graphics. A neat thing about outdoor shows is that things are always changing and there are new surprises around every corner as cars come and go. Every time we made a loop around there were new cars to see. I had a good time talking to owners and builders to see what their motivation was behind each build. One thing I look for is unique, natural shots that are not staged, like the black mirror finish on the GTX having a great reflection of the street rod parked next to it.
I am happy to see car shows back in full swing again and people of all ages getting out to enjoy the show. There is nothing more American than barbecue, hot rods, and car shows.