It is not a deep dark secret that we love going to car shows and already look forward to the 2025 season.
What is less known is the Indiana Jones factor at a car show because a little-known hazard exists for us at a typical event.
Jim Sutherland
The danger occurs when we are distracted by a vehicle and focus a little too hard on it during an interview with its owner or taking pictures of the retro ride. One could provide a strong argument that a photo shoot may be the most likely moment when an Indiana Jones-level misadventure may be on our horizon. The difference is we might get run down by a car instead of a giant round boulder.
Photo shoots at many car shows are a tough task because we need to find a vantage point with optimum access to a good shot but the tight parking at several events means we have very limited options for the perfect (or loose interpretation of perfect) photo.
Consequently, we are forced into a situation where we need to keep a close eye on moving vehicles while we take the shot. Our running joke is “At least I will get run over by a classic at a car show”. The burning question is which classic would help ease the pain of a lengthy hospital stay? The real answer is exactly none, but here are five of our hypothetical choices.
We have chosen five vintage vehicles that would theoretically (very theoretically to be accurate) dull the pain of any highly unfortunate situation where they ran us over. Important note: we have never-nor will we ever-have any plan to get run over by any vehicle from any era, but we will plow ahead with our quintet of 4-wheeled assassins.
The first vehicle on our list is the Isetta, a bizarre little micro car built by several European car manufacturers between 1953 and 1961.
Isettas were tiny, underpowered and very slow, with a large flat front end that doubled as a door, so the chances of survival without shattered bones were more likely if an Isetta ran into one of us at a car show. We really like those odds.
The odds would get much grimmer with our second choice, namely the 1957 Buick Roadmaster, a large-and-in-charge road beast that tipped the scales at slightly over 2 tons.
A ’57 Buick Roadmaster was capable of freeway speeds, but its sheer size means it would be a killer even when idling through a car show. Think of yourself as a gentle speed bump for the Roadmaster and you get the picture.
Our third choice would be a 1963 Corvette Sting Ray because its unique front end would lend itself to less fatal outcomes with pedestrians at car shows-if they were adults and went over the fiberglass hood instead of under the ‘Vette.
The pedestrians would likely require massive orthopedic surgery below their knees, but at least they would survive the car show encounter.
MyStarCollectorCar’s fourth choice for a car show collision vehicle would be a classic Volkswagen Beetle, the ones with their engines in the trunk and nothing under the hood.
A vintage Bug is less likely to squash car show attendees and provides a nice landing zone with its curved hood, the one with no engine under it.
Our fifth and final addition is any resto mod with a loud engine transplant, be it a big bock gas or diesel monster engine swap. Car guys make the beefier new engines breathe easier, typically through headers and an unchecked exhaust system.
The net result is a loud presence at a car show, an ear-splitting noise that show attendees will notice before they even see the vehicle.
Even us here at MyStarCollectorCar.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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