red Ferrari GTO

Old Town Car Show, Fort Collins

Despite attending the Old Town Car Show in Fort Collins eight of the last nine years (only missing the 2008 edition), it only occurred last year that maybe I should consider participating in it as opposed to merely spectating. After all, the last auto show I participated in was the Cruise the Gorge event in The Dalles, Oregon, way back in August 2005—and that was more of a parade in which I extemporaneously joined in the fun with the green Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce I was driving at the time. Entering car shows was something I loved to do when I was living in the Bay Area of California, but is something I never did again once moving to Colorado.

Until now. Teeter, my silver 2001 Audi TT Roadster Quattro, is a bona fide iconic design—Audi even fashioned the latest 2016 TT model to look almost exactly like the first generation TT—and most autophiles would probably agree that she is worthy of being at least considered a modern classic.

Thankfully the unusually wet weather that afflicted Colorado in May this year had subsided for the event, and I arrived bright and early to pick out where I wanted to park. Initially I tried parking next to a 1960s Volkswagen Beetle convertible across from a whole row of vintage British sports cars, but then I was informed the a Model A club had reserved those spots and that I would have to move. No problem—I relocated another 100 feet over, in front of Happy Lucky’s Tea House where my friend Olivia works.

Turns out Olivia was not working on this day, but when she received word I was parked right in front of her shop, she walked on over with her dog Bambi. Bambi is something of a YouTube sensation, being a deaf Chihuahua who understands sign language and has garnered more than 144,000 video views at the time of this writing. He even earned enough revenue in ad clicks to pay for several months of his food.

Anyhow, while Bambi was making friends with other dogs, a red Ferrari GTO pulled up to Teeter and parked in an adjacent space. Not bad. In fact, I would say that was my favorite car of the whole show.

Other cars I liked were the usual sporting suspects: Corvettes, Mustangs, and of course, 1950s and 60s two-seat British iron. See the photos below for some of my other favorites.

I even warmed up to a C7 Stingray even though it was painted red in matte, a finish I have normally detest on cars. Actually, I thought it looked fantastic on the new Vette.

I suppose much like entering a car show for the first time in 10 years, it’s ok to think for the first time that a matte finish could actually look good.

silver 2001 Audi TT Roadster Quattro, Happy Lucky'
Teeter, my silver 2001 Audi TT Roadster Quattro in front of Happy Lucky's Tea House at the Old Town Car Show.
white rubber-bumpered MGB roadster with top up, British sports cars, downtown Fort Collins
A white rubber-bumpered MGB roadster with its top up along with other British sports cars in downtown Fort Collins.
Jim Slattenow's grey 1935 Plymouth 4-door
Jim Slattenow's grey 1935 Plymouth 4-door.
Olivia Marks, Bambi the dog
Olivia with her dog Bambi.
black Porsche 914 driving down Walnut Street in downtown Fort Collins
Black Porsche 914 driving down Walnut Street in downtown Fort Collins.
black Chevrolet El Camino with red stripe
A black Chevrolet El Camino with red stripe.
red Dodge Viper, vintage red pickup truck
A red Dodge Viper with a vintage red pickup truck in the background.
red Caterham 7
A red Caterham 7.
brown MGA coupe
A brown MGA coupe.
big furry black dog meets small brown dog
Olivia's dog Bambi makes friends with a furry dog.
red Ferrari GTO
A red Ferrari GTO.
red chopped hot rod coupe with suicide doors
A red, chopped, hot rod coupe with suicide doors.
red 2014 Ford Mustang Boss 302 with white stripe
A red 2014 Ford Mustang Boss 302 with white stripes.
blue chopped hot rod coupe with suicide doors
A blue, chopped, hot rod coupe with suicide doors.
2015 matte red Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe
A matte red 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe. I normally do not like matte paint on cars but this one was a looker.
white 1970s era Corvette Coupe with dark red 2015 Corvette Stingray
A white 1970s era Corvette Coupe with a dark red 2015 Corvette Stingray.
baby blue 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible
A baby blue 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible.
red Oldsmobile 442 convertible
A red Oldsmobile 442 convertible.
white interior of Oldsmobile 442 convertible, monkey hanging off knob
The interior of Oldsmobile 442 convertible with a monkey hanging off a knob.
green vintage Ford pickup truck on tow truck bed
A green vintage Ford pickup truck on a tow truck.
man riding tricycle on coned course at Fort Collins Old Town Car Show
A man riding a tricycle on a coned course at the Old Town Car Show.
blue two-tone vintage tow truck, green vintage Ford pickup truck
A blue two-tone vintage tow truck with a green vintage Ford pickup truck on its bed.
baby blue Austin-Healey 100 with folded windshield
A baby blue Austin-Healey 100 with folded windshield.
engine art, red 1960s Corvette coupe, Nelsen'
Engine art next to a red 1960s Corvette coupe next to Nelsen's Auto Tech Center.
silver Delorean, purple hot rod coupe
A silver Delorean by a purple hot rod coupe at Nelsen's Auto Tech Center.
red Saturn Sky
A red Saturn Sky.
red Triumph TR4
A red Triumph TR4.
salmon-colored 1950s Ford Thunderbird convertible with white top
A salmon-colored 1950s Ford Thunderbird convertible with white top.
red 1960s Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible
A red 1960s Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible.
blue second-generation Corvette convertible
A blue blue second-generation Corvette convertible.
silver 2001 Audi TT Roadster Quattro, red Ferrari GTO
My silver 2001 Audi TT Roadster Quattro next to a red Ferrari GTO.
2015 Old Town Car Show dashboard plaque
A dashboard plaque for the 2015 Old Town Car Show given to participants.