Beautiful autumn weather and a few hundred of the most unusual vintage cars you can find anywhere: Is there a more enjoyable way to spend a Sunday? Here’s our report from the annual Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show in Riverside Park.
Here’s a sad but indisputable fact about the automotive world: Thousands of car companies have been founded since the industry began, but only a handful survive. All the lapsed and discontinued makes over the decades, from Auburn to Zimmerman, are soon forgotten by the world at large, but to car enthusiasts and historians, they are cherished and admired. Gearheads call these dead-ended automotive brands “orphans,” and every year at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti, Michigan, the orphans get their very own car show. The New York Times, no less, has described the Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show as the finest event of its kind.
Unlike many old car events, the Ypsi Orphan Show is constantly evolving, because the list of discontinued automotive makes keeps on growing. In recent years we’ve seen Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Mercury, and other storied brands join the orphan ranks, and this year’s featured marque was Plymouth, the once-popular brand marketed by Chrysler from 1928 to 2001. The big Plymouth display at the front of the field was filled with exceptional vehicles, including:
+ An immaculately turned out 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird in Lemon Twist, a special High Impact Color for Plymouth that year. Owned and restored by Bob Glaspie, the ‘Bird was selected by show judges as their favorite car in the category.
+ A 1963 Valiant Signet 200 convertible, rare enough in itself, but this one was an exotic Canadian model, wearing Valiant sheet metal from the cowl forward and Dodge Dart bodywork aft. Terry and Marge Metcalf from St. Thomas, Ontario own the rare Plodge, as these unusual hybrids are known to Mopar collectors.
+ Wilbur and Carolyn Burkett’s 1939 Plymouth P8 Deluxe Convertible Coupe, a mix of both quaint and advanced features. This was the first year for column shift and the last year for a rumble seat at the Plymouth division.
You’ll find these fine Plymouths and a sampling of other orphans, including Packards and Hudsons, Kaisers and Crosleys, and many more obscure and abandoned makes, in the gallery below. Click on any image to start a slide show.
