Exploring the Colorful World of Graffiti at the Car Show
- jktallallc
- Jun 16
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 21
The British Tourist
Yank Tanks
Modesto Graffiti Car Show — where the dream is parked and polished, and the chrome does the talking.
Attend any car show in the UK, and you'll discover just how popular the Yank Tanks really are.
The big cruiser, the muscle car, the pickup truck, the hot rod. What's the draw?
Is it the size? The power? That endless chrome?
For me, it's the era of my youth we never had — the love of all things American. Rock and roll, drive-in cinemas, burgers, drag racing, the bench seat to cuddle your new love. Movie heroes: Steve McQueen, Burt Reynolds, and, of course, Bo and Luke Duke. Let's not forget Daisy. Oh my.
I've lost count of the times I've watched American Graffiti, a 1973 George Lucas classic. A star cast, fantastic music, and cars to dream of when your eyes are closed. Apparently controversial at the time, it's now a cult auto movie.
Come forward twenty-five years from The Dukes of Hazzard, and we had Boyd Coddington, Chip Foose and Richard Rawlings showing us all the old tricks and more, generating a whole new fan base for American muscle and flair.
I haven't owned a yank yet, but I'm working on it. I just need to work out what's pulling on the heartstrings the most. I love them all, which makes it tough. In the meantime, I get to see many American dream machines, thanks to some fellow Rascals, a fine mix of loud and brash, gentle and elegant, shiny and usable.
You could say I'm halfway there. My Rover P5B, also 1973, as it happens, has an American engine. The B stands for Buick: a small-block V8 215ci that Rover purchased from Buick in the mid-sixties after Buick decided it wasn't powerful enough for the American market. It was a great step up from the Rover 3-liter, being all-aluminum and offering significant weight savings for an already heavy car.
One drawback, forget the antifreeze, and you could find yourself looking for a replacement. Heat isn't great for it either; the Rover P5B can suffer from fuel evaporation, which is very costly in the UK these days.
The Rover V8 became the staple engine of the eighties, finding its way into many other models because it was so easy to beef up with modifications, kit cars, custom builds, TVRs, Range Rovers. When the British bodywork rusted to the ground, and it did, the aluminum V8 stood proud and found its way under a new skin.
So my wait for the right American tourist continues. I've come close to owning some Detroit steel a time or two, but things have a way of not working out. I'm always looking, still dreaming, and still trying to persuade my wife that it's a perfectly sensible idea.
One thing I know for certain, it will have a bench seat, so I can put my arm around her.
If only to console her.
Philip (The Rascal)
Editor/Creator
Comments