Forge Car Show - Muscle Car Survivors And Vintage Race Cars!

Check out what we found. It's a whole room full of original musclecars.

In the modern age, we all look back quite fondly on the era of Detroit's most notorious performance cars. The Hemis, the COPOs, the Bosses, and the Judges-so many of the vehicles we owned or wanted to own have now disappeared, erased by time or youthful indiscretions. Another bummer is the remaining examples have more recently climbed into financial oblivion for many enthusiasts and are now playthings for well-heeled investors, sometimes worth as much as a modest house in most of America.

But this car hobby we all enjoy is also a bridge between the money guys and the rest of us. When we are not fighting to make a bid or trying to measure up for the judges, a lot of us can sit with any other car guy in North America and talk about how hard it was to find an N.O.S. grille or who the best guy to rebuild a motor is, no matter how the numbers may differ on our paychecks.

Forge Car Show Chevrolet Camaro Pace Cars

This row shows all the Camaros to actually pace the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which were on hand courtesy of GM. Bill Werthiem of Kenmore, New York's Paddock Chevrolet made the arrangements for this.

This row shows all the Camaros to actually pace the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which wer

It is this environment that Tim Lopata wanted to facilitate when he started the Forge Invitational Musclecar Show five years ago. Leave your ego at the door, pal, because this deal is not just about your deal . . . .

The show is about heritage, the glory days of Detroit running roughshod on Main Street, and, as an invitational event, is always different. As a result, the Forge gets a very eclectic mix of iron each year. Held in 2007 inside the multimillion-dollar Sevierville Events Center near Knoxville, Tennessee, the two-day event brings together some of the rarest musclecars in the nation. By carefully selecting the show field beforehand, Lopata and his family let the cars and their stories speak for themselves, so the money men are on equal footing with single-car-owning families, one-owner survivor examples, and others. One saying has been that "everyone leaves here humbled," because no matter how rare your machine might be, someplace in this room is something that may equal or exceed it.

That's original paint, and this Boss 429 Mustang has turned only 902 miles since it was new. Out of the spotlight for nearly a quarter century, Ford enthusiast Tom Flatey brought it down from Michigan. It was detailed by a previous owner with N.O.S. parts in the early '80s but is otherwise as original as they come.

That's original paint, and this Boss 429 Mustang has turned only 902 miles since it was ne

The '07 show highlighted Chrysler's legendary Hemi and Six Pack cars, from the lightweights of '64 to the crazy-colored machines of '71. The event hall had room for just more than 100 cars altogether, and 50 percent of these bled Mopar orange. Still, the Lopata family had called out some pretty serious GM and Ford iron together as well.

The show is not judged, so there was no consensus on what the rarest or best car was on hand. We'll let the pictures tell that story for you, but if you can't pick a favorite or a winner, we'll understand. Everyone leaves here humbled . . . .

Like the Forge Show? For more info on this once-a-year event, jump on to forgemuscle carshow.com to see more photos and up-to-date info on the '08 event to be held September 12-13 in Sevierville, Tennessee.

Also on hand were an authentic '69 Camaro pace car courtesy of Larry Christenson of Colorado's Camaros Plus and a real '67 396 L78 official pace car replica.
Also on hand were an authentic '69 Camaro pace car courtesy of Larry Christenson of Colora
Todd Warner collects real race cars. Every machine he brought up was an authentic piece of Mopar history; in addition to his earlier cars, he had several cars from 1971, including Richard Petty's NASCAR-raced '71 Road Runner and Bill McGraw's Rod Shop Charger, which was the Hemi pilot car for the '71 model run. Warner brought two truckloads of cars to this year's event.
Todd Warner collects real race cars. Every machine he brought up was an authentic piece of
Options? We got your options. This '70 Chevelle SS396 originally sold through Berger Chevrolet and had two factory window stickers. Convertible, red interior, air conditioning, power everything, and more-a total of 46 different options. Owners Don and Francis Crowe of Georgia performed the world-class restoration on it.
Options? We got your options. This '70 Chevelle SS396 originally sold through Berger Chevr

Look at this barn find. This one is a real '71 Olds 4-4-2 W30 convertible. It was just found and is now owned by Phil Welch of Georgia.
Look at this barn find. This one is a real '71 Olds 4-4-2 W30 convertible. It was just fou
Looking for a project? Noted vendor Rich Maksym of Coast-to-Coast Camaro Parts had this rough-but-real COPO Camaro for sale at his booth. We didn't see a price. If you have to ask . . . .
Looking for a project? Noted vendor Rich Maksym of Coast-to-Coast Camaro Parts had this ro

In late 1970 or early 1971, Butch McGorman purchased this 428 Mach 1, and it has remained unrestored. If the paint looks familiar, you're an old guy. Yes, this car was one of the Ford Mustangs that went to Vietnam under the tutelage of Al "The Lawman" Eckstrand and is reportedly one of two left....
In late 1970 or early 1971, Butch McGorman purchased this 428 Mach 1, and it has remained
...(Bill Goldberg owns the blown "Super Boss.") Ford designer Hau Thai-Tang recalls that as a child it was the sight of one of Eckstrand's program cars that led his direction on the '05 Mustang redesign. Perhaps it was this car.
...(Bill Goldberg owns the blown "Super Boss.") Ford designer Hau Thai-Tang recalls that a

A real Z11? Hank Gabbert found and restored the "Good Ole Mr. Wilson" Impala, one of the 50 Chevrolet factory drag cars from '63. The late Ronnie Sox was the tuner and occasional driver of this beast back in the day.
A real Z11? Hank Gabbert found and restored the "Good Ole Mr. Wilson" Impala, one of the 5
What's the next hot thing? Well, here's a fresh field find for starters. It's a real '60s-era B/Gas '55 Chevrolet. Tom Abbott found it on a farm, where it rotted for decades as the owner was "gonna restore it someday." While that day will come,...
What's the next hot thing? Well, here's a fresh field find for starters. It's a real '60s-
...Tom admits he is going to show it for a while like this to let people know that tomorrow never comes for most of the cars left outside.
...Tom admits he is going to show it for a while like this to let people know that tomorro

Big Galaxies were on a diet by '64 but still got some stout 427 power under the hood. This car belongs to Larry and Connie Davis of Hueytown, Alabama.
Big Galaxies were on a diet by '64 but still got some stout 427 power under the hood. This
Shelby fans were not disappointed, either. Here is a '67 GT500,...
...a later example with a 428 mill under the hood. With 39,000 on the ticker, it was here courtesy of Robert Hurst of Campton, Kentucky.
...a later example with a 428 mill under the hood. With 39,000 on the ticker, it was here

Yenko Chevrolet only sold three 427 Camaros at a special drag-racing discount, and this Lawrence & Preston machine is now believed to be the only one left. Gary Holub, the noted collector of Yenko iron from Iowa, just completed the restoration on the car.
Yenko Chevrolet only sold three 427 Camaros at a special drag-racing discount, and this La