My First Ride Podcast

Do I have a car show obsession?

Not really. I'd rather call in an intense interest in going to look at cool vehicles and taking photos of them.

Here's my story of how this "intense interest" came about….

For many years, there was a car show in Rockwall, Tx that I always wanted to attend. However, the weekend it was held, every year, was the same weekend my wife produced a music event that I helped with. Every year, I would see the ads and think "maybe next year it will be held on a different weekend, and I'll be able to check it out". As it turns out, I was never able to attend.

In 2017, I found out a car show was going to take place in downtown Wylie, Tx. It was part of Bluegrass on Ballard, which was connected to that year's July 4th celebration. Not only did cars line the street through downtown, but there was music, craft vendors and more. Music? Of course, there was music since it was named Bluegrass on Ballard.

When I found out about Bluegrass on Ballard, I thought maybe I can make it out to this car show. Sure enough, I was able to attend. And I've been every year since.

I'll make sure to have a link to the event in the show notes. If you're free that weekend, make sure to attend. (Bluegrass on Ballard in Wylie, TX)

Well, after Bluegrass on Ballard, I started looking for car shows close to where I live. Which led me to Mustang Sally Products which I talked about in an earlier episode. They produce some great shows in the North Dallas area, including some close to where I live. The link to their website is mustangsallyproductions.com.

They produce a show about one time a month in Murphy, TX and once a season at the Bass Pro Shop in Garland, TX. Since these are close to where I live, and because of being busy with family stuff, these are the shows I usually attend. I almost forgot, there's an annual show on Main Street in Royse City, TX that I've been to the last two years which has a lot of rides on display. Every time I go to one of these shows there are great looking vehicles displayed and the events easy to get to.

I don't have a hot rod, muscle car or classic vehicle. What I do have is a 2000 Toyota Tacoma pick up. I guess my truck could be described as a survivor. With low miles for a twenty-year-old vehicle and still looking good, that's what I'm calling it.

This year I started thinking about entering my truck in a show. Not to try to win anything, but to be a part of the experience and meet people.

Well, at the first of May, Mustang Sally Productions put on a show next to PSA in Murphy, Tx and I decided to enter and see what happened.

I got there early and was told to park anywhere I wanted. Since it was going to be a hot day, I found a space next to some shade and that's where I set up. And the people around me were great to visit with. One couple had two Camaros. You know, his and hers. Another fellow was young and had a Kia Soul. I was glad to see that the younger generation is still interested in cars.

The lot was filling up and you could tell who regulars by the way they chose their spots. Several people made sure to park next to their friends.

Throughout the afternoon, the public was encouraged to vote on all the cars and trucks displayed. After the judging ended and votes tallied, and award would be given for vehicles entered in a specific class. Not only did the public vote, but the people who entered their cars and trucks got to vote as well.

It's really quite a task to go through and look at each car or truck entered and pick the best one for each class entered in. I mean, there are up to about 30 different classes to register in along with ten best of class awards to be given out.

After all the votes were turned in and the staff tallied the results, they began to announce the winners.

People gathered around the tent where Mustang Sally had set up their tent and started handing out awards. Of course, I went up just to see what awards were handed out for the different classes. Much to my surprise, they called my name and I tied first place in the category I entered. I received an award for "2000 newer truck". Man was I pleased and surprised. What a great experience!

Whether you're a car guy/gal or not, if you live in the Dallas/North Dallas area, make sure you check out Mustang Sally Production's events. You'll get to enjoy looking at some fantastic rides and talking with the great people that own them. They would love to talk with you about their cars, trucks and motorcycles.

If you're not around the DFW area and you would like to find a show to attend, ask around to find car shows in your area and go to one and take your family. It will be a great time to see some well taken care of older cars along with some newer muscle cars. This would be a great way to do research for a future project on dream car.

Maybe you have a car, truck, or motorcycle you could enter. Put it on display in a local car show and tell the story of your ride. Who knows, you might get an award you weren't expecting.

What's on coming up next on My First Ride? I'm constantly searching for people that would enjoy telling the stories of their first rides and how their lives were influenced by them.

And I bet you probably know someone that would be a great guest for My First Ride Podcast, right? Let me know a little about them and their, story.

What about telling your story on the podcast? Let me know a little about you and first ride.

Check us out and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast and more. And of course, you can also go to the website at MyFirstRidePodcast.com.

One final thought….

You may not have your first ride, but you still have the memories. It's time to share them.

Contact me if you have questions regarding today's podcast or would like to be a guest on My First Ride Podcast. Send an email to [email protected].

I'm Gary Neidert and you've just experienced My First Ride Podcast.

Thanks for listening. Thanks for watching.

P.S. Go to My YouTube channel to see the video of the plaque I received.

Now that we're in early spring of 2022, local car shows are running full blast.

April 30th and May 1st it was car shows galore with two on Saturday and one Sunday afternoon.

The first show I attended was at Dickie's BBQ in Rowlett, TX. This was the first time to go to this show and was pleased with the cars and trucks on display. I talked with the owner of a 1955 Ford truck, which was a great looking vehicle. He had one when his kids were little but sold it. Here's where the story is really cool. Years later, his kids pitched in and bought him a truck similar to the one he sold years ago. I'm sure you can imagine how this made the truck all the more special to him.

The next show on Saturday was a real treat. Not because of the cars, there were some nice ones there, but people.

The shows was in Murphy, Texas at the PSA parking lot. Just like the one in Rowlett, the Murphy car show had a lot of great looking cars and trucks. But, what made this show special was running into some friends I've not seen in quite a while. I enjoyed visiting with them and looking over their C8 Corvette. Of course, it's a beautiful vehicle and sounds fantastic.

When I attend the car shows, I'm always looking to interesting cars that I can photograph. I especially look for interesting angles and close ups. And, at this show in Murphy, like most other car shows, I was able to take several photos of great looking vehicles.

Sunday afternoon, I wrapped the weekend up with another show in Murphy, TX at Country Burger. This is one of many shows that Mustang Sally Productions puts on in the Dallas/North Dallas area.

Be sure to check out their website, mustangsallyproductions.com, for a full calendar of shows that run through December 2022.

Not long ago, I had to go my local Kroger to do some shopping. As I was looking for a parking spot, I noticed the back of a t-shirt with "mooneyes" on the back.

If you're not familiar with "mooneyes", it's a hot rod cultural icon created by Dean Moon, which was big into racing during the late 60's and early 70's. I'll talk more about him on a future episode.

Well, as I was walking through the store, I saw the guy with the mooneyes t-shirt. I told him that I liked his shirt, because of the mooneyes. We started talking and had a great conversation.

Turns out, he races at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. With a 57 Chevy. With a recorded top speed of 217 MPH and an average of 209 MPH during the 2018 Bonneville Speed week in Utah. His name is Tom Hurley.

After we talked for a few minutes, I had to get going. But before moving on to get my groceries, he invited me to his shop to see his car.

A week or so goes by and I called Tom to see about going by to look at his car.

Once I get there, Tom showed me the car and talked about how it had been modified to run at Bonneville. Very cool.

Then he began to show me the photos on his walls. Talk about a guy that's lived a full life! He helped bring what is now Autorama to Dallas in the early 60's. Tom started racing in top fuel rails when the driver sat behind the engine and rear axle. He then got the 57 and raced it as a dragster. He promoted a lot of VW events and off-road events during the 80's. Then a few years ago, he turned the 57 into a Bonneville racer. Did I mention Tom has lived a full life?

My time visiting with Tom was a real treat listening to the stories of him being involved in motorsports for all these years.

I found an article written about Tom called: WHY THE UNDERDOG ALWAYS WINS: A SPEEDWEEK STORY. Kristin Kline wrote the article in 2016 which was in DrivingLine.com Go check out the article to find out more about Tom's Speedweek story and more details about how he started racing at Bonneville. (This will be posted in the show notes) Tom Hurley's Speedweek story

A side note this the story…. Tom took me down the street to introduce me to Steve which is the guy that does paint and body work on the '57 Chevy. Turns out Steve still has his first ride. How cool is that!

My thanks to Tom for giving me the tour of his shop, introducing me to Steve and sharing some great motor sports history.

Hope to see you at one of the shows in Murphy, Wylie or Bass Pro Shop in Garland.

If you haven't noticed yet, this podcasts is about nostalgia. Automotive nostalgia. You know, reliving the events, sights, smells and emotions of special memories connected to our first rides.

Said another way…it's about allowing our memories to travel back in time and experience our special car moments all over again.

The 2022 car show season started for me in February at the 62nd Autorama, sponsored by O'Riley Auto Parts. There were cars, trucks and motorcycles displayed in every part of Dallas Market Hall. Also, vendors selling t-shirts, tools and more were available to sell all kinds of great stuff to the attendees. McGuires polish was there with a big display at the front of the show.

(Go check out this YouTube video that shows the first, according to the video info, Autorama held in Dallas- https://youtu.be/e5V_wk-9zOU

On March 5th, there were two car shows in the North Dallas area that I attended.

The first one I went to was the 1st Annual Car Show at Christian City Church in Rowlett, Tx. Many cars were expected to be on display but early morning showers kept most away. However, there were at least 3 Shelby Cobras and a few other great rides to look at.

To my surprise, a friend of mine was there with her 1967 Pontiac Firebird. I had no idea she was into cars. Although it shouldn't be a surprise considering her son is big time into building cars.

The next show was in Murphy, Texas, just a few miles from where I live.

This event is produced by Mustang Sally Productions, and they typically have a show monthly in this area. Plus, they have shows in other parts of the North Dallas area monthly. I'll include the link so you can check them out. https://mustangsallyproductions.com/calendar

When I left the show in Rowlett, I went by the show in Murphy to see if many cars were there. Of course, several cars were on display. Since I had to go back to home and take care of a few things, I left.

As I was leaving the parking lot and about to turn onto hwy 544, I noticed a beautiful 2022 Camaro turning into the parking lot. I could hear it before it drove next to me. And surprise, Dennis Collins of Collins Brothers Jeep in Wylie, TX was driving. He publishes a weekly video on YouTube called Coffee Walk. It just so happens, on the episode posted the Friday before, he did teaser of a new car he bought. A 2022 COPO Camaro. That's what he was driving. A beautiful car and sounds fantastic.

Of course, he did a little burnout when pulling into the parking lot.

Well, I come back to the show after taking care of my "chores" at the house and walked around and admired the cars. Always worth going to see what might be new.

Just before I was about to leave, I heard a car start that sounded familiar. Sure enough, it was Dennis Collins in his new COPO Camaro. He wasn't part of the show but parked a couple of rows over. I wanted to get some photos but he left before I could get over there.

As he pulled away, with a burn out or two, I observed something very interesting. About ten people were standing around the car and when he left and punched it, everyone started laughing with glee. I stated laughing too! Is this what raw power does to a car guy/gal observing a burnout?

It was a great treat to watch and hear the the COPO Camaro at the end the day going to car shows.

I'll include a link to the teaser he did on YouTube and a link showing he and his daughter picking the car up in Detroit from COPO. Go watch both because they're great stories. In fact, all his videos are great stories of barn finds, car rescues and more.

Teaser at the end of FAIL: Honda Mini Bike Story

https://youtu.be/p9HB2jCIS9c?t=1674

How It's Made: 2022 COPO Camaro Serial Number 001!!

https://youtu.be/2Vg7-CwbMC4

What's on coming up next on My First Ride? I'm constantly searching for people that would enjoy telling the stories of their first rides and how their lives were influenced by them.

And I bet you probably know someone that would be a great guest for My First Ride Podcast, right? Let me know a little about them and their, story.

What about telling your story on the podcast? Let me know a little about you and first ride.

Check us out and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast and more. And of course, you can also go to the website at MyFirstRidePodcast.com.

One final thought….

You may not have your first ride, but you still have the memories. It's time to share them.

Contact me if you have questions regarding today's podcast or would like to be a guest on My First Ride Podcast. Send an email to [email protected].

I'm Gary Neidert and you've just experienced My First Ride Podcast.

Thanks for listening. Thanks for watching.

If you haven't noticed yet, these podcasts are about nostalgia. Automotive nostalgia. You know, reliving the events, sights, smells and emotions of special memories connected to our first rides.

Said another way…it's about allowing our memories to travel back in time and experience our special car moments all over again.

A couple of years ago, I contacted today's guest, asking her is she would be open to talking about her first ride, a 1964 green VW convertible. Recently, we were able to record our conversation where she talked about how she bought the VW, dragging main street in downtown Denison, Texas and then who bought it when it came time for her to sell it.

She was a delight to talk with and I really enjoyed learning about the VW and her adventures while recording this episode.

Be watching for more about the VW convertible because there's more to the story of this car.

What's on coming up next on My First Ride? I'm constantly searching for people that would enjoy telling the stories of their first rides and how their lives were influenced by them.

And I bet you probably know someone that would be a great guest for My First Ride Podcast, right? Let me know a little about them and their, story.

What about telling your story on the podcast? Let me know a little about you and first ride.

Check us out and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast and more. And of course, you can also go to the website at MyFirstRidePodcast.com.

One final thought….

You may not have your first ride, but you still have the memories. It's time to share them.

Contact me if you have questions regarding today's podcast or would like to be a guest on My First Ride Podcast. Send an email to [email protected].

I'm Gary Neidert and you've just experienced My First Ride Podcast.

Thanks for listening. Thanks for watching.

A first-generation Bronco. A C-10 Chevy four wheel drive. Possible barn finds? Today's guest talks about his first ride adventures and brings us into the present with collecting pickups.

If you haven't noticed yet, this podcast is about nostalgia. Automotive nostalgia. You know, reliving the events, sights, smells and emotions of special memories connect to our first rides.

Said another way…it's about allowing our memories to travel back in time and experiencing special car moments all over again.

At the end of every podcast, I invite people to be a part of My First Ride Podcast and tell their "first ride" stories.

A few weeks ago, I received a voice mail from someone interested in telling the story of their first ride. When I returned the call and visited with today's guest, I knew this was going to be a great episode.

So, let's get right into today's episode as I talk with Nicolas Morris about his adventure in the automotive world. You're really going to enjoy listening to him.

Before we dive into this episode, I must apologize for the audio not being it's best. Unfortunately, technology can sometimes turn on us. Even when we think all connections and settings are ok.

For future episodes, I promise to do better.

Now that I've dealt with that, let's listen to what Nicolas has to say about his first ride.

Lee Iacocca. John DeLorean. Two titans of the automotive industry. On episode sixteen, I talked about John DeLorean and what he did for the car world as we know it. This episode? It's Lee Iacocca's turn. Plus, I'll talk about the connection between them? As I said, it's a bit of a stretch, but it's interesting non the less.

If you haven't noticed yet, this podcast is about nostalgia. Automotive nostalgia. You know, reliving the events, sights, smells and emotions of special memories connect to our first rides.

Said another way…it's about allowing our memories to travel back in time and experiencing special car moments all over again.

A few weeks ago, I watched a show on the History Channel that highlighted the impact of the automotive industry on the American culture. It was entertaining and I learned a lot about some of the innovators that influenced the designs of what we drive today.

Two men stood out as the most interesting. I guess it was because they impacted the cars I grew up with in my teens.

Who were they? John DeLorean and Lee Iacocca. Both were leaders in the auto industry but with totally different styles.

Today, I'm going to talk about Lee Iacocca, some of his accomplishments and his connection to an electric bicycle he founded in 1997.

So, let's get right into it now as I talk about Lee Iacocca and his contribution to the automotive industry.

John Delorean, Lee Iococca. Two titans of the automotive industry. What did they do for the car world as we know it? Did you know there's a connection between them? A bit of a stretch, but it's interesting non the less.

If you haven't noticed yet, this podcast is about nostalgia. You know, reliving the events, sights, smells and emotions of special memories connect to our first rides.

Said another way…it's about allowing our memories to travel back in time and experiencing special moments all over again.

During the past week, I watched a show that highlighted the history and impact of the automotive industry on the American culture. It was entertaining and I learned a lot about some of the innovators that influenced the designs of what we drive today.

Two men stood out as the most interesting. I guess it was because they impacted the cars I grew up with in my teens.

Who were they? John DeLorean and Lee Iococca

John Delorean, Lee Iococca. Two titans of the automotive industry. What did they do for the car world as we know it? Did you know there's a connection between them? A bit of a stretch, but it's interesting non the less.

If you haven't noticed yet, this podcast is about nostalgia. You know, reliving the events, sights, smells and emotions of special memories connect to our first rides.

Said another way…it's about allowing our memories to travel back in time and experiencing special moments all over again.

During the past week, I watched a show that highlighted the history and impact of the automotive industry on the American culture. It was entertaining and I learned a lot about some of the innovators that influenced the designs of what we drive today.

Two men stood out as the most interesting. I guess it was because they impacted the cars I grew up with in my teens.

Who were they? John DeLorean and Lee Iococcoa. Both were leaders in the auto industry but with totally different styles.

Because there is so much to talk about with both men, this is going require two episodes to tell their stories.

Today, I'm going to talk about John Delorean, some of his accomplishments and a connection to a few celebrities.

Next week, I'll talk about Lee Iococcoa, his accomplishments and the connection he had to John Delorean.

So, let's get right into it now as I talk about John Delorean and his colorful story.

The iconic Honda Trail 90, also called the CT90, grows up to become the CT125. What's old is new again.

If you haven't noticed yet, this podcast is about nostalgia. You know, reliving the events, sights, smells and emotions of special memories connect to our first rides.

Said another way…it's about allowing our memories to travel back in time and experiencing special moments all over again.

As I was thinking about today's episode, one of my personal first ride nostalgia moments was when I was around 14 years old.

In other episodes, I've talked about my 1964 VW convertible being my first ride. Great memories.

But technically, my first ride was a beautiful red 1967 Honda S90. The first time I saw one it was parked on the street where I went to elementary school. I was hooked. It was the coolest thing and I decided I wanted one.

Eventually, I did get one and was so excited. My first taste of freedom! I rode it every chance I could. Even riding it on my paper route to throw newspapers from.

During those years, my parents would go camping at Lake Texoma at least once a month. Of course, I got to take the S90 and ride around the campgrounds. Even though it was designed for the street, I sometimes rode it as if it were a dirt bike. So much fun.

Another family went camping at the same time as mine and I became good friends with their son. His name was Mike. Since he also had a motorcycle, we wound up riding together and going all over the place.

His motorcycle….a Honda Trail 90. Actually, the correct name was a CT200, which later, Honda called it a CT90 or trail 90.

It's amazing how much punishment these bikes took and kept on running. We rode them on dirt roads, beaches, pine needle covered logging roads and more. Just like the old Timex commercial says: "it takes a lickin and keeps on tickin"

After I became an adult and moved out on my own, my parents continued to go camping around different parts of Texas.

Eventually, my dad bought a Trail 90 which he would ride around the campgrounds.

Over the years, my parents got to the point where they were physically unable to go camping. My dad passed away and my mom eventually sold the RV. But, she kept the Trail 90.

Guess what's in my garage now? You guessed it, the Honda Trail 90 my dad used to take camping.

When researching information about my old motorcycle and the Trail 90, I discovered something old is new again. Honda introduced an updated version of the CT90. Except, it's a CT125.

I'm going to talk about the history of the Honda trail bikes and Honda's new model. What I found out, though, really surprised me.

So, let's get right into it now…

What comes to mind when you think about California in the mid to late 60's. Surfing, Beach Boys, fast boats? What about the Myers Manx VW Dune Buggy?

Hello, I'm your host, Gary Neidert and you're listening to My First Ride Podcast.

During the mid to late 60's, all kinds of recreation was available in California. Of course, surfing and the Beach Boys is top of mind. They recorded great songs about girls, cars and playing on the beach.

During that time, building vehicles to play on the sand dunes became extremely popular. Take an old truck chassis, cut and weld, put big tires on it and presto, you have a dune buggy.

There was a guy that built sail boats and surfed that turned his attention to playing on the dunes. He started making fiberglass bodied dune buggies, but, as a business, it wasn't profitable because the price point was a little too much.

After manufacturing a few units of the original dune buggy, he revamped the design and mated the fiberglass body to a VW chassis and the Myers Manx was born. The creative genius behind this new trend was Bruce Myers. He went on to inspire a whole new industry with his simple, but sexy, design.

Many companies copied what he created. However, they were never the same as Myers' original creation.

The inspiration for this story came from a local car show I attended in April produced by Mustang Sally Productions. It was held at a local Bass Pro Shop with around 200 vehicles registered.

It was a great show with fantastic vehicles of all types.

As my wife and I were walking through and taking a few photos, we came across a blue metal flake fiberglass dune buggy. As we got closer, I noticed it was a Myers Manx.

As we talked with the owner about his Myers Manx, he began to talk about the background of his car. Turns out it was signed by none other than Bruce Myers.

This got me thinking back to when I was in high school and the memories of my dad buying a VW Dune Buggy.

Unfortunately, it was not a Myers Manx but was well done and looked great. The color was metal flake blue with gray spoke mags and big tires. It was so much fun to drive.

On this episode, I'm going to talk about the origins of the Myers Manx and what's going on with the company now.

Do you remember these lyrics from a famous Eagles song:

There's talk on the street, it sounds so familiar Great expectations everybody's watching you People you meet, they all seem to know you Even your old friends treat you like you're something new

There's a new kid in town…

This episode is more about a personality instead of a product. He was a new kid in town. However, he was instrumental in turning around a well know product.

Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo and Mazda.

These automotive brands, at one time, were all owned by the Ford Motor Company. However, under a new CEO, major changes were made, and the parent company sold all brands but one and cut the percentage owned of it. He put the focus on one brand…Ford.

On April 5, 2006, Bill Ford stepped down as CEO of Ford Motor Co. and was replaced. For the first time in the history of Ford an automotive industry outsider, meaning no automotive experience, was set in as CEO. And how do you think that turned out?

I like to listen to podcasts instead of radio and June of last year, I discovered a podcast that featured a presentation done in 2015 by the Ford CEO that made all the changes. This made such an impact on me and I've been thinking about it since then. This is a story about a great leader, the new kid in town, and what he did to inspire the employees of an automotive icon. I know you'll enjoy hearing his story.

What's on coming up next on My First Ride? I'm constantly searching for people that would enjoy telling the stories of their first rides and how their lives were influenced by them.

And I bet you probably know someone that would be a great guest for My First Ride Podcast, right? Let me know a little about them and their, story.

What about telling your story on the podcast? Let me know a little about you and first ride.

Check us out and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and more. And of course, you can also go to the website at MyFirstRidePodcast.com.

One final thought….

You may not have your first ride, but you still have the memories. It's time to share them.

Contact me if you have questions regarding today's podcast or would like to be a guest on My First Ride Podcast.

I'm Gary Neidert and you've just experienced My First Ride Podcast.

Call me - 972.771.7899.

Thanks for listening. Thanks for watching.