We almost missed our turn into our lodgings on this trip. The quaint "motel" that GT-1 was held at now looked more like a Holiday Inn! Looking at the postcard at the left, the original site was further back and to the right. The original car show parking lot was now a swimming pool! Of course, Charles Kuralt was nowhere to be found.

We remember GT-6 well. Not so much for the meet itself, but for the things that happened around it. This GT, for us, was bad news from start to finish. We were now living in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Our travel partners were  Bruce and Jan Nichols again, but this time with only two MGAs. Somewhere in Pennsylvania, we came across Rob Mackenzie and Stew Beatty, plus friend. 

This travel day was extremely hot and extremely humid. We all pulled off at a rest stop to seek shade and drink. Everyone was having a bad day, so there were a lot of clenched teeth. After a bit, we got back into the cars to continue on. Everyone's car started except ours. When Steve pulled the starter, there was a BANG! and the front of the bonnet rose about two inches. Needless to say, this didn't make us any happier. The bonnet had a rather large gash in it, and, when we opened it up to investigate, we found that the fan had thrown a blade.

The drive from there to the hotel was nerve racking: the fan was unbalanced, so there was a constant vibration. We thought for sure that the water pump bearing was going to give out. We finally arrived without any further surprises and were just amazed at the difference in the site, the number of cars, and the throngs of people compared to GT-1.

If you compare this picture with the postcard, you can see that there were bunches of MGAs at this GT. If you look closely, nestled between the two Magnettes, there is something that looks like the nose of a Spitfire. Actually, it's the nose of an Alva Courier owned by Verl Wilkins. In all the years of attending the Show of Cars, we think that the number of times an Alva Courier has shown can be counted on one hand.

Sometime during the year prior to the GT, Steve had managed to crease the front right wing. Steve wasn't (and still isn't) much of a body man, so he enlisted Fred Lewis to give him pointers on how to attack the problem.

While we were living in Columbus, Steve took a Vocational Ed class in Welding. Even though he was the first student ever to finish, he managed to set his own lab coat on fire and burn the instructor. After graduating from the course, he came home to announce  that he would continue to work in computers.

Diane did try to attach his welding projects to the refrigerator door, much like a parent would attach a school project. It didn't work though. Diane couldn't find a large enough magnet. Obviously, someone else would be paid to do the body work.

Saturday morning was the beginning of a caravan through some of the more historic sites in the area. Although to this point, at the GTs, we generally didn't go on rallies or drives, this time we'd made the decision to go. By this time, Steve had removed (sawed-off) another fan blade from the fan to reduce the engine vibration. We figured it'd be a fun event because it included a couple of battlefields we'd never seen.

While driving slowly through Antietam, we came to a three way in the road. Coming from the left was a lime green Dodge Dart with three teenagers. They didn't bother to yield. As you can see from the photograph, the result made the ding on the other wing seem like a trifle. Again, we were not happy campers. Nor was the other driver's old man.

For the show of cars, we placed a sign on poor Virgin's bonnet that read:

Wounded At Antietam
July 17, 1981

Successfully Defended Owner
and Passenger in a Frontal Assault
by an American (Detroit) Tank

Steve doesn't remember much after that. He was worried about what else was going to take place between Harper's Ferry and Grosse Pointe.

Diane wasn't much happier, but managed to enjoy herself at the stay vertical party. She, John "egg McMuffin" and Ron Harasuik posed for pictures, each with a T-shirt that shared a common theme.

Many who were there reminisced about GT-1. And the same guy (Al Rossi) who attended GT-1 was still wandering around wanting to know where "Baghdad" Michigan was.  There was at least an hour's worth of discussion about "Baghdad", which never reached a conclusion. Why discuss "Baghdad", Michigan? Conclusion -- after six or seven beers, we don't think anybody understood why.  As Robbie reported in the newsletter, "the social life that a club like NAMGAR can provide is virtually anything you want to make it". We proved that true that evening and many more to come.

Thankfully our luck turned, and we had an enjoyable return trip home!