Cruisin' The Hill is a car show with a mission to raise funds for school supplies in Holly Hill, Florida, a small town located between Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach. This show is organized by an old racing friend, Tony Cassada. One of his employees became involved in rasing money for school supplies shortly before his death. As a tribute to him, and to benefit the kids, a car show was developed in cooperation with the City of Holly Hill. A lot of cooperation. There is a Mayor's Award and a Police Chief Award. The show is held on the lawn in front of City Hall.
The awards are art created from auto parts. Palm Coast Eddie is a local pin-striper who has an artistic eye to match his talented hands in bringing these unique visions to reality.
The October date selected for the show is the one held by a Street Rod show in downtown Daytona Beach for many years. Lack of cooperation from that city was that show's doom and Holly Hills' benefit. This show had developed into an all-types-of-cars show without bounds or restrictive rules. There was a big group of classic Volkswagens, a few pictured here.
The traditional Street Rods are still well represented. This year there was a special award for those powered by the flat-head Ford engine, a favorite of builders from the 1930's through the 1960's. Nostalgia is celebrated.
A newer American Iron style is rapidly growing, known as Restomods, with greatly modified suspensions, engines, brakes, and other systems using the latest technologies in a body that is close to stock. This Camaro, which is under construction, is a good example.
All that will remain from the Camaro is the body. In this photo, the new front frame, suspension system, brakes, and rack and pinion steering can be seen. These builds result in cars with outstanding handling, great ride comfort, and tons of horsepower.
Pickup trucks are becoming quite popular among a couple of car interest groups, including the Restomods. This 50's Chevy pickup has been developed into a beautiful example of classic-bodied vehicles with modern technology.
Clean is one of the themes in Restomods, as exampled by the Chevy pickup's engine bay- not a wire or a stray hose to be seen, with a paint job under the hood that is magnificent.
Racecars were represented as in this 1960's NASCAR Ford.
And, this very different Drag Racecar, a V-8 powered Fiat 500.
Race Car or Cartoon Car? Buzz Lightyear inspired this build. It is always interesting what might motivate someone to spend 100s of hours to build a car unlike what most see as part of the collector car hobby.
Even an old early post-war Willys Jeepster has become a collector car. This one has been restored to look stock . . . well, the paint jobs from the factory never looked this good. That is, until you open the hood. Jeepsters were known to be underpowered in their day. On today's roads,it would be tough with the low-powered stock 4-cylinder. So, this one is powered by a Chevrolet V-6.
Customizing was a craze in the 1950's. An individual changes a car's appearance through modifications to the body and interior. This Lincoln Continental was the best example of Customizing. A well-done car.
The custom upholstery was detailed and immaculately done. The roll and pleat design is traditional and extends from the interior to covering the entire trunk.
There were Subarus, high-horsepower Audi's, newer Mustangs. Cruisin' The Hill had the widest variety of cars of any car show we have attended. The welcome to Foreign Cars brought the duo red MGTC down from Flagler Beach. It was different enough to attract attention . . . and an award.
To add to the fun and festive atmosphere, a group of professional women from Jacksonville supported the show by dressing in 1950's costume, posing for photographs. They also helped raise funds for school supplies by selling raffle tickets. How can one say "No"when asked to buy a raffle ticket hawked by these fun-loving ladies?
Cruisin' The Hill - a great event that was great fun, achieving the goal of helping kids in the community by providing school supplies.
Best of Show was a true classic, a 1934 Packard Coupe with a rumble seat. It is in Concours condition, very worthy of the recognition it received. The Packard is for sale. It was tempting to add this beautiful blue car to the home garage, the number of zeros in the price and the lack of space in the garage nixed the deal.
