Throwback: Mecum Louisville 2019

1989 Shelby CSX

Carroll Shelby\’s name is usually attached to Ford Mustangs and Cobras. For a time in the Eighties, though, the tough Texan linked up with Chrysler to give the company\’s assortment of sporty front-drivers more power.

One of the last cars to be touched by the hand of Shelby were the Dodge Shadow and Plymouth Sundance. The result was the Shelby CSX. The red one above is the 1989 CSX-VNT, the last CSX model (and last Pentastar model overall) where Shelby worked his magic. Just 500 were built, but neither rarity nor the Shelby name could overcome the reserve placed on this Eighties coupe.

1976 International Scout II Rallye

International Scouts are near and dear to me. One of my friends back in Kansas drove one, as did his older brother. I rode in my friend\’s blue Scout II a few times back in high school.

Thus, every time I see one on the road, I\’m taken back to the small town I called home for half of my life. This one, a \’76 model, was fully restored, from the 345 International V8, to the chrome wheels and spray-in bedliner.

Alas, it didn\’t find a new home that day, nor over a month later at the Mecum Gone Farmin\’ Fall Premier in Davenport, Iowa (which I also attended, this time for Clymer Manuals).

2001 Hummer H1

Come May 20, 2020, the Hummer name will return to the world, this time as an electric vehicle built by GMC. The new machine is a far cry from the 2001 Hummer H1 I saw at Mecum Louisville 2019.

Unlike the all-electric Hummer, this H1 purred over the shopping mall battlefields with a 6.5-liter turbo-diesel V8. The cabin seats four (due to the wide center section protecting the driveline), its wide stance delivers a ton of stability off road, and few will want to mess with anyone inside this civilized military rig.

Alas, this one didn\’t find a new home due to the high reserve.