This past Saturday was the Carolina Rad meetup at the fantastic NC Museum of Transportation, a 117-year old locomotive depot now filled with old cars and a partially disassembled DC-3, among other things. I took the 1989 Ford F-150, named The Marshal by its previous owners (and I now realize I added an extra “L” at the end before, like that chain of cheap clothes places) to the show, where I drew car pictures for people as my kid ran around looking for the cat that lives in the museum. Oh, and thanks to the magic of default, my truck got an award!
Yes, because it was the lone Unmodified 1980s Domestic Pickup Truck to actually show up, Marshal won by default, but I’ll take it.
So now this ratty, purple-hand-painted pickup truck with its muffler rattling around in its bed is now an AWARD WINNING ratty, purple-hand-painted pickup truck with its muffler rattling around in its bed.
(top pic by Christopher Scott)
The Marshal looks like a fantastic vehicle. I’m from a place where wooden beds are still very popular – the vast majority of 3,5 ton cab-over pick-up trucks have them – and those wood panels raising the height of the bed are just to die for. And I love that shade of purple.
Default wins are the best wins. All the glory with a fraction of the effort, or, as was the case with my high school track & field relay team, athletic ability.
There seems to be something about old survivor pickups that get attention. I took my squarebody truck to the Autopian meetup in Troy and it got more attention than I expected with some much nicer cars around. Jason even featured a picture in his write up!
I just want to drive that thing.
My Jensen Healey won best in class by being 1 of two furrin cars at one of the Laughlin Nevada car shows. The Toyota small pickup painted in camouflage with rusted parts cut off just couldn’t compete against a British 2 seater noone had ever seen before. Think low production numbers at a car show where everything was a 50-60s American Steel hotrod. But those old men appreciated a sports car that day. I think my DD Isuzu Vehicross could have gotten 2nd if I entered it.
Good thing that muffler was in the bed of the truck. Without it, you would have been in the modified class.
My photos from RAD Carolina are now up here: https://trianglerad.com/rad-carolina-2022
Heh. Sounds like how my XJ6 won first in its class at the local Jaguar show by virtue of being the only entrant. I’ll take it, though!
De! Fault! The two sweetest words in the English language…
Oh, and when I hear Marshall with two L’s, I don’t think of cheap clothes, I think of expensive amplifiers.
But what of the stakesides?!
Apparently I am blind and my brain thought they weren’t in the first picture. Feel free to ignore since I can’t delete.
This was a cool little show. The turnout wasn’t huge but I think this was the first year. The cars that were there were pretty sweet though. 4-5 turbo bricks, a really nice Supra and Espirit. Good times.
I got a Fox Capri drawing too.
It was the first year, I hope to see that giant building full for the next one. Now that we’ve seen how well the museum’s facilities work for an event like this, we’ll have an easier time promoting. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the museum provided a great venue.
I really need to follow along better. I’m about 10 minutes from the NC Transportation Museum, I would’ve been there!
Subscribe to updates from radcarolina.com to keep updated on plans for the next one.
Jealousy.
Brought my truck home from the shop. It barely made it. “Bring it back” they said. I’m sitting here on the couch trying to decide what to do. My stomach feels like it’s been on spin cycle for 30 minutes.
Ugh, I know that feeling, at least to some degree. Sending sympathy and positive vibes
You entered the Marshal in a contest.
It’s definitely part of the family.
So cool!
It was less a case of Jason entering the Marshal, more a case of the Marshal being present and fitting the category.
I too had an ’89 F150 with a manual and a rotted out core support. I used to keep an extra upper radiator hose and coolant with me in case it “jumped” and the fan would take out the hose.
It was in rough shape but I really do miss it.
I had a friend who had recently purchased a 2009 Dodge Challenger and just for shits and giggles drove it to a local car show. He won both the “under 20 years old” award (one of only two entrants BTW) and came in second for the “Peoples’ Choice” award because the Charger was new to the market and everyone was gathered around to take a look.
I just want the karma gods that visit you writers so often to bless me with a good deal on a cheap and interesting vehicle. It’s been a very long time, and I’m hoping to go look at one this afternoon.
An auto meetup award would be nice, too. 😉 Loving this site so far.
Good luck, hope you find something decent.
Congrats! I’ve collected a few first-place autocross trophies in HCS class in the same way. Everyone else’s crappy old British car was broken that day.
Such provenance! The Farm Use tag really sells it!
Even a broken (analog) clock is right twice a day, and even a beater can win best in class if you take it to enough car shows.
That’s a stopped clock. Many broken clocks still run enough to never be accurate.
Nope
The smirk on your face in the picture says it all.