Daytona Beach, Florida, March 27, 2001

”American Iron”
The Klassix Auto Attraction is situated just west of junction 87 (northbound) or 87B (southbound) on Interstate 95, with the ”totem pole” mounted Chevrolet Corvette clearly visible high above the junction. The exhibitions comprise of mainly classic ”American Iron” including a wide variety of Corvette models that have been produced over the years, sixties and seventies muscle cars, plus a selection of pre-war cars and various racing cars. The muscle car group includes examples of the model that started the trend, a 1966 Shelby GT 350 Mustang, plus a rare 1970 Mustang NASCAR Boss 429, together with a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro and a Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird with its wild rear wing appendage, that had to be mounted high in the sky so that the boot could be opened! The racing scene reflects the dirt track oval midget racers that were where many of America’s top drivers cut their teeth, together with a more recent example of the country’s racing heritage, the 1991 Valvoline Ford Winston Cup car of Mark Martin.

Corvette Collection
The epitome of the American sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette, that has been in production in various guises for over forty years, and is still capable of winning races, as witnessed by the overall victory in the 2001 Daytona 24 Hour Race, is displayed in a number of its forms. The earliest example is a customised 1953 model in a drive-in diner setting, through various examples including the 1978 Indy Pace Car, the first year the model was used in that role, the 999,999th example produced in 1992 and a 1998 IMSA GT/Camel GT race car. Even the cinema area has a Corvette theme, with the seats set in replicated Corvette tail panels.

Film Score
The automobile on celluloid is also well represented, with one of the most famous film cars of all time taking centre stage, the exotic Batmobile. There is also the Barris Kustom Ford Cabrio ”Grease Lightning” from the film Grease, the Flintstones foot powered creation from the long running television series, an example of one of the seven remaining, of the eighteen built, Blues Brothers 2000 film cars, and the ”Drag-ula” custom car created for the second series of The Munsters television show.

Almost All American
The bulk of the displays feature a wide range of American cars and motorcycles, from pre-war babies like the 1938 American Scout to the excesses of the late fifties and early sixties like the Cadillac Eldorado and Ford Thunderbird. However, there are a few European offerings on display including a BMW Isetta bubble car and examples of Jaguar’s XK 150 and ”E” Type models.

Memory Lane
Nostalgia is evident throughout the museum, from a gallery of Corvette magazine adverts, through the period settings for many of the vehicles, the range of items for sale in the large boutique, to the fifties style chrome and neon dominated ice cream parlour, available to take your refreshments in the entrance foyer. A very interesting and carefully themed collection, of particular interest to aficionados of American car culture.

Keith Bluemel