Love later built another custom show car, a ’56 Chevrolet called “Shades of Love” and won a couple of International Championships with the car on the International Show Car Association circuit.
“I won all kinds of awards, Best of Show and all. I’ve got more trophies than I know what to do with, and then, in August of 2013, a buddy called and said my old ’55 was being auctioned off at the Auburn auction. The collector who bought my car was selling his whole collection,” Love said. “Well, my wife and I headed to Auburn, and we were lucky enough to be able to buy it back, It’s like she came back home.”
Love’s ’55 Bel-Air only had three more miles on the odometer when he bought it back.
“I never drove the car – it’s a show car – and the collector didn’t either. It was pretty dusty, but we haven’t changed much on it in the last year and a half. We just had to go through the whole car and clean, polish and detail it. Then my wife, Joan, and I decided we’d take it to a few shows just for fun. It’s really more fun to have people come up and talk about the car rather than worrying if you’re going to win a trophy,” Love said.
Love’s Bel-Air, dubbed the “Bel-Air with Flair” features red and black lacquer, applied more than 30 years ago. Under the hood, the small-block V8 features engraved valve covers, lots of chrome and polished aluminum, and 24-karat gold-plated Weber quad carbs. The under carriage is just as shiny and detailed as the body, and the windows feature etchings in the glass.
“It took us till last week to finish it for this show,” Love said.
The front suspension is also polished and chromed with a few engravings. While Love wasn’t too concerned about winning awards, the car sat front and center in the show and attracted plenty of attention.
The 55th Cavalcade of Customs, held at the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati, is one of the oldest continuously operating shows in the country.
“It’s been a round a long time, and has a great heritage,” said Larry Way, the public relations representative for the event. “We have over 500 cars on display this year, and what is unique, most are first-timers.”
The show is part of the ISCA circuit, and the cars are judged in a variety of classes.
“There’s money to be won, and plenty of trophies. We have eight professional judges who spend the entire weekend judging the cars. The Best of Show wins the prestigious Squire Cup and a couple of thousand in cash,” Way added.
If you missed the show, the ISCA World of Wheels car show will be coming to the Dayton Airport Expo Center on March 27-29. To learn about other shows, go online to www.theisca.com.
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