Calling All Cars Show Casts a Wide (Inter) Net

July 19, 2011

It was a spectacular day especially for an often off-and-on rainy one. We all dodged raindrops here and there but by and large folks hung in there and there was a great spirit about the show which must still have attracted a few hundred folks.

In addition to all the good the event did for the Portland Police Department’s Police Activities League with the couple thousands of dollars raised (thank you sponsors*, supporters, entrants and everyone that attended and helped to make this great success even for a rainyish day) as well as the show being a great send-off to our beloved Police Chief James Craig who inspired this hopefully annual event, one of the lasting legacies of the show is the intriguing places that mention of it showed up around the internet.

*Calling All Cars and Trucks and Motorcycles was sponsored for 2011 by the Portland Police Department, Portland Motor Club, and MaineToday Media (Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram)

From Bangor to Boston to Cincinnati to a carpet cleaning service in Portland Oregon, from Indiana to India to Australia, from Music.aol.com to SoccerNews.com the eco-conscientious TreeHugger.com, this story got out there… way out there! Here’s a partial list of some of the places this story found itself.

(But first a quick link to some photos from the day. More will follow later: <http://mainetoday.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=1275203&CategoryID=52602>)

Here’s that surprising random assortment of mentions and articles across CyberSpace as we know it…

<http://www.pressherald.com/news/portland-could-learn-today-whether-police-chief-leaving_2011-06-28.html>

<http://www.pressherald.com/news/calling-all-cars-show-gets-enthusiasts-revved-up-_2011-06-26.html?searchterm=car+show>

<http://articles.boston.com/2011-06-26/cars/29706286_1_car-show-vintage-cars-car-aficionado>

<http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110628/NEWS0108/306280024/James-Craig-picked-Cincinnati-s-new-police-chief>

<http://bangordailynews.com/2011/06/25/news/portland-chief-reaches-out-to-youth-with-los-angeles-style-car-show/>

<http://www.pressherald.com/news/calling-all-cars-to-portland-giant-car-show_2011-05-09.html>

<http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/163724/2/Portland-chief-reaches-out-to-youth-with-car-show>

<http://1click.indiatimes.com/article/0bCh8Hi8C76uk>

<http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/152786469>

<http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/c52edc66442d4580b688a976a2272563/ME–Chief-Car-Show/>

<http://www.daylife.com/article/03zy7ek76W7wl?__site=daylife>

<http://www.facebook.com/pressherald/posts/184816748236502>

<http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20110625-NEWS-110629824>

<http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/c52edc66442d4580b688a976a2272563/me–chief-car-show/>

<http://www.apimages.com/search.aspx?st=k&cfas=person_featured_name&person_featured_name=%22james%20craig%22&id=421552&showact=results&sort=relevance&sh=10&kwstyle=or&dbm=panorama&adte=1304003513&ish=x&dah=-1&pagez=60&cfasstyle=and&>

<http://usaauto.info/pontiac/calling-all-cars-to-portland-giant-car-show/>

<http://www.pressherald.com/life/bumper-crop_2011-06-23.html?pageType=mobile&id=5>

<http://truckandpickup.info/calling-all-cars-show-gets-enthusiasts-revved-up-press-herald/>

<http://mainetoday.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=36504893&event=1275203&CategoryID=52602>

<http://soccernews.bigsoccer.com/article/0bbCcKY6ljfC5>

<http://carpetportlandoregon.org/calling-all-cars-to-portland-giant-car-show-press-herald/>

<http://music.aol.com/artist/james-craig>

<http://topics.treehugger.com/article/06X4fwl61xeZh>

<http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.196526363730305.47845.174327369283538>

Let us know if you find any other really quirky ones out there. Send us an email to info@portlandmotorclub.com. And special thanks to Southern Maine Motors and the other local dealers who helped put some late model icing on the classic car cake with some new muscle cars.

Filed Under: Calendar And Events, Car Shows, Charity Events, Classic Cars, Muscle Cars, Newspaper Article, TV Appearance

SHOW IS ON — SATURDAY 10 to 2 — FREE ADMISSION — REGISTER CARS AT GATE

May 27, 2011

IT IS ON — and IT IS ON SATURDAY

The Portland Police Department is sticking with the planned Saturday, June 25 from 10 to 2

Looks like the sun might peek out around 10 so hopefully you’ll plan to stop by even if the weather isn’t perfect — the show will be!

SATURDAY • JUNE 25 • 10AM-2PM

PORTLAND MOTOR CLUB • 275 Presumpscot St.
(rain date Sunday, June 26 — call Officer Raymond Ruby re: weather at 207-233-1151)

> CLICK HERE TO REGISTER <
$15 includes entering one vehicle (choose from over a dozen categories) and includes a show T-shirt!

* OR YOU CAN REGISTER ON THE DAY OF THE SHOW…

but it would be great if you could shoot us an email to let us know you’re planning on coming: info@portlandmotorclub.com

This is a brand new show and unlike Portland (or probably anywhere else) has never seen before! Portland Motor Club has teamed up with the Portland Police Department to create a unique show to promote the community policing approach that Chief James Craig has brought to Portland. The Chief is also a car nut so we have him to thank for this — and maybe for years to come! We have put together a truly exciting show that is designed to appeal to car show lovers as well as to young people who have never been to anything like it.

It’s all to benefit the Portland Police Department’s Youth Activities League to support the great work the PPD is doing creating positive experiences for area youth who might otherwise have such positive opportunities.

In addition to a “regular” car show (which can also include trucks and bikes), local dealerships are bringing some of coolest new cars around to add to the excitement. Because the police are the force behind this show, we are also including vintage police cars as well as some of the highest-tech special police tactical vehicles to the mix. Add in some drift cars, street rods, tricked out cars and who knows what else and it’s a pretty wild combination of vehicles. Then we’ve got a “text and drive obstacle course experience” on a golf cart, a portable dynamometer (www.portable-dyno.com), and indoor karting vehicle plus some BIG RAFFLES and great door prizes.

Add some delicious food from Bingas Wingas (www.BingasWingas.com) and Siano’s Brick Oven Pizza (www.SianosBrickOven.com) who will be donating part of their proceeds and Cap’n Eli’s Soda Wagon will be on hand. Plus BIG HITS Y100.9 and Smooth Jazz WJZP 105.1 as well as some live music from area teens thanks to the Maine Academy of Modern Music (www.MaineAcademyOfModernMusic.org).

Thanks, too, to the Portland Press Herald (www.PressHerald.com) for helping us with media sponsorship and the generous package of ads they donated to this great event and worthy cause.

Click to download full-sized/full-quality CALLING ALL CARS poster: CALLING ALL CARS POSTER — you can help to spread the word about the show by sending a link to this page by email or on FaceBook, print out copies on legal-sized paper and hand them out or take them to a car show!

Filed Under: Calendar And Events, Car Shows, Charity Events, Classic Cars, Muscle Cars, Newspaper Article Tagged With: , ,

Unique 1902 Autocar Runabout visiting Portland Motor Club

March 5, 2011

This rare 1902 Autocar Runabout visits Portland Motor Club en route to a permanent museum home

It’s not its age that makes this 1902 early automobile unique, although it is one of only 56 known to exist from all of its manufacturing years. They were manufactured for fewer than 15 years before the company switched over to making trucks exclusively. What makes this primitive motor car so interesting is that it has been in the same family since it was new! The article referenced below follows its auto-geneological path from great, great grandfather to its current owners. It has spent its last couple decades in quiet obscurity in a shed in Biddeford Pool, Maine. The family decided that it was time to find a permanent and appropriate home for a car of this historical significance and rarity as part of a permanent historical automobile collection perhaps even here in Maine. Great great grandson Will Borders of Chicago came out to Maine one February weekend to assist in relocating the vehicle to Portland Motor Club where it will stay until its future plans are assured.

In the meantime, Portland Detailing did a fantastic job gently cleaning it up so it can feel comfortable in the company of its relatively futuristic descendants (anything would look futuristic compared to this motorized buggy). The clean up was so impressive that Portland Detailing got a call from the owner of a 1904 Autocar wondering how they made it look so good! It turned out that he was one of three people involved with tracking the location and existence of any known Autocars and he revealed that, according to their compiled list, there are only 56 of them out there including the ones that are part of such collections as The Smithsonian Museum and The Henry Ford Museum.

Please make sure to visit the article by Emma Bouthillette at the Portland Press Herald’s website for much more information and more detailed photos.

This 1902 Autocar has been in the same family since it was new!

Filed Under: Classic Cars, Newspaper Article Tagged With: , , ,