DeLorean Car Show 2014 - Part III

DeLorean Car Show 2014

Saturday, 14 June 2014

It is car show day, this is what the event is all about.  The official count was 159 DeLoreans, the most for a show like this.  Heck, it may be the most assembly of DeLoreans since they were sitting at the factory.  There was even a unique reunion of sorts when three consecutive VINs were there, parked side by side by side. Surely the first time in thirty-three years that have been together.

In the trade show tent, there were representatives from DMC vendors from across the country.  Some debuted new exclusive parts ranging from tail light boards, front shock tower bars, front lower control arms.  There was shirts, movie license plates, jackets, photos, and of course.memorabilia from Back to the Future.  Everything and anything DeLorean was available.  There was even a table or two with Bricklin stuff.

"Bricklins, what DeLoreans would look like if they came in Skittles colours" - Jeffery Weissman

Oh, I forgot to mention this.  Along with the 159 DeLoreans, there was about 10-15 (do not know the official count) Bricklins there.  It was a convention of cars with goofy doors.

Hanging out with Bob Gale

I was not able to drive my car the 2200 mile to Dayton.  So, I brought a piece of my car, the driver's side visor, with me instead.  The hope was to get some of the cast of Back to the Future to sign it.  I first went to my buddy Bob Gale and asked him to sign.  He had already signed my car when he came to Mattel for a visit.

Don Fullilove, I like the sound of that

I saw Don Fullilove, better known as Goldie Wilson, and got his autograph.  He recognized me from last night as 'the Hot Wheels guy'.  He could have easily recognized me as 'the only Asian guy at the event'.  I would have been more impressed if he remembered me from Orlando 2012...I remembered him.

No caption needed

The one autograph I wanted was that of Christopher Lloyd.  It was known early on that he was attending the event.  He was part of the reason I wanted to go, and the reason I brought a piece of my car with me to the event.  Needless to say, Doc Brown was surrounded by people where ever he went.  It was hard to get to him through all those people.  Luckily, he had a table set up, but only for a few minutes.  I was fortunate to be near the front of the line to get to meet him, get his autograph, and shake his hand.  Wow, just wow.

But wait, there is more.  The Choir Club from Fairfield High School performed their Back to the Future production for the last time.  Many of the cast were seniors and came back just to do this final performance for us.

Fairfield High School performing Back to the Future

This was an amazing production.  Everything from the arrangement, choreography, props, costume, set...everything, just amazing talent all around.  I bet it was fun for the students as they performed not only in front of Back to the Future fans, but some of the cast from the movie




Wait, there is more. After the performance, there was a wedding proposal in front of 500 people.  Not a dry eye amongst us.  She said yes.

DCS wedding proposal

It gets better for the newly engaged couple.  Harry Waters Jr., Marvin Berry, said, "this one's for all you lovers out there".  Then sang Earth Angel, just as he did in the movie.  What?  Yeah, that happened.  How do you top that wedding proposal?

Fairfield High School cast with Back to the Future cast

One of the highlights for me was seeing the original prototype of the Hot Wheels DeLorean that never made it to production.  The only know prototypes were in the DeLorean Archive and I got a chance to see them up close. 

Hot Wheels DeLorean prototypes and other die-cast DeLoreans

 The curators of the items allowed me a private viewing...and touching...of this rare item.

Prototypes of the Hot Wheels DeLorean that never was

Image above from left to right:  My production Hot Wheels DeLorean (c. 2010), Hot Wheels DeLorean pre-production sample (c.1979), Painted resin casting (c.1978), Unpainted resin (c.1978), Pre-production sample (c.1979).

John DeLorean's hard hat and shovel from Dunmurry ground breaking

The DeLorean Archive curators even let us put on John DeLorean's hard hat and pose with the ground breaking shovel.  Truly an honour.

The closing ceremonies included a awards, raffle, and presentationwith the Back to the Future cast.  Bob Gale shared his "Doc Brown Doesn't Drive A Fucking Mustang" story.  I have heard it twice and it never gets old.  Right after the punchline was said, Ken handed Christopher Lloyd the famous shirt inspired by Bob Gale's story.

Doc Brown Doesn't Drive A Fucking Mustang

I received a plaque for Honored Speaker for my presentation.  Of all the awards I have received, granted I have not received many, I am most proud of this one. 

Marty and I, posing with our plaques

My buddy Marty won an award for Most Awesome Canadian Who Owns A DeLorean...or was it for Best Car with 75,000 miles?  I forget.  Notice his plaque is better than mine.  The difference between having one of the best DeLoreans at the show and some guy talking about toys.

That was the end of the show.  Before we left, we said our goodbyes.  We met up with Terry and Oliver Holler of Team Fox and took a picture next to their clock tower display.

Terry and Olver of Team Fox

Go to Part I - Part II

DeLorean Car Show 2014 - Part II

Packard Museum

Friday, 13 June 2014

Ken Koncelik had a big day of events planned for convention attendees that included trips to various car museums and private garages in the Dayton area.  First stop the Packard Museum. John DeLorean worked for Packard before he worked at General Motors.

One of the many cars in the Packard Museum

Packards have awesome hood ornaments

Big sign made from a big rock

About two blocks away was the Taj Ma Garj, a private collection of German cars.  The collection included unique examples of Volkswagens and Porsches, along with unique pieces of random art.  It definitely has a different feel from your normal 'museum'.

Rot Iron VW Beetle

Porsche Carrera GT

Carrera GT license plate, and my Tag Heuer Carrera watch

Slammed VW Beetle

Upstairs is a video game room.

 Next stop is Jim Arnet's private collection cars.  Almost every car had its hood up to display the engine. 

Hoods up

Would have love to see this with the hood down

Euro Classics is a full service auto shop with a collection of really expensive cars.  I mean, really expensive.  Hoods are down here, so you can see how expensive they are.

Shelby Cobra

Ferrari Testarossa

Amphicar

 This Amphicar is supposed to be the world's most accurate Amphicar.  So weird, yet so awesome.   It drives on land and water.

Really expensive cars

Aston Martin DB5

Finally got to see an Aston Martin DB5 up close.  This would have been helpful a few months back as I was/am working on the James Bond DB5 from Goldfinger for Hot Wheels Elite.

Last stop was Carillon Historic Park.  The attractions include on the the Wright Brothers' planes and a replica of their bike shop.  You will also learn about the history of Dayton and its contributions to the world such as the cash register and the pop top can.

Cash registers were invented in Dayton

This how pop tops are punched from a strip of aluminum

Wright Flyer III

Deeds Carillon

After a long day of visiting museums, it was back to the hotel for dinner and evening events.

Like DCS 2012, I had a presentation to give.  My presentation was a modified version of one from Orlando.

This guys has no idea what he is talking about

My presentation is different from most presenters.  While others talk about the DeLorean car or the company, I talk about toys.  Since 2012, I had acquired more information on the history and relationship of the original DeLorean Motor Company and Mattel.  Like last time, I gave those in attendance a sneak peek of that is to come from Hot Wheels regarding the DeLorean and Back to the Future Time Machine.

JLPMOVIES is working on a DeLorean documentary

One of  the great things about events like this is making new friends and meeting up with old ones.  I met Jordan Livingston of JLPMOVIES back in Orlando.  He is working on a DeLorean documentary that I may be a part of...if I do not end up on the cutting room floor.

To Be Concluded...

DeLorean Car Show 2014 - Part I

DeLorean Car Show 2014 in Dayton, Ohio

Thursday, 12 June 2014

Two years after Orlando, DeLorean owners and enthusiasts gather in Dayton, Ohio for DeLorean Car Show 2014.  This is the last show to be run by Ken Koncelik, before the reigns get handed over to Jason Sharkey.  This show was not to be missed.  It promises to be the best and biggest yet. 

Curtis Bryant's masterpiece

As we approach the hotel, there was no mistaking that the Dayton Marriott was hosting the event.  There was about twenty DeLoreans already parked in the lot.  Among them was Curtis Bryant's 'VNDIC8R'.  Photos do not do it justice.

Lighted replica dealer sign

Thursday was a relative light day as people were arriving at different times and registering.  There was still some setting up in the halls, as well as under the tents.  We were treated to Back to the Future Production Designer, Andrew Probert's presentation.

Andrew Probert and Jeffery Weissman

Our master of ceremonies was Jeffery Weissman, who played George McFly in Back to the Future Part II and III.  Andrew Probert presented some of his designs for the movie, along with storyboards for the original ending of the first film.

One of Andrew's first gigs was production designer on Star Trek - The Motion Picture, which eventually led to his work on Star Trek - The Next Generation.  He gave a great presentation on his work for the show.  This included designs for the Enterprise-D.  Yeah, he designed the ship, exterior and interior, the bridge, even some of the aliens.  As a designer and a Star Trek fan, it was quite a treat to see original sketches for one of my favourite shows.  I mean, we had just seen awesome designs for Back to the Future and now, Star Trek...nerdgasm!

Just some of the cars that were under the tent

As people arrived, the cars were being set up for Saturday's car show.  It was a long travel day, and a long day of events tomorrow.  Off to bed.

To Be Continued...

Fuel Pump/Sender Module

Last month, I was in Orlando for the DeLorean Car Show.  One of the 'events' they had was the raffle.  No, not the car raffle...they had that, too.  Just a regular raffle for prizes.  You know, things like DVD's, prints, apparel, various gift items, memorabilia, etc....oh, and car parts.  Tickets were twenty dollars for forty tickets.  I figured, why not?

The prizes were not revealed until just before the ticket was drawn.  There were some great prizes, some worth up wards of $150+, like the Shock Tower Bar.  With every prize, winners were also given a Jeggs hat and stickers.  I like stickers.

The items were donated by various attendees and vendors, including DMC-Florida.  As you know, I have at least one part on my car from every DMC vendor, except Florida.  So, I really wanted to win some parts.

My number was drawn and I won a DVD.  Meh, not bad, basically got my $20 back.  Not that is matters, but John DeLorean's grandson presented me the prize.  As other items went up, I got anxious as I wanted some of the items. 

Another one of my numbers was called.  This time Donald Fullilove, better known as Goldie Wilson, gave me my price.  I like the sound of that.  The item?  A shifter boot.


Shifter Boot

Awesome!  I finally got my part from DMC-Florida.  The 'missing' part for my car.  Did I mention that I have an automatic?  This item, out of all the items that were up for raffle and nicely made, is totally useless to me.  I guess I could sell it to someone at the convention.  Or, I could just keep it in the car and say I have a part from each DMC vendor.  Luckily, Tony Ierardi, President of DMC-Florida, said I could just exchange it.  I would just need to return it and get the full value as credit for anything in his shop. I basically got the shift boot for free, now I have about $88 credit.

I decided to go with the new Fuel Pump/Sender Module.  At $399, it was a lot to just throw down.  But with the credit and a chance to get a part from DMC-Florida, I went for it. 


New Fuel Pump/Sender Module

I sent in the shifter boot, paid the difference, and got my fuel pump.  All I need to do is install it.  I think I am going to take it down to DMC-Californa and let Don and Danny handle this one.  Messing with the fuel tank might not be a good idea for someone who takes two hours to fix a window switch.  There is a lot of safety precautions that my garage is not equipped to deal with.  You know, things like a flammable substance getting all over the place.  It may be a while before I take it down to Garden Grove and have this thing installed.  The original unit I have is working fine, so I can wait.  Plus, I have done so much to my car this year, al beit mostly minor projects.

DeLorean Car Show 2012 - Part III

DeLorean Car Show 2012

Wings up!

Saturday, 16 June 2012

This is a car show, so of course there were cars at the show.  There were over forty DeLoreans at the show.  Not the largest gathering of DeLoreans, but the largest I have seen.  Quite impressive to see all those cars lined up with their wings up.  Getting that 'tunnel' shot is always a favourite.  Owners were up early in the morning to register their cars for the show.

Meanwhile, the DCS Tech Talks were going on.  I only stayed for the first two presenters, then went on the floor to check out some of the cars and vendors, and mingle with the DeLorean community.

Top secret meeting with Mike from DMC-Midwest

Mike is responsible for the two latest additions to my car, the Shock Tower Brace and the Sequential Fan Controller.  He works with Julee and Dave at DeLorean Motor Company- Midwest.

Really excited to meet Andrew Probert

I got to meet Andrew Probert, without his vision, Back to the Future would not have looked as cool.  Special thanks to Stephen Clark of BTTF.com, for giving me a Hot Wheels Time Machine so I could get it signed by Andrew Probert.

Oliver and Terry Holler's Time Machine

Christine was there

Rich Weissensel's DeLorean Limo

Rich Weissensel's D-Rex

Lots of DeLorean cars...

...even a DeLorean bicycle.

Oh yeah, of course I got to ride the bike.

There were some interesting cars on the floor.  Tony Ierardi brought his DeLorean to be judged at the Delorean Marque Certification Event.  It was perfect!  Well, almost.  It got a point and a half taken due to some dry rot in the tires.  These were original 30+ year old tires, and it had a little dry rot in them.  The car is spotless, it looks better than any DeLorean ever did, even ones fresh off the factory floor. Basically, Tony took the entire car apart, cleaned, and reassembled it.

Proto-1

Another car Tony brought was Proto-1. The first prototype of the DeLorean built.  This was the car John DeLorean used, in the late 1970's, to promote to car.  Seeing this in person is orgasmic...yeah, I said it.  At the end of the show, Tony passed the torch of ownership of Proto-1 to Cliff Schmucker.

Interview with JLP Movies for a documentary on DeLoreans

JLP Movies was there filming a documentary.  Jordan Livingston and his crew interviewed me because of the Hot Wheels DeLorean.  Hey, I may get to be in a documentary.  You know how I love documentaries...this is like 'Living the Dream'!


After the car show, we were treated with another set of presenters.  I am too lazy to list the presenters.  The evening was capped off with Bob Gale (my new best friend) some of the cast and crew from the Back to the Future trilogy.  Also the Time Machine Restoration Team presented updates on their project.  Yup, you guessed it...another nerdgasm.

Cast and Crew of Back to the Future

Pictured above:  Jeffery Weissman (George McFly, Part II and III), Claudia Welles (Jennifer Parker, Part I), Bob Gale (Writer/Producer of the trilogy), Andrew Probert (Storyboard artist, Time Machine concept artist), Kevin Pike (Special Effects Supervisor, Time Machine Builder), and Donald Fullilove (Goldie Wilson)

Oh, almost forgot.  They gave away the raffle car at the end.  There was also a raffle for prizes, I won two prizes, a DVD and a Shift Boot Cover for my automatic car.  Tony let me return it to his shop for store credit.  Once I get a part from DMC-Florida, my car will have at least one part from all the DMC vendors.

That was it, three days of DeLorean and Back to the Future madness.  The next DCS will be in Dayton, Ohio, 12-15 June 2014.  Hope to make it there, and see everyone there.

Go to Part I - Part II

The End.