Weird Car show behavior


jr66

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Sep 22, 2017
272
scottsdale
People have little respect for others. Coffee spills on original paint on a 60 year vintage car is an example. Strollers used as tools to move through a crowd and kids with ice cream are common examples. Beware and be attentive.
 

Sinovac

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 18, 2006
5,832
Largo, Florida
99.9% of the time things are cool with these cars and the public.
Occasionally weird stuff happens but it is not malicious IMHO.
Enjoy the car. Anyone who has one is a lucky SOB.
Share the joy of ownership. Play "polite defense" around the car if you have to.
2 anecdotes....
About a month into ownership I took my car to a small show at a new fire station. I was handing out small FGT toys (like Tomy and Chip do). A fireman pics up his kid to look at my engine bay. Kid drops the diecast toy I'd just given him on my wing. Full thickness chip through the clear bra film and paint. Didn't know what to say. The zen Buddhist in me fortunately took over. Had to realize that the dude occasionally runs into burning buildings for a living. Got the paint touched up and new clear bra applied. Go try to find the spot on my car without me pointing it out.

A few weeks later I take a 275 mile round trip to Frankie's farewell lunch. Something (a rock?) defies the laws of physics and takes a full thickness chunk out of my clear bra over my gloss carbon fiber door rocker panel. For now I touched it up with clear coat paint. Probably needs wet sanding and new PPF there. Totally fixable.

So...do I blame people, physics, or karma? You can keep your car sealed in a vault or drive it. Your choice.
I'm over 2000 miles driving a street legal purely derived race car!

Great attitude. I turned that corner a long time ago and since then I enjoy the cars and myself much more.
 

ENZO BTR

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Sep 11, 2005
1,048
Southern California
Worst I’ve seen (thankfully) didn’t happen to me.

My wife and I were at the annual, local Pacific Palisades car show around 2009 with my 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE and 2005 Ford GT. Next to us was a mint-condition 1960s era British roadster. I honestly can’t remember exactly what it was. TR6? MG? I remember it was red with a saddle interior and convertible boot.

About halfway through the show a young mom and her son (I’d guess he was 5) were walking along our display aisle. I spotted the boy long before he got near my cars. He was running around rapidly, going up and touching cars, being shoo’ed away by owners (if they saw him, he moved quickly...) as his mom blithely walked along. I prepared to defend my vehicles, mustering up my most patient “don’t touch my car” speech, but before I had to do a thing he ran past my cars and JUMPED HEAD FIRST into the British roadster next to my cars. I mean full-on leap, dive and landing with his feet sticking up past the door and the rest of his body not visible for several seconds as he rolled and turned to stand up in the driver’s seat. I couldn’t see all the places his shoes scuffed and hit as he did this move, but I was cringing the entire time.

The crazy part was that the roadster’s owner, an older gentleman who was clearly very fastidious about his car (I’d watched him carefully install the convertible boot and repeatedly rub the car down during the show) just happened to be looking the other way when all of this happened. My wife and I saw the whole thing and looked on in horror, wondering how he was going to react. By the time the owner turned around the boy was standing upright on the driver’s seat and calling out to his mom (who hadn’t noticed a thing), “Mom! Look at this car!” Now the owner turned around, got the look you would expect on his face, and quickly stood up and walked over to them. He showed amazing restraint overall, but he did admonish the kid and asked him to get out of his car. The mom, again, seemed mildly phased at most...

To this day I still see that kids legs sticking up from the cabin and then him standing on the driver’s seat. I really couldn’t believe it.
 
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Rick Mustang

GT Owner
Mar 29, 2016
102
Central Texas
I live in Texas. I always have my Glock visible on my person when at car shows with my GT. I’ve experienced some of the same behavior and it helps.
 

Xcentric

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 9, 2012
5,213
Myakka City, Florida
Very manly!
 

Ed Sims

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 7, 2006
7,850
NorCal
A bowie knife is manly!

Ed
 

Xcentric

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 9, 2012
5,213
Myakka City, Florida
Yes, even more manly! I'd be afraid I'd damage the upholstery though.

Yeah, I figure if you're going to brandish a weapon at a car show, you need a Colt revolver. Or maybe a 1911. No Texas kid is going to be impressed by a Glock.
 
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Tomcat

GT Owner
Yes, even more manly! I'd be afraid I'd damage the upholstery though.

Yeah, I figure if you're going to brandish a weapon at a car show, you need a Colt revolver. Or maybe a 1911. No Texas kid is going to be impressed by a Glock.
I had a hard time even qualifying (as a Naval Officer) with a 1911 (out of the armory)...but a few pointers with a Marine Gunney at Cherry Point with the M9 changed/fixed that!
 

Tomcat

GT Owner
duplicate
 
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Xcentric

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 9, 2012
5,213
Myakka City, Florida
In this case, we don't care about accuracy. This is about how to best threaten and intimidate people at car shows.

Little kid gets near my car, this is what I'm talking about.


41ZSOxsfcUL._SY300_.jpg
 
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Rick Mustang

GT Owner
Mar 29, 2016
102
Central Texas
I worked at Colt and have a 1911 rail gun in stainless. I have a carry holster, but it is a big gun to carry. We digress. I had a guy walk to my car at a C&C with his wife and open the door. I said wtf are you doing?, and he says “Oh, is this your car?” I not so politely explained that he was trespassing on my property and in Texas you can defend your property with lethal force. I then closed the door.
 

Stef

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Apr 5, 2009
1,082
Southern California
99.9% of the time things are cool with these cars and the public.
Occasionally weird stuff happens but it is not malicious IMHO.
Enjoy the car. Anyone who has one is a lucky SOB.
Share the joy of ownership. Play "polite defense" around the car if you have to.
2 anecdotes....
About a month into ownership I took my car to a small show at a new fire station. I was handing out small FGT toys (like Tomy and Chip do). A fireman pics up his kid to look at my engine bay. Kid drops the diecast toy I'd just given him on my wing. Full thickness chip through the clear bra film and paint. Didn't know what to say. The zen Buddhist in me fortunately took over. Had to realize that the dude occasionally runs into burning buildings for a living. Got the paint touched up and new clear bra applied. Go try to find the spot on my car without me pointing it out.

A few weeks later I take a 275 mile round trip to Frankie's farewell lunch. Something (a rock?) defies the laws of physics and takes a full thickness chunk out of my clear bra over my gloss carbon fiber door rocker panel. For now I touched it up with clear coat paint. Probably needs wet sanding and new PPF there. Totally fixable.

So...do I blame people, physics, or karma? You can keep your car sealed in a vault or drive it. Your choice.
I'm over 2000 miles driving a street legal purely derived race car!

Well said!
Drive'em, use them but don't abuse'em.
These cars were made for two reasons, for our pure enjoyment and for me to rub it in on all the Mopar and brand X dudes in this poke and plum town I grew up in.
Being one of the few Ford men during the times when nothing exciting was coming out of Dearborn and parts were almost non existent, got a lot of flak.
Sweet revenge!
Besides, have you ever seen a hearst towing a U-Haul LOL
 
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Xcentric

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 9, 2012
5,213
Myakka City, Florida
Trying to think if I've ever read anything dumber on the forum than threatening people at a car show with lethal force.

Nope. This is in a class by itself.

Officer: Why'd you shoot him?

Me: He opened my car door. I was defending it.

Officer: Oh, okay.
 
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fjpikul

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Jan 4, 2006
11,475
Belleville, IL
I guess the worst was sitting butt naked in someone else's Heritage GT. Top that for brazen and crass.
 

Sinovac

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 18, 2006
5,832
Largo, Florida
I guess the worst was sitting butt naked in someone else's Heritage GT. Top that for brazen and crass.

Unsanitary too.
 

Sinovac

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 18, 2006
5,832
Largo, Florida
:lol
You crack me up Gary.

I only carry a handgun at car shows so I can fight my way through the toddlers to get to my Benelli M4 in the trunk.
 

Stef

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Apr 5, 2009
1,082
Southern California
:lol
You crack me up Gary.

I only carry a handgun at car shows so I can fight my way through the toddlers to get to my Benelli M4 in the trunk.

LMAO...:lol
 

Rick Mustang

GT Owner
Mar 29, 2016
102
Central Texas
Lol. Probably best you stay in Florida. For all I knew they were going to steal it, officer. ��
 

GTdrummer

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Mar 13, 2010
2,104
Richmond Virginia
Yeah , because people or kids who have no more sense than to lean on, sit in or rub against your car are going to be swayed by a knucklehead nearby with a Glock, SIG, Python or what have you in a crowd of folks who may or may not have anything to do with the car.

Of course, you could clear leather on the rascal and in 5 hours see who gets back to the car quicker —-him or you. I never get tired of cowboys.
 

33Bravo

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Nov 3, 2006
688
Minneapolis, MN
Minnesota Cars and Coffee. Pretty big event with lots of cars.

I went for a walk to check, out other cars. Coming back to my GT.. hmmm my doors are open? Came up to my (let me repeat "my") car, 2 kids are sitting in my car eating ice creme. I said "ok guys, you have to get out of my car now". The parents came up to me and yelled at me - and told me I could not tell their kids what to do.

Huh.....