Car Enthusiasts Get Ready for Next Weekend's Show at Expo New Mexico
By Andrew Webb /
Journal Staff Writer
Gas prices be damned. This weekend, auto aficionados from around the Southwest will be busy washing, waxing and tuning up for an upcoming three-day celebration of raw, unabashed power.
The Southwestern Musclecar Nationals, which runs March 24-26 at Expo New Mexico, will feature 200 "boulevard bullies" from Detroit's horsepower-squeezing glory days.
We're talking 400-cubic-inch engines and four-barrel carbs here. There won't be a gas sipper in sight.
"There won't be any family cars, none of the boring stuff," said Matt Torres, of event organizer AM Productions, which puts on an annual hot rod and custom show in New Mexico called the Super Nationals.
The Southwestern Musclecar Nationals will be the first event here in more than 10 years dedicated solely to such vehicles.
Torres' family sponsored a few muscle car events in the late 1980s and early 90s, but the popularity of 60s- and 70s-era muscle cars later faded. Consumers have recently rediscovered the cars, making some of the rarer models worth millions, Torres said.
Detroit has taken notice. DaimlerChrysler recently resurrected the legendary Dodge Charger, and Ford's redesigned, retro-styled Mustang has been a critical favorite.
"The baby boomers all lived in the '60s and '70s with these muscle cars. This lets them relive their past," said Rick Quanz, whose auto mechanic business, Quanz Advanced Auto Care, has operated in Albuquerque for three decades.
Quanz this week began prepping 10 cars from his collection for the show, including two Plymouth Hemi 'Cudas, a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, a 1969 Boss 429 Mustang and a '67 Shelby GT.
In their heyday, muscle cars were famous for their tire-stripping pickup and infamous for poor handling, minimal brakes and scant attention paid to safety or fuel efficiency.
Today, the few that remain in original condition are highly prized. Torres said some people consider them "rolling retirement accounts."
"They're the hottest thing out there now," he said.
The Southwestern Musclecar Nationals will feature Torres' Dodge Challenger, which was used in the Val Kilmer movie "Blind Horizon," the late NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt's "Intimidator" Monte Carlo and local collector Greg Sullivan's nitro-fueled Barracuda "Funny Car." New high-power models from Chrysler, Ford and General Motors will also be featured.
The show, which will be in the Lujan Complex at Expo New Mexico, will be open noon to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are available at NAPA auto parts stores in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Belen and Los Lunas at a cost of $9. They will cost $11.50 at the door. Free children's tickets are available at Raley's stores.
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