HomeMediaStar cars: Classic commercial vehicles featured at Packard Proving Grounds

Star cars: Classic commercial vehicles featured at Packard Proving Grounds

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Brian Saylor's bringing his 1937 Ford Texaco tanker truck | Cars 'R' Stars
Brian Saylor’s bringing his 1937 Ford Texaco tanker truck | Cars ‘R’ Stars
Terry and Rita Ernest own this 1934 Kodak-liveried Ford panel delivery | Cars 'R' Stars
Terry and Rita Ernest own this 1934 Kodak-liveried Ford panel delivery | Cars ‘R’ Stars

Historic commercial vehicles will be the stars next month at the annual Cars ‘R’ Stars show at the historic Packard Proving Grounds in Shelby Township just north of Detroit.

Among the featured vehicles expected are a 1937 Ford Texaco Tanker; a 1947 Chevrolet used by the famed Michigan soda pop bottler, Vernor’s; a 1920 Ford Model T depot hack; a 1934 Ford delivery featuring Kodak advertising; and a 1934 Australian-built Chevrolet “ute.”

“Cars ‘R’ Stars @ PPG is known for welcoming all examples of collectable transportation and this year’s feature is a good example of that,” said Don Sommer, a longtime car collector, founder of the former Meadow Brook concours d’elegance and a Cars ‘R’ Stars board member.

“Our hunt to bring together the most famous and nostalgic trucks and commercial vehicles of America has been a real lesson in our industrial history,” he added in a news release.

Cars ‘R’ Stars is the successor to the Carnival of Cars, one of the oldest annual classic car events in Michigan. It is held at the historic Packard Proving Grounds, designed 83 years ago by famed architect Albert Kahn. The grounds includes a Tudor-style lodge with an 8-bay garage and temporary dormitory for engineers and test drivers, as well as the Repair Garage where much of the work was conducted on Packards as they were undergoing development.

The facilities also include a section of the proving grounds’ oval track and its historic timing tower.

IMG_8473Each year, the show includes a full range of vehicles — from brass-era cars to motorcycles to hot rods, muscle cars and other classics. But each year there also is a featured class. In recent years, the feature class has included historic drag racers (2012) and vintage travel trailers and motor homes (2013).

“The historic significance of the Packard Proving Grounds makes it an important and ideal setting for a collector car meet and celebration,” Sommer said. “The unique proving grounds is a piece of Michigan history where the greatest American autos ran their paces.

“The beauty of this event is that everyone is invited to show off their vehicles and enjoy the setting and the camaraderie of fellow automotive lovers.”

Ray Savage will display his 1947 Vernor's-badged Chevrolet stake truck | Cars 'R' Stars
Ray Savage will display his 1947 Vernor’s-badged Chevrolet stake truck | Cars ‘R’ Stars

For more information, visit www.carsrstars.com.

Larry Edsall
Larry Edsall
A former daily newspaper sports editor, Larry Edsall spent a dozen years as an editor at AutoWeek magazine before making the transition to writing for the web and becoming the author of more than 15 automotive books. In addition to being founding editor at ClassicCars.com, Larry has written for The New York Times and The Detroit News and was an adjunct honors professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

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