Re: IML: That yarn car

[Tim Klein <iml@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Since I mentioned the Yarn Car (my '67 Imperial art car) here 
recently, a number of IMLers have written to me off-list.  Thank you, 
to those who sent compliments and/or support!  I didn't really think 
my weird car would make much of an impression with this crowd, but I 
guess Imperial owners necessarily must have a few nonconformist 
genes, eh?

The big question on everyone's mind seems to be, what reaction does 
my car get at car shows?  So here's a response that I was going to 
send privately to my fellow Dallas-dweller Harvey Wells, but I'll 
post it here instead...

> Tim,
>
> Where do you live in the Dallas area?  I'd love to see the yarn car 
> if you have it at a local area show give me a holler and maybe I 
> could have my 68 sit beside it as a point of reference..lol
>
> We live in Euless and to be honest I haven't seen too many Imperials around.
>
> Harvey & Peggy
> 68 Convertible avocado green with white interior
> 93 Imperial white with blue interior
> <mailto:harveys68imperial@xxxxxxxxxxx>harveys68imperial@xxxxxxxxxxx

Hi Harvey!  I'm in Richardson [a northern suburb, for the 
non-Dallasites tuning in].  I agree, it's a rare treat to see any 
sort of Imperial in these parts.  I'd be quite happy to get a photo 
of our two Imps together sometime, but I don't usually take mine to 
car shows.  I must admit it's kind of pleasant to spend the day 
talking to the other attendees' girlfriends, who inevitably gravitate 
to my car rather than trudge along to look at yet another '57 Chevy...

But in the end, my car doesn't really belong there.  It *is* a 
classic car, uncustomized other than its, um, unconventional paint 
job, so technically they can't really turn me away as long as I pay 
the entry fee.  But an art car is the opposite of what a classic car 
show is all about -- and although I don't mean for my car to be any 
sort of mockery of the other cars (heck, I love classic cars), it's 
just too easy for people to interpret it that way.  It's kind of 
funny that the public in general loves my car because it's so 
"original", while the classic car crowd in general hates it because 
it's NOT original!  But I understand where they're coming from -- the 
old car scene is about conservation, and conservationists are by 
definition conservative.

So someday when time and money allow, I'll get that '60 Imperial that 
I've always wanted, and I'll fit right in at car shows.  Well, OK, 
maybe not, since it'll probably be the only Imperial there... but at 
least I'll be playing by the rules. :-)

In the meantime, I'm in the Houston Art Car Parade every year (won 
2nd place out of 250 cars my first year, losing out to a guy who 
built his own car from the ground up -- out of wood!), and I'll be in 
the Austin Art Car Parade next month (http://www.austinartcar.com), 
so I don't totally lack for car shows to be in...

Hope to meet you in person soon! [And that goes for anyone else 
reading this too!]

Tim
http://www.yarncar.com






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