By William Hall. Photos by author.
Anyone who has attended The Symco Shakedown in the past seven years can tell you that it is more than a car show- it’s a complete immersion into American hot-rod culture. That culture was given a bigger stage this year at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and its adjoining 1,600 acres of campground and facilities.
Now known simply as The Shakedown, and billed as “Summer Camp for Hotrodders,” the event took place August 10-13 and featured retro-camping, minibike drags, rockabilly and country swing bands, a swap meet, and a hot-rod and Kustoms car show. The addition of operational vintage aircraft from Pioneer Field make this event unique in the world.
Just as the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is known for its quality of cars, so too does the The Shakedown strive to be the benchmark show for traditional hot-rods. Famously-strict scrutineering turns away anything not pre-1964 and absolutely period-correct. Those cars are still invited to join the fun at an adjacent display field. The effect is like being transported back in time, without any reminders of modernity to break the spell.
In addition to traditional hot-rods, the show prides itself on curating the very specific aesthetic of the Kustom movement. One of the more dramatic Kustoms in attendance was this tribute to George Barris’ “Golden Sahara” show car built by Voodoo Larry Kustoms of Elk Grove Village, IL. The “Voodoo Sahara” started life as a 1953 Kaiser four-door, but now looks like something you’d see in the Jetson’s driveway.
Camping followed the same rules as the segregated cars, with the authentic vintage trailers forming a throwback village, each heavily accessorized with retro-kitsch. At night, campers formed round-robin parties to determine which campsite had constructed the best Tiki Bar. Two stages provided music and entertainment throughout the weekend.
A popular attraction was the EAA’s 1929 Ford 4-AT-E Tri-Motor aircraft, which offered passenger rides throughout the event. The Tri-Motor, or “Tin Goose”, was one of the first commercial passenger aircraft in the world. This particular example, NC8407, has a colorful history as the first plane owned by Eastern Air Transport, which would later become Eastern Airlines. It flew inaugural air service between Havana and Santiago de Cuba, and was then leased to the government of the Dominican Republic before returning to the States as a crop duster, aerial firefighter, and barnstormer. The EAA purchased the Tin Goose after its tiedowns broke during a thunderstorm, flipping and damaging the aircraft. A 12-year arduous restoration process returned her to the skies in 1985.
With room to grow, and inexpensive vendor space fees, the swap area was a hot-rodder’s delight. Vintage tin-toys, license plate frames, period aftermarket gauges, enamel signs and oddities abound, and the thoughtful location adjacent to the parking and camping areas meant you didn’t have to trudge your treasures around with you for miles.
If there was one grumble, it was that the activities seemed spread out in the expanse of its new hosting facility. After all, the EAA’s world-famous Fly-In Week welcomes over 10,000 aircraft each summer, with many attendees camping out under their wings. But given some time, The Shakedown will grow into its new home; like a young man growing into a set of loose blue jeans…cuffed at the bottoms, of course.
William Hall is a writer, collector and classic car broker based in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
See original article at" https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2016/08/18/the-shakedown-spreads-its-wings-at-eaa-museum-grounds/
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