Car show in Hot Springs features unique classic vehicles
<p>Larry Kennedy shows off his specially modified car that can run on hydrogen at a car show in Hot Springs in Saturday.</p>
HOT SPRINGS – The Second Home Restaurant in Hot Springs was the site of the annual customer appreciation celebration on Saturday. The lineup of activities included a car show, something that had not been done in previous years.
Second Home owner Lori Giese said the event is a way for her to give back to the community that has kept the restaurant in business for 16 years. Giese said the event included a barbecue, poker run, a car parade down Main Street in Hot Springs and live music.
“We just wanted to thank our customers,” said Giese. “Without them we wouldn’t stay in business. We appreciate the community that has taken us in and been with us for 16 years.”
Car show organizer Dave Campbell said he was hoping for a similar turnout to the one he received during the Homesteaders Days festival earlier in the year. While Campbell said he did not have a favorite he was fond of the Model A that showed up. The Model A was built by the Ford Motor Company from 1928 to 1931.
“I like those real old cars. It’s amazing that they are still on the road,” said Campbell. “People put a lot of work into these cars.”
Charles Bryant brought his burgundy-red 1967 Corvette to the car show to compete for the trophy given out to the best in show. Bryant rebuilt the engine on the vehicle and did some cosmetic work before it was ready for display.
“There’s always something to do on these old cars,” said Bryant. “You gotta love cars to get into this. If you don’t like to work on them you will never own a classic car cause they are time consuming.”
Lawrence Kennedy of Polson brought one of the more unique cars to the show. Kennedy’s Lincoln Continental Mark IV is modified to run on water. The nearly three-ton vehicle is equipped with a hydrogen-unit and does not use a drop of fossil fuels.
Kennedy is the founder of the Mission Valley Cruisers in Polson and is a classic car enthusiast. What he is not enthusiastic about is paying for gas. Kennedy said almost any car can be converted to use hydrogen fuel.
“It’s no big secret. We went to the moon on hydrogen,” said Kennedy. “Oil controls this planet and has for 150 years. The first cars were electric but then they discovered that they could burn oil in them.”
An advocate for alternative fuels and former lecturer, Kennedy said one of the main obstacles in converting modern cars to use hydrogen was getting the on-board computer to recognize and accept the new technology. The computers are programmed to recognize the use of fossil fuels.
“The performance is the same, the car gets great mileage and all that comes out the tailpipe is water,” said Kennedy. “Our reliance upon oil is the problem. We can’t wait for Detroit to catch up.”
The event in Hot Springs continued into the afternoon with a poker run and car owners driving down Main Street displaying their shiny vehicles for the public. The celebration ended with live music at the Second Home Restaurant.