I’m not that big on Renaissance festivals, but my friends were, and we lived near one of the best in the country, apparently. So, friends from four states away would come down to visit in what to me was… the local fair thing fifteen minutes from where I grew up. Fine by me, a dozen friends from all over the country showed up to eat, drink, and watch jousting.

It began as a joint project with his father a decade ago. Now, you can spot this olive-green Ford Escort Bulldog Machine cruising the streets and circuits of Sweden, eagerly awaiting your attention.

My mom was driving my sister and me to the store for the weekly grocery run, using our roommate’s truck. At the halfway point, a police car going the opposite way flipped on the lights and turned around. [Mom] pulled over.

Here is a picture of my car. The Golden Hawks were made from 1956 to 1958. The 1957-58 models came with supercharged V8 engines that were considered high performance at the time. Studebaker made 4356 Golden Hawks in 1957.

I used to do a bit of community theatre in my small town. My nephew was hanging out with nothing to do all summer, so I got him involved volunteering backstage and doing odd jobs around the theatre.

The first time I saw a Toyota Hilux (pronounced “high lux”) double cab was in 1987 when I was in elementary school visiting my cousins in Japan. A 4×4 truck w/ 4 doors and a short bed is still one of the greatest ideas I’ve seen. Every trip abroad I would see the evolution of the Hilux which would never make it to the US.

This is a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air sedan. She was built in Baltimore, Maryland and came from the factory with the 220 horsepower “Power Pack” 283 V-8 with dual exhaust and Powerglide transmission.

Text and photo: Erol Orhun