Drive On! 2024

Drive On! 2024

It’s rods, wheels, reels, and vintage automobiles at the annual Fall Colors Car Show in Bishop, CA

By Christina Reed
The Hired Pen

Conveyances: “The action or process of transporting someone or something from one place to another.” (Oxford)

Eastern Sierra, CA—Some say, America’s roads define us, and certainly our rides influence the way we see things. There’s a chance to see many of the country’s popular rides, rods, and wheels, at the annual Fall Colors Car Show, Bishop, CA, October 4-6, 2024. Sponsored by the City of Bishop, Chamber of Commerce, this fall classic car show supports the Bishop Bronco Boosters, and the Bishop High School sports and activities. It’s three days of music, vendors, cruising the back roads during the poker run, and taking in the autumn sights around the Eastern Sierra.

Tin Lizzie: Most influential vehicle of the 20th Century

The Model T Ford (1908-1927) was nicknamed the “Tin Lizzie.” As the story goes, the old Model T, “Old Liz,” was one of the contestants in a car race, and looking a little haggard, the old gal beat the newer models. The name stuck. The price was right. And, the Tin Lizzie opened the West for many. Built highways and byways, and back roads, from wagon trails. There were 15 million Model T Fords built (1918-1927), making its share of the country’s automobile market, 40 percent. There were several styles /series of the Model T, including the five-seat touring car, the two-seat runabout, and the seven-seat town car.

Locally, Asa Adams is credited with bringing the first automobiles to Bishop, CA, and as early as 1906, driving to Bishop in his automobiles was a really big deal. Later, in Big Pine, CA, Chandler Automobiles had the latest rides, Model A Fords, and were sold by Frank Rossi, for $995, according to the Big Pine Citizen Newspaper, dated June 25, 1927. One customer exclaimed, “I’ve just had the ride of my life.”
Gas Taxes have been around since dinosaurs roamed the earth….

August 6, 1927: Gas tax. YIKES. “Each time you buy ten gallons of gas, thirty cents of it goes for taxes.” This California Gas Tax brought in a cool five million dollars.