Solid turnout despite downpour at La Harpe's Fred Gibb Car Show

Photo by Mitch Worley

Nickey Chevrolet Chicago CEO Stefano Bimbi brought a prototype of the 2010 Gibb ZL-1 Camaro to the 11th annual Fred Gibb Memorial Car Show to display to the residents of La Harpe, the town known for being the home of drag racing legend Fred Gibb.

By MITCH WORLEY

Eagle Sports Writer

Unexpected trials have been something La Harpe mayor Ken Brown and fellow Fred Gibb Car Show organizer Bob Lionberger have grown accustom to in the past year.

Lionberger overcame a life-threatening illness in the past year while still trying to help Brown celebrate the legacy of a hometown hero that is perhaps the most underrated figure in the world of automobiles and for the first time 11 years at the La Harpe Fred Gibb Memorial Car Show, it rained.

"To be honest with you, I was down this morning when it started raining because we've spent hour after hour out here setting this up," Brown explained. "Bob and I have worked really close on (the car show) and it's very hard when you're best friend gets sick or something like that.  He never lost hope at all. He stayed right in there and said, 'This thing will keep on going," and he proved us right."

Brown's spirits were lifted within an hour of being at the show as cars steadily matriculated onto the Lamoine Valley Golf Course to assume their positions in their respective classes.

"I was sitting here waiting and people just came and it was unbelievable," Brown said. "We had rain past noon and we still had over 200 vehicles show up."

The eleventh annual Fred Gibb Memorial Car Show brought in hot rods from as far as New Hampshire and added a special guest to unveil yet another tribute to Gibb's legacy.

Nickey Chevrolet Chicago's CEO Stefano Bimbi rolled out the first vehicle produced from the new line of 2010 Gibb ZL-1 Camaros as the super car outlet specializing in vintage street rods prepares to manufacture only two prototypes and 69 custom-built models within the next year to honor a man he looked up to since his childhood.

"Fred Gibb is one of our heroes and I've known about him since I was a kid," Bimbi said. "I used to travel from Chicago to Macomb when I came to school and when I saw the sign for La Harpe, I always knew that was where Fred Gibb Chevrolet was. It was an honor for us to be here this year at this particular show to introduce (the 2010 Gibb ZL-1 Camaro) to the public and get Helen's approval on our concept."

Bimbi, a 1986 graduate of Western Illinois University, wanted to honor Gibb with a new model of one of the most popular muscle cars ever made in the ZL-1 Camaro, which boasts a range of 500 to 1,000 horsepower depending on the specifications given by the buyer of one of the limited edition dream cars.

Over the years, Lionberger has taken Gibb's wife, Helen, to different car shows across the nation to display some of her husband's original cars, meeting Bimbi along the way and made plans to bring one of the most prolific vintage car dealers in the nation to the Fred Gibb Memorial Car Show to add even more excitement to an already world class display of automobiles.

"I've gotten to meet so many wonderful people and build friendships like the ones that showed up to day from New Hampshire and Pennsylvania and these people we've become associated with over the years," Lionberger said. "We wouldn't have been able to have done without Fred's contributions all those years ago."

The 2010 Gibb ZL-1 Camaro was accompanied by the orange, 1969 Chevrolet ZL-1 Camaro of Ken Barnhart and several other original ZL-1s to go along with other prize cars ranging from Ford Mustang Cobras, classic Chevy Stingrays, semi-tractors and even a monster truck.

Bimbi said there is no other car show in the nation that boasts as many classic muscle cars in one place as the Fred Gibb Memorial Car Show, citing many of the cars that are regularly on display in the open are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

According to Bimbi, Barnhart's ZL-1 is currently worth around $1 million because of its dominance over the years on the drag strip, he is the original owner of the car and has never changed the car since he bought it new from Gibb's dealership for only $7,129.50.

Although the Gibb cars and other classic hot rods that make their way to La Harpe and Monmouth each summer are the main attraction to the car show, many visitors enjoy scouting out local prized vehicles that are spoken of throughout the area more than they are seen throughout the year.

Mike VanNess of Danville, Iowa was impressed by both the quality and variety the Fred Gibb Car Show brings each year with its 42 classes, but is particularly fond of the tractor truck class he entered his 2004 379 Peterbilt tractor with a flat screen television, DVD player, refrigerator and other amenities his commercial vehicle contains.

"It gives people a chance to see the trucks up close and see what they're all about," VanNess said. "They usually don't get to see what's inside, only what's going down the road when they pass by."

With the wide range of unique vehicles the Fred Gibb Memorial Car Show coupled with a legacy that's been 40 years in the making, attendees, participants and administrators of the event foresee a bright future for one of the most impressive and highly touted automobile exhibitions in the Midwest.

"I think this show will go on as long as any show out there," Lionberger said. "It brings in people from all over the country and drive up to 1,200 miles who want to honor Fred Gibb."

For pictures of all the cars and trucks featured in the 11th annual Fred Gibb Memorial Car Show, visit http://eaglepublications.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=816019&CategoryID=47980&ListSubAlbums=0