Something old, something new: Wide range of cars on way to Springfield for Mother Road Festival

On the east side of Springfield Thursday, a restored 1934 Ford Coupe shared a parking lot with a 2015 Lamborghini Huracan dressed up to look like Ricky Bobby's Wonder Bread Chevrolet from the 2006 movie "Talladega Nights."

Both vehicles have interesting stories, all thanks to the International Route 66 Mother Road Festival, which begins today with the annual City Nights Cruise through the city. Festival organizer Greg "Coop" Cooper, wanted to show off both the classic cars that people typically associate with the theme of the festival – the "mother road" tradition – and the newer cars that provide variety to the show.

"We wanted to show the classic car and the new modern car," Cooper said.

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Here's a look at these cars, beginning with a old car with a new engine:

Something old: Steve Goulden's 1934 Ford Coupe

Goulden found this Depression-era vehicle through a trade five years ago, something he enjoyed through his passion for old cars. The orange color of the vehicle was similar, but Goulden had plenty of work done on the car to make it the kind one would be able to enjoy at a car show.

"I've put some wheels on it, done some changing on the interior," said Goulden, of Springfield. "I just got done putting a Jack Roush motor in it."

That Jack Roush racing motor, Goulden admits, is probably a bit too souped-up for the body of the 88-year-old vehicle. Still, he feels it's a good engine when one wants to cruise or take it out on the interstate for a nice drive.

"The motor can probably go faster than the car's capable of," Goulden said. "It's a racing motor, so it's got plenty of pop. You can get out on the highway, you can cruise with it, you can get 100 mph out of it easily."

He currently has five cars, including the Ford, that he shows off at a variety of car shows in the city. Those events include some of Cooper's other shows such as the Powerlight Car Show and the Abe Lincoln Car Show.

"We had two of them here for the Powerlight," Goulden said. "Coop had me bring it out and he wanted me to bring this one (the Ford) to that one. Whenever the car shows are in town or cruising, (I show them off) all summer long."

As an auto mechanic and the owner of Vern's Auto Repair on North Grand Avenue East, he enjoys seeing all of the cars and other gearheads like him in Springfield.

"(I love) all the cars (and) all of the people," Goulden said. "It's something to do in Springfield."

Something new: Greg Kane's Ricky Bobby-inspired Lamborghini Huracan

Greg Kane of Springfield and his friend, Jeff Bair of Bloomington, started taking out the Lambo for showcasing last year to help in a charity drive that Bair is involved in with Cru Military, a non-denominational ministry that assists in providing counseling and other assistance to active-duty military members.

It helped that the car was originally white, meaning that putting the many advertising stickers on the car was the only kind of exterior work that needed to be done to make it look something like a NASCAR vehicle.

"We know some people in St. Louis that can wrap it and do a good job," Kane said. "Since it's going to be for charity and if we can raise some money that way, why not have some fun with it?"

The car is equipped with a V-10 engine in the rear of the vehicle and is also adorned with the signature of famed Lamborghini chief test driver Valentino Balboni alongside the many NASCAR-themed stickers on the front. For those unsure as to whether the vehicle can live up to Ricky Bobby's mantra of "I Wanna Go Fast," Kane and Bair said the vehicle can motor across any and all terrain.

"This car can do 210 (mph) on a track," Kane said. "Once a year, our club rents Gateway (World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis) and we didn't get to track it this year because it wasn't ready for the NASCAR race. But, we've tracked other cars and they've gone fast."

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Over the past year, they've shown off the car six times with two of those appearances in St. Louis and Jacksonville. Along the way, they have won awards and raised money for military personnel around the world.

However, this weekend plans to be different, as Kane and Bair are wearing fire-retardant suits (Kane like Ricky, Bair like Cal Naughton Jr.) and are looking for people to take pictures with them and donate money to Cru on Saturday.

"We would appreciate a donation for a photo with 'Ricky Bobby' and 'Cal Naughton Jr.,'" Bair said.

For those unsure of the kind of relationship that Kane and Bair bring to these kinds of shows, they only have two words for you:

"Shake and bake," Kane and Bair said as they did the fist bump made famous in the movie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Route 66 Mother Road Festival draws all kinds of cars to Springfield