I originally learned about the “Return to Milltown” annual car show from a fellow hotrodder that genuinely dislikes attending car shows. He does not care in the least about trophies, shiny paint, or getting a lawn chair in the shade. He is a hotrodder that awakes each and every day with unquenchable desire to create a brutally fast vehicle that may someday hope to satisfy. One morning, while in line for coffee, he simply said to me “you gotta go to Milltown, it’s real car guys down there”. He knew I was a car guy, and I understood what he meant. I took his advice 3 years ago, and I’ve been going each year since.
The show is always a masterful collection of real deal hotrods mostly from the 1920’s to the 1960’s. Some of the craftsmenship there is concours worthy, and others make you wonder what the hell went so wrong. They all made it there though, and many attendees from massive distances away. That is hotrodding at the core.
This brings us to my favorite automotive photo that I have ever taken. This banjo steering wheel was attached to a 1936 ford if I recall correct, and everything about this steering wheel was perfection. The lighting, the cracked center, the beautiful elongated v8 emblem, I could go on for days. My love this photo is awkward, yet understandable. If this steering wheel could speak, it would have a story far better than anything I could dream of writing.