Cobe Cup on road again
Steve Feddeler of Lowell stood outside his restored 1974 Hendrickson semitractor-trailer Saturday answering questions about his vehicle at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Crown Point after the 111th running of the Cobe Cup.
He bought the truck seven years ago and spent five of those years painstakingly restoring the body of the triple axle trailer designed for hauling the “super heavy” loads in excess of 200,000 pounds.
“I’ve been around trucks all my life. I drive one for a living,” Feddeler said.
His rig was among the approximately 80 vehicles from 1930s era Model A Fords to 1970s muscle cars and everything in between, even including a few newer vehicles that wanted to experience the recreation of the historic road race hosted by the Regional Streeters car club.
“It’s kind of neat when you think about the history,” Feddeler said.
Regional Streeters club member Don Fanning said the first Cobe Cup race was run in 1909. It was the first major auto race in the U.S. and ran again in 1910. Shortly afterward the Indianapolis 500 was created, putting an end to the race, but not the run. The Cobe Cup route has been traced in some form since the first race. The Regional Streeters took the event over from the city of Crown Point several years ago.
Like so many long-standing events, the Cobe Cup did not take place in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, a handful of the club’s members gathered to retrace the route that runs from the fairgrounds, through Cedar Lake and into Lowell, returning to the fairgrounds along Indiana Avenue.
“Normally we don’t get to go on the cruise because we are all working the car cruise,” Fanning said. Volunteers organize and staff the event and all proceeds received are
donated to an organization selected by club members. The 2021 Cobe Cup benefited the Shriners Hospitals for Children. The event is one of two hosted each year by the car club. The second is a juried car show July 31 at the Gary Sportsmen Club in Crown Point.
Members Pat Maggi, of Cedar Lake, and Scott Curtis, of Highland, said club members couldn’t not run the cup and break with tradition. They were happy to be able to host the event this year and allow the public to come out and watch.
“In general, people want to get out. Even spectators want to get out and do something,” Maggi said.
Maggi said he has watched the prices of classic cars climb 20% to 30% in the past year. He theorized people had a little more money to spend on their hobby due to the pandemic.
Both men said their connection to the classic cars they have developed over a lifetime. Curtis said he worked in an auto body shop his whole life as a painter. His show car is a 1968 Chevy Camaro. Maggi has a 1964 Ford F100 and a 1938 Ford Tudor.
“I’ve been into cars since I was 10 years old,” Maggi said. He remembered being captivated by his neighbor’s cars when he was a child back in the 1960s. The neighbors were always out with their cars.
“I was just captivated by it. I think everybody connects to cars from their childhood,” he said.
Chase Pershing is hoping cars are something he and his son, Easton, 8, can bond over. Easton, he said, is a car enthusiast. Pershing wants to get a project car the two can restore together and then bring to car shows like the Cobe Cup.
Easton was fascinated by a specialty vehicle at the cruise, a 1974 Ford LTD that was once a state police car. Owner Glen Ewen, vice president of the Winamac Old Auto Club, said he bought the vehicle in 1980, stripped it down to the frame, which he shortened, and then built the chassis from scraps found on the family farm.
The vehicle was decorated with toy cars, horns, clocks and even a few toilet paper rolls. One of the horns was a surprise water fountain when the buzzer was depressed.
“It has all kinds of gimmicks,” Ewen laughed.
Easton inspected each Hot Wheel attached to the car, picking out his favorites. While the gimmick car was a favorite, it wasn’t all that caught his eye.
“I think all these cars are really amazing,” he said.
Craig Hansen, of Crown Point, drove a 1930 Model A Tudor in the Cobe Cup. He has participated in the race about a half a dozen times.
“It’s a nice day to go out and drive the Model A,” Hansen said. The weather, while breezy, was dry, a necessity before many drivers will take their classic and antique vehicles on the road.
“It’s a very pleasant drive believe it or not. It’s enjoyable,” Hansen said, adding driving the Model A is also a lot of fun because it is not like today’s vehicles with automatic everything. “It’s a car you have to drive.”
Zack Scott, of Crown Point, was restoring one of the newer vehicles to take part in retracing the historic Cobe Cup route, a 2001 Volkswagen Golf TDI. Scott said he has always been a fan of domestic muscle cars and always loved diesel engines. When the Golf crossed his path two months ago, he said he gave it a whirl.
“I drove it around and instantly fell in love,” Scott said. A new turbo charger, aftermarket tires and rims and other improvements to the body have been made and more are to come. He hopes to have the car completed by the end of the summer.