The Last 11 Miles of Route 66: LA to Santa MonicaMark Vaughn - AutoweekThere was a lot to celebrate: Cool cars, a police escort, the 60th anniversary of the Dodge Charger, the 100th anniversary of Route 66, and the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles did it all last Sunday with a lineup of some of its cars, some of Dodge/Chrysler's cars, and a bunch of cars that belonged to friends and fans of the beloved automotive institution.It was called "America on the Move: A Route 66 Centennial Parade."I did my part by piloting a brand new Dodge Charger R/T Four-Door AWD, one of the last of the great muscle cars that defined the brand. Mine had the 3.0-liter twin turbo straight-six that Dodge likes to call the Hurricane. It sure was, not just because it had torque all over the tach, especially down low when your foot got anywhere near the accelerator, but because the eight-speed automatic was tuned to sense when you wanted to do something and had it in the right gear every time. How it did this I don't know, it just did. It even went around corners without flopping over on its door handles like muscle cars of yore used to do.AdvertisementAdvertisementBut that was just one car in a parade that rolled down Olympic Blvd. like a celebration of the USA, of the Mother Road, and of all things fun and horsepowered. Click on to pick your favorites.1) 1999 Luigi Colani ViperPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn2) 1958 Chevrolet Impala ConvertiblePhoto credit: Mark VaughnThis one might be Sylvester Stallone's3) 1914 MarmonPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn4) Custom Car ConvertiblePhoto credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisement5) Virgil Exner DodgePhoto credit: Mark Vaughn6) 1948 CadillacPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn7) 1959 CadillacPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn8) 2026 Dodge Charger R/TPhoto credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisementThis was mine for the day.9) Dodge ViperPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn10) David Martin's 1931 FordPhoto credit: Mark VaughnThis car won America's Most Beautiful Roadster in 2018. "It is so much fun to drive," Martin said with a grin wider than the increased track width on his '31.11) DevinPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn12) Dodge Charger Tribute F&FPhoto credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisement13) Red Bull Trophy TruckPhoto credit: Mark VaughnBryce Menzies is one of the winningest drivers in SCORE Desert Racing. He's won the Baja 400, 500 and 1000 in this truck. It was quite a scene to see and hear it roaring up the ramp in the Petersen's parking garage. You can root for him in the Baja 400 Sept. 9-13 and the Baja 1000 Nov. 9-15.14) The CruisePhoto credit: Mark VaughnWe went down Olympic Blvd, which was part of Rte. 66 from 1936 to 1964.15) Best T-Shirt AwardPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn16) 1st-Gen ViperPhoto credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisement17) David Martin's '31 FordPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn18) Luigi Colani Colani ViperPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn19) Meyers ManxPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn20) Ford ThunderbirdPhoto credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisement21) Dodge Charger Tribute F&FPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn22) Dodge DaytonaPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn23) 1958 Impala ConvertiblePhoto credit: Mark Vaughn24) 1914 MarmonPhoto credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisement25) 5x Trans Am Champ Tommy KendallPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn26) Car EnthusiastsPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn27) 1959 CadillacPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn28) Dodge DaytonaPhoto credit: Mark VaughnAdvertisementAdvertisement29) 1929 DupontPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn30) 1948 CadillacPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn31) David Martin's 1931 FordPhoto credit: Mark Vaughn32) 1968 Dodge Dart from the TV Show MannixPhoto credit: Dave KunzAdvertisementAdvertisementJoe Mannix (played by Mike Connors) famously drove a succession of customized, high-performance convertibles on the hit CBS detective series Mannix. His most iconic ride was a British Racing Green 1968 Dodge Dart GTS modified by legendary customizer George Barris. This one is owned by ABC7 newsman Dave Kunz. The car even has a radio telephone in it!33) The Western Terminus of Rte. 66Photo credit: Mark Vaughn
