The weekend before last, the National Street Rod Association's (NSRA) Southeast Street Rod Nationals rolled into the Florida State Fairgrounds, marking the beginning of the outdoor show/cruise season here in Florida.

Lest you think that every car and truck in there was a (WHAT?!) with a (BLASPHEMY!!) engine, there were some fine Mopar rides on the grounds, like this '70 Super Bee Hardtop.

Before you start getting  bent out of shape over "too new" stuff being in an NSRA show field (& getting as grouchy as an old West Coast hot rodder at a "P-Town" show), NSRA does invite '49-later rides to some of its events, including the one here in Tampa.  That made the show better, in this writer/scribbler's opinion--seeing fenderless and fat-fendered cars alongside Exner-era and Engel-era Mopars is a visual treat for all.

For traditional rodders out there--or those who have one in the family and/or neighborhood--here's a couple of pre-'49 coupes worth a good look.

This one's a '40 Plymouth (per the info on the window credential). What engine would go best in it? I'm hearing some guys yelling "Stuff a Hemi in it!"...some guys saying (Leaning Tower of Power!" But you guys yelling for an LA-series smallblock are yelling loudest.

For you Dodge boys, here's a '39 Dodge coupe,wearing a shade that was not in the paint shop at Dodge Main (Hamtramck) when this one was built.

This '67 Dodge Coronet R/T would have been the ideal car to drive to the show in, as the weather was top-down perfect. The sun was kinda strong, though, and putting a beach towel down before getting in may have prevented the "YEEEOWWW!" you get when sitting on black vinyl seats on a really sunny day.

Here's my favorite--a '64 Dodge Polara 500 hardtop. It's an original 426 Street Wedge/console-mounted 727, with all its trim intact. Only thing wrong that I could see was where it's parked--those light poles behind it don't help it much.

This is probably the rarest type of E-Body in existence: A '71 Dodge Challenger Convertible that hasn't been cloned into an R/T, and still has its original 318 instead of a B/RB or Hemi crate engine. Still, it's a nice cruiser for days like this one.

"Yep, it looks great, even if you never haul a damn thing in it." So say folks about the Dodge Lil' Red Express pickups--this one's a '79, thanks to its four rectangular headlights.

How many of you know this is a '72 Road Runner? Those of you who spotted that one-year-only split grille.

Probably the biggest cruiser on the grounds was this '63 Imperial two-door hardtop. Just under twenty feet long, it epitomizes Engel-era style--even if the fins were shaved off after '61, and even if this one does need a bit of rust repair on the left front fender (and elsewhere?)