What is it about old gas stations that make them such a draw for car enthusiasts? Two excellent examples just happen to be on Historic Route 66 in central Illinois: In Dwight, an old Texaco station has been returned to its former glory. In Odell, a preservation effort is making serious headway in restoring a 1920s-era Standard station. Odell also is where we picked up our first refugee Route 66er, Dave Jostes, who crashed the party with his 1970 Chevelle. Its speedometer had just crossed the 300,000-mile threshold.

The first day's drive gave us the chance to sort out all four cars. The SC/Rambler had more than its share of teething problems, thanks to the fact that it had literally been finished as it was pushed on to the transporter back in Arizona. And running 4.10 to 1 gears cruising at 70 m.p.h., the fresh 390 was running at more than 3,500 r.p.m. So the Rambler team was quite happy when we decided to call it a day in Litchfield, Illinois, rather than pushing on to St. Louis as planned.

Day Two: Litchfield, Illinois to Tulsa, Oklahoma (450 miles)

Overnighting in Litchfield gave us the opportunity to photograph Kenny's Camaro at first light in front of the historic Ariston Cafe, a fixture along Route 66 since 1931. The rest of the group arrived at eight sharp, and we were off to St. Louis and its magnificent Gateway Arch. Although not technically a part of the Route 66 experience, we certainly couldn't miss the symbolic front door to the American West.

Then we stopped at Ted Drewes,