Eighteen years in the past in 2005, my good friend Lee had the thought of organizing a centrally-located meet-up for Acura Legend homeowners and lovers. On the time, the Legend mannequin (authentic flagship of the Acura division lineup) had already been out of manufacturing for a few decade – the final Legend rolled off the showroom flooring in late 1995 to get replaced by the extra sedate 3.5RL. Lee’s inaugural occasion, dubbed the Nationwide Acura Legend Meet (NALM) went off and not using a hitch, attracting about 25 Legends and their homeowners to Dallas, Texas, for a multi-day program.

With exception of 2020, the occasion has now taken place yearly since, spanning locations from Morristown, New Jersey, to Daytona Seaside, Florida, to Los Angeles, California, and plenty of locations in between. I’ve written about NALM for The Journal previously. Final yr, we went to Wichita, and in 2021, I used to be capable of host the occasion in my hometown of Phoenix. This yr’s festivities took us to the state capitol of Kentucky: Lexington. I made a 4,171-mile round-trip trek in my high-mileage 1994 LS coupe which I’ve now owned for over 20 years. The automotive has seen virtually 40 states, so the chance for one more cross-country journey was welcomed.

My route began in Arizona and took me by means of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky. Fortunately, the trusty Legend took me safely to and from the occasion, and I even hit up the well-known “Tail of the Dragon” twisty street (in any other case often called Freeway 129) which straddles the Tennessee – North Carolina state strains. The Tail is a legendary street in itself, reputed to have 318 curves in an 11-mile stretch.

Included on this yr’s NALM schedule of occasions was a tour of Toyota’s largest manufacturing facility in the US, in any other case often called TMMK or Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Kentucky, situated in Georgetown. This facility cranks out 1000’s of automobiles per day and was welcoming to the 30 of us who attended a personal tour. Different occasion highlights included a scenic drive by means of Paris (Kentucky, that’s), a go to to Bourbon Home Distillery, a tour of the Kentucky state capitol, a reception on the Courtesy Acura dealership (together with a promotional TV spot!), and naturally, loads of scrumptious native delicacies like a cheesesteak sandwich from Pink State BBQ.

Occasion Director Eric Edson, native Lexington resident, had his work lower out for him accommodating attendees from 14 totally different states, lots of whom drove nice distances to attend. Two, the truth is, got here from California, a number of from Florida, and a pair ventured from Vermont. Legend individuals are clearly not afraid to rack up the miles. “Better of Present” through the awards ceremony deservedly went to Chad Hawkins of Florida who introduced out his pristine Winery Grey Metallic 1992 Legend LS sedan with solely 33,000 miles on the odometer.

Probably the most rewarding a part of any traditional automotive possession expertise is being a part of the group. As proof to that, some of us who attend NALM don’t even personal a Legend, and a few select to fly in only for the expertise if their schedule doesn’t enable them to drive cross-country like I did.

The Legend will actually stay on amongst this devoted group of lovers, and there are already rumors about the place the 2024 meet will land. Search for us in your neck of the woods subsequent summer time!

Keep updated on group occasions like NALM on the ClassicCars.com Journal.