The fifth annual Knights of Columbus Newport Beach Exotic Classic Car Show and Music Festival held Oct. 26 had its share of skeletons sitting in the back seats, but they paled next to the 160 classic and contemporary cars in the parking lot next to Balboa Pier. .
There were Ferraris, Maserati, Lamborghinis and McLarens with million-dollar prices, but most important was the car owners’ pride and joy in their exotic and classic wheels and the stories they told of how they spread joy with their cars.
Volkswagen enthusiast Gary Humphries was talking about his 1958 Skyline VW bus with a replica parked next to it.
“What’s the fun of being a Volkswagen guy?” He said. “Stories! Everyone has a Volkswagen story. When people see it, they say things like ‘I once went to Idaho to ski in one.’ Sometimes, they give me a lot of information, like ‘I had my first kiss in one.’” And many other things. There are always stories. It is the people’s car. People look at it and are happy. I can spread joy with my car, and I drive it every day.
And the model? “Kids love to play with it. They don’t mess with the big car.”
Another VW was a boxy-looking custom contraption bearing a sign on the windshield that said “I’m Cool Inside” with a row of vintage tassels adorning the gullwing passenger door and calling itself the Boonie Bug.
“It was originally for camping,” explained owner Dave Meurs. “The plans were purchased from Popular Mechanics. It was their 1974 ‘cover car.’ The idea was to get out of the way to get to the critters in your buggy for a good time, taking all the camping gear you wanted.”
Aside from the fun, there was also the owners’ pride in the classics that included a flock of ’57 T-Birds, a collection of mid-century British sports cars (MG, Austin-Healey, Triumph), dozens of trucks, and several Cobras, this classic pairing The 1960s combined a Ford V-8 with a British body, resulting in one of the best street-legal performance cars ever built.
Dennis Ashbury’s pride and joy was his Cobra in mint condition. interested? He’s offering it for $75,000 because “I want someone else to enjoy the fun of a Factory 5 Cobra. “It’ll go 120 mph and get six miles to the gallon, but if you can afford a Cobra, you can afford gasoline.
Frank Bunny’s Yeakel Special Plymouth doesn’t look like a car at all, with its long nose and 2,500-horsepower 1957 Chrysler mill that burns tiny methane fuel a gallon per minute. This is a good thing because it only has to cover a quarter mile, which it did in seven seconds in 1964 at 214 mph.
“It ran at all the racetracks in Southern California and set seven records every time,” Frank explained.
Then there was Mark Yovick’s 1958 Ford Fairlane Skyliner. With its hinged hardtop, it wasn’t just another Ford. “It’s one of the first hardtop convertibles ever made,” Yuvik explained. “The top folds into the trunk. You press one button – it activates 10 relays and servos and the top goes up.
Luggage space? Just a small compartment in the back, but Ford carefully provided custom luggage to fit it, including a stylish 1950s hat box.
“I paid $28,000 eleven years ago,” Mart said. “They deserve so much more now.” The ’58 Skyliner is currently listed for $79,995 online.
Bob Minty’s 1929 Oldsmobile woodcar included two classic bumper plates: Hoover For President and Keep And Enforce Prohibition.
“It was originally a limousine ordered by a hotel near Pikes Peak,” he explains. “They wanted something special, so they removed the metal frame and put in a wooden frame. It was called a station wagon. Later, it was just called a station wagon.”
Some old details stood out: “You look inside the car, and you see the ashtrays. This picture shows a woman with arms outstretched on a green cross that says ‘Prevent Forest Fires.’ They’re ahead of Smokey the Bear!”
He pointed to a prism-like tool on the dashboard. “It’s called a traffic light finder. The sunshade blocks your view, so you see the sky and the earth and with the traffic light in the middle.
Ralph Larison relaxed into the red upholstery of his white 1959 Cadillac, the one with the penultimate high tail fin. “I’ve had it for two years,” he said. “We also have a 1948 Ford Woody and a completely original 1954 Corvette.”
His happiness was “the joy of driving, going to car shows and meeting people.”
