“Johnny Angel how I love him…” “Rock-n-roll is here to stay…” “Rockin’ Robin, oh oh oh Rockin’ Robin – go Rockin’ Robin ‘cause we’re really gonna rock tonight…”
As the golden oldies jogged memories and brought back long-forgotten song lyrics – lyrics that found their way to the lips – several, shall I say, “old teenagers” and I sang along. Not well, but with gusto reserved for such fun moments.
Walking around Mattapoisett’s Shipyard Park on an early September Friday evening enjoying the site of lovingly cared for classic cars and their classic owners was a nostalgic trip.
There were Mustangs, a Ford Galaxy, several Chevy Bel Airs, old Oldsmobiles, one Rambler classic, even a model T Ford with a rumble seat and the ever-cool El Camino. There was a 1949 Mercury, according to its owner, “It’s the same kind that James Dean had.”
Bob Thomas of New Bedford was there with his bright yellow Dodge Roadrunner. He proudly pulled out the specifications he had printed off the Internet on the 1970 model he now owns and said excitedly, “This thing came in 18 colors, 18 COLORS!” His automobile is truly a thing of beauty. He says it has all original equipment.
John Dunham of Lakeville – situated beside Thomas – brought out his 1960 Ford pick-up truck in a surreal shade of yellow with chartreuse lettering and fenders. He said he’d owned the truck since 1976 but only recently had the money to rehabilitate it to its current glory.
“I had to put kids through college and then put my wife through college before I could spend money on this,” Dunham said.
These two gents belong to the cruising club they call “The Down Shifters” and every Friday night during the good weather they meet up in Mattapoisett or Rochester’s Plumb Corner as well as other nearby spots. They said that things wrap up for classic car cruising around Columbus Day, and “Then they go to bed for the winter,“ added Thomas. Dunham and Thomas said, although showing off their vehicles was great fun, an even bigger part of the enjoyment was meeting people and seeing what they had done with their classics.
Nearly every person that night spoke of an early love for a specific make and model of automobile, an emotional attachment that has stayed with them through the decades. As Thomas said, “I’ve always been a Mopar guy.”
Karen Oliveira of Rochester told a lovely, yet sad, story of the car she and her husband now own. As the story goes, a man in Acushnet purchased a 1955 Chevy Bel Air for his wife. That lady put only 4,000 miles on the car before she passed away at a young age. The husband took the nearly new car and put it in storage for many years. When it was time for him to downsize his collection in 1993, his wife’s gently used vehicle was sold to the Oliveiras.
“It had only 4,000 original miles on it,” Oliveira said. Since then, she and her husband have put only about 48,000 miles on the car – all original miles on an original motor.
Oliveira and her husband are diehard Chevrolet Bel Air devotees. As she sat beside their car crocheting a baby’s christening blanket, she said meeting up with friends and going out for coffee or an ice cream after these get-togethers is what she enjoys most about cruise nights.
“I had one (Bel Air) myself years ago,” said Oliveira. Her eyes took on the sweet look of wandering back to a favorite memory while being able to share it with someone new. “When I was first married in 1955, I had one of these, salmon and grey – it was a beauty.”
She said cars flowed in the blood of her husband, and he had a special garage built to house this car. “He had an Amish company bring a wooden shed in from Pennsylvania and place it in our yard.” Nothing’s too good for a classic car when cars flow in your veins.
Dick Cromwell of New Bedford brought out his El Camino. Compared to some of the other examples of classic cars, his, although very cool, lacked the fresh paint job and other exterior improvements. He said it was a 1980 model that he has owned for four years. Then he shared some historical background on the El Camino and himself.
He said the El Camino was introduced in 1959, but Chevrolet discontinued the coupe utility vehicle in 1960. The car company did bring the unique machine back between 1964 and 1987. But during that first production year, Cromwell worked for a car dealership. When the owner was heading out to a car show in Chicago, Cromwell told him to bring him back one. So Cromwell had an original El Camino. He said he kept it for years taking excellent care of it, paint job and all. I asked him what happened to it sensing a sad note. He said, “Well, I got a divorce right after I fixed it all up.” As for the one he owns today, “It’s fine just the way it is.”
By Marilou Newell
