Despite EVs, ‘still love in the air for classic cars’

With alternative fuel sources such as electricity and hydrogen all the rage, what’s going to happen to classic gas-powered cars?

For now, at least, they are doing just fine, which was evident at Port Orchard’s 35th annual Cruz Aug. 13.

The event’s roots are traced back to 1987, but since 1997 the exclusive Saints Car Club has remained in charge of its operations. With close to 600 vehicles parked and registered for this year’s event, in addition to the thousands of attendees battling the unusually hot and dry summer heat, charter member Roger Jensen said there’s still love in the air for classic cars.

“We get tremendous support from the city of Port Orchard, the public works, the police department,” he said. “We have EMTs from the fire department on a stand all day, so it’s a community effort. We’ll do this as long as we can.”

That support has continued to grow, evidenced by this year’s utilization of Bay Street itself. Cars have traditionally been parked in the waterfront lots, but this year’s show saw the downtown street packed with entries as well.

Jensen believes it is good for business. “The merchants went to the city of Port Orchard, the council, and asked if we could take (Bay Street) over and have the displays and cars on the street to help the businesses. We went up and down the street, talked to all the merchants about staying open, and we advertised the food eateries and all that trying to be as good as we can,” he said.

Katrina Hughe was one of several Port Orchard residents returning to see The Cruz. She’s brought her boys the past few years. Asked why she said: “The great people, the weather, and just so many fun things to do.”

The drivers and owners like to show off their hard work maintaining pieces of history and telling the stories behind each and every groove, paint job and mile driven.

Joe Sarkis has roughly 30 years of memories wrapped up in his decorated 1988 Volkswagen Westfalia Camper, a vehicle he uses fairly regularly in trips to see friends and family out in Minnesota. Even a recently blown engine couldn’t get his spirits down, though his wallet might have taken a hit. “You gotta put some money into this,” he admitted.

It’s the financial needs of the hobby that can turn some enthusiasts off from owning a classic car. Yet, what makes it worth it is the history it preserves and the tribute to the past it provides.

A great local example turned heads on the corner of Bay and Sindey, a restored 1942 Ford/Howard Cooper fire engine that once served the local fire department. The vehicle now belongs to Gary Bontrager, who talked about the many layers of service it went through, even before its time as a fire truck. It was an honor for him to “just being able to show it. It’s part of Port Orchard’s history. It started out as a lumber truck, a flatbed.”

It also helps when drivers know when to leave their cars as they are, doing the necessary repairs while also keeping what they feel makes the car truly nostalgic. In talking with Rick Williams, owner of a 1937 Dodge, he’s done just that, leaving the car to feel as if it’s been used.

“There is something in their past that says, ‘I want that car, and I’m going to do it up different,’” he said. “I don’t want this car to be all spit-shined and polished like a lot of them. I want it to be a driver that looks like it’s been driven.”

In rarer cases, it’s a miracle some of these vehicles are still alive, even surpassing the century mark. Craig Phillips brought his revived 1922 Ford Coupe, and while it certainly shows its wear and tear, he attributes loving care to what allowed that car to run yet again. “There’s not a lot of them out there,” he said. “Brought it back from the dead after I bought it as just a bare body with no roof on it.”

With modern cars like Lamborghinis and Corvettes a regular part of these shows, will the electric luxury class be next?

Kerry Pilline doesn’t see why car shows wouldn’t welcome this next generation of vehicles. “If you’re a gearhead and you like cars, you shouldn’t let anything like electric cars scare you off. There’s always going to be these gas-mobiles. There’ll be some electric (cars) that show up—new innovations in them.”

Other drivers showed some hesitancy—acknowledging that while it was likely inevitable given the increasing numbers of EVs, The Cruz may not be the show for them for quite a while. Jensen said it could be five, ten years down the line. “I think there is a place for them, but I don’t think it’s at a car show at this point. It’s hard to guess (when), but we’ll just wait and see.”