Love endures for classic cars

Gary Thomson of Battle Ground polishes the wheels of his 1971 Chevy C-10 pickup at an east Vancouver classic car cruise. The longtime enthusiast hopes General Motors and performance cars will both survive hard times. (Steven Lane/The Columbian)

Bridgewood Assisted Living resident Shirley Bartles, 90, gets a ride on Bill Rodgers’ 2003 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic. Members of the of the Columbia Harley-Davidson Hog Chapter 5409 of Vancouver, USA, treated residents during Saturday’s Classic Car Collection Cruise. (Photos by Steven Lane/The Columbian)

Jim Knoedler of Vancouver shows off his 1931 Ford four-door town sedan for residents at the Bridgewood Assisted Living facility.

There were big smiles and waves Saturday when visiting Harley-Davidson motorcycle riders treated several lucky east Vancouver seniors to a spin around the block.

Nods of appreciation, too, for the handful of classic cars parked at the Bridgewood at Four Seasons Retirement and Assisted Living Community.

When talk turned to prospects for U.S. automakers — and the future of America’s rumbling, gas-guzzling icons — enthusiasts eased off the throttle, however.

"I’m a Chevy man, through and through, and it breaks my heart," Gary Thomson, 67, of Battle Ground, said of the shaky future of General Motors, maker of the Chevrolet brand.

Thomson wiped the trim on his cobalt-blue 1971 Chevy C-10 stepside half-ton pickup truck, which he brought to show off for his mother, Ruth Shields, 90, a Bridgewood resident.

Besides a ’62 Chevy Impala he’s restoring, the show-worthy pickup is his current love. The Portland truck-leasing service manager has owned hundreds of vehicles over the years.

"I hear a big engine, it just puts butterflies in my stomach," he said. Of course, he grew up with Saturday night cruising, Sunday drag races and gas station "price wars" to stoke his addiction.

Thomson won’t dispute the need for better fuel economy, but hopes to preserve some extravagance. "I hope the government allows (manufacturers) to make performance cars," he said.

New updates of famed muscle cars, such as the Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger, are worthy additions, he and others said.

Yet the younger, "Fast & Furious" crowd seems hooked instead on low-slung, buzzing imports. "I’m not trying to diminish that," Thomson said. In his book, pride and care for one’s rig is a universal plus, he said.

"If they put an ‘echo can’ on the exhaust and make it sound like a honeybee, that’s a hot rod to them," Thomson said. New pollution rules and soaring fuel costs leave few alternatives.

But, "it’s not the same having a ’44 Coupe, as having a ’98 Honda," he lamented.

Jim Knoedler, 62, brought his candy-apple-red 1931 Ford four-door Town Sedan in honor of Aileen Meyers, 90, his mother-in-law. Its 302-cubic inch engine purrs smooth as silk, but at 18 mpg on the highway, it doesn’t get much road time.

"You don’t go on trips with it. You do it for the enjoyment," Knoedler said. Owner of several Fords and Chevys, he said his buying pattern "goes by style."

That’s why he hopes GM’s new bosses, in part including President Barack Obama, will keep the much-loved Corvette around.

Auto parts store operator Bob Wade has also played both sides of America’s No. 1 car rivalry. "A guy that loves just one brand, he’s missing out on the rest," he said, smiling.

"I think the collector car folks will hang in there," Wade said.

Individual flair is what’s sorely missing from the current crop of cars, said Bridgewood resident Bill Brough, 89.

"They all basically look the same," Brough said. In his day, "you could tell one model from another," he said.

Brough is certain the future will bring only smaller vehicles.

Lori Wade-Carnahan, 44, who drove her deceased father’s hulking, limited-production Plymouth Road Runner Superbird (with huge rear-mounted wing spoiler) to Bridgewood, is on the fence.

"My brother thinks these are all going to be like dinosaurs that no one will want to drive," said the daughter of longtime Orchards auto wrecker Loren Wade. "But I think people will always cherish them, as vintage models."

Steve Worral, Bridgewood executive director, is convinced Americans will always bond with cars (and motorcycles), as he saw residents do on Saturday.

"Under the skin, we’re all dyed-in-the-wool car aficionados," Worral said. "Even if we’re all driving electric cars, I think it’s just how we’re wired."

Howard Buck: 360-735-4515 or howard.buck@columbian.com.