By Stan Maddux LAPORTE, Ind. — Seeing a white 1964 Chevy Nova among the hundreds of antique vehicles rumbling back and forth through downtown had Toni Griswold thinking about the same model she had while growing up. ’’What a good time I had back then,’’ said Griswold, who was among thousands of spectators lining both sides of the main drag June 9 during the annual city-sanctioned Cruise Night in LaPorte. She especially liked the two white Avanti’s in the procession. Originally, the Avanti was manufactured by the Studebaker Corporation then after Studebaker closed in 1963, the models were produced with leftover Studebaker components then later General Motors and Ford chassis and engines. Ryan Stevens, owner of Rusted Knuckles Car & Truck Club in nearby Valparaiso, said about 400 vehicles came out for the two-hour cruise on Indiana State Road 2. Stevens, whose club hosted the event, said only about a dozen vehicle owners came out for the six-hour car show at the LaPorte County Fairgrounds leading up to the cruise because of a mix of scattered showers and threatening skies. Historically, many cruisers display their cherished vehicles at the car show before venturing out to take part in the nostalgic ride. His jangled nerves turned to sheer joy after the skies turned blue and vehicle owners in all directions began showing up in droves to take part. “People started coming in five at a time. 10 at a time. 20 at a time. It was a great feeling because I had a really upset stomach the whole day,” Stevens said. Another spectator, Bill Klibinski also of LaPorte said he especially liked the Chevy Chevelles and a Pontiac Trans-Am like the one made famous in the movie Smoky and the Bandit because they were from the 1970s when he grew up. “They’re probably my favorite but all of them are really great,” Klibinski said. Klibinski also enjoyed the antique semi and tow-truck adding to the already wide variety of vehicles. John Doyle made the 25 mile trip from Chesterton to showcase his 1970 Chevy Chevelle during the cruise. He’s had it for about 10-years. “I was just at the right place at the right time and was able to pick this up,” he said. Ken Etchison of LaPorte took a break from the cruise in his 1965 Ford Galaxy 500 to watch the cruise and share old car stories. Etchison said the car belonged to a man from California who owned it until just before he purchased it 13-years ago from another seller in Illinois. Etchison saw it for the first time in a magazine advertisement. “I had to go look at it and once I saw it I fell in love with it,” said Etchison, who played various hit songs from 1965 on a speaker placed on the roof of his baby blue car all original except for the disk brakes from a 1979 Mercury Cougar he put on the front wheels himself. The car with a twice rebuilt engine and rebuilt transmission has 185,000 miles. Etchison is now restoring his second antique car, a 1950 Cadillac. “I wanted something that was going to be different. Nothing beats the style of 1950s vehicles. It’s basically just rolling artwork,” he said. Doug Utpatel also of LaPorte took part in the cruise in his blue 1965 Plymouth Satellite. He spent four-years restoring the car. He said the body was in pretty good shape when he bought it. The engine because of a cracked block and leaking transmission were replaced. Utpatel said he also did some major suspension work on the front and back ends of the car and put in a brand new interior. “I’ve done quite a bit,” he said. Tom Dermody, a former state representative running for mayor in LaPorte, said cruise night is an example of the potential here to have even more major events for drawing residents locally and elsewhere. “LaPorte has the capability of being the place to come to. There’s great opportunity and I’m glad to be a part of it,” Dermody said. |