Collector Cars Unlimited hosts car show in Fairfield

FAIRFIELD – Collector Cars Unlimited partnered with Fairfield First Fridays Art Walk to bring a nice crowd to Central Park on Friday, Aug. 2.

The car club hosted a car show that evening to coincide with the August art walk. Classic cars were displayed around the square, while inside the park residents danced to the music of Chicago singer-songwriter Pierce Crask and perused the vendors set up on the lawn.

The car show was an opportunity for Birmingham couple Roy and Sherry Rains to show off their 1956 Oldsmobile, which they’ve had for 15 years.

Roy said that when he got the car, he had to change its driveline.

“It ran when we got it, but not very well,” he said.

Roy said he came upon the vehicle while driving on the interstate in Marshall, Missouri.

“When we got home, we hopped in the car and went back down to look at it,” he said.

Roy said he’s got two classic cars, the other being a Cutlass Convertible. Sherry said she doesn’t like to drive that one because the steering box is loose. Roy said it’s a shame he can’t drive two cars at once. He added that he drives his Oldsmobile every chance he gets.

“It’s got three carburetors on it, which was really unusual,” he said. “I put them on to go faster.”

Roy said they take their Oldsmobile to a few car shows in the area, such as the Trenton car show last weekend.

“We try not to go too far with it, mainly because of the price of gas,” Roy said. “It has to have good gas, and it’s $4.50 per gallon. Plus you’ve got to put lead additive in it. These were designed for lead.”

PONTIAC GTO

Fairfield resident Shelley Shelangoski brought her 1965 Pontiac GTO to Friday night’s car show. She and her late husband Glenn bought it in 1992, and it was the third GTO they owned.

“My husband passed away 19 years ago, and I’m trying to keep it for my son,” Shelangoski said. “He has two TransAm cars of his own.”

Shelangoski said she likes to take her GTO to cruise night in Mt. Pleasant once a month, or just get it out for a joy ride to get ice cream.

“I just took four grandkids in it the other day with my daughter and son-in-law,” she said. “The grandkids were looking around in the back, and I said, ‘No, there are no seat belts.’”

Shelangoski said that vehicles in the 1960s had lap belts in the front but no seat belts in the back.

She said that one of the perks of driving her classic car is all the looks she gets.

“I like getting the thumbs up from people on the street,” she said.

Shelangoski said she and her husband used to take their vehicles to car shows frequently, but she doesn’t do them as much since he passed away.

“I like cruise nights because people are more friendly and talk to you, and it’s not a competition,” she said.

The car club’s big car show, the Collector Car Show, will be on Sunday, Sept. 22. That car show starts at 9 a.m. with trophies awarded at 2:30 p.m.

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