Vintage car afficionados and fans of modern high-tech autos were in for a treat yesterday, at the Kukui Grove Shopping Center Pavilion. Owners of trucks vans, jeeps, hot rods, race cars, all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles repeatedly buffed and waxed their
Vintage car afficionados and fans of modern high-tech autos were in for a treat yesterday, at the Kukui Grove Shopping Center Pavilion.
Owners of trucks vans, jeeps, hot rods, race cars, all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles repeatedly buffed and waxed their vehicles for the judging competition.
Special gold-chrome-plated parts were buffed till they gleamed in the sunlight. Windows were free of dust. The interior of the vehicles had been cleaned meticulously and were inspected repeatedly.
Music thumped from speakers set on stage, where a bikini contest would be held later in the day.
It was all part of the First annual Kaua’i Classic Car Truck and Bike Show, sponsored by island businesses, including some that sold car parts and tires and provided auto repair services. The show started Friday and ends today.
At a time when the state economy has slumped because of the Sept. 11 terrorists attacks, the event provides an economic lift to Kaua’i, said Rueben Kim, event coordinator and owner of 808 Wireless shop in Lihu’e.
“We haven’t had a big venue for cars like this since Hurricane Iniki (in 1992),” Kim said. “It is a event where people can come down and see what the companies have to offer.”
The 82 custom vehicles included a 1923 Ford roadster, a 1974 production Mustang, Chevy Corvettes, hotrods, four-wheel-drive vans or trucks, some of which were elevated three feet off the ground. Also showcased were eight customized Harley Davidson motorcycles and six dirt bikes.
The vehicles ranged from $100,000 for some trucks, which were equipped with televisions, DVD players and sound systems, to $12,000 for muscle cars from the 1960s.
Gordon Kaluahine Jr. of Lihu’e had been preparing for the contest over the last month. He recently bought a special black-colored Ford truck made for the motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson for his wife to use.
But when he found out about the car show, he asked if he could take control of vehicle until the show was over.
Kaluahine’s wife agreed, and the man’s sister, Keala Kaluahine, a professional car detailer, went to work to make sure the vehicle would be in a condition that is “better than showroom” condition, said their mother, Cha Cha Kaluahine of Hanama’ulu.
A beautiful car comes in all shapes and sizes, Cha Cha Kaluahine said, but her favorite is her son’s – “because my boy likes.”
Nearby under a tent that featured muscle cars, Joe Abramo of Princeville calmly polished his white 1965 Ford Falcon, equipped with a 360-horsepower engine capable of a top quarter-mile time of 13.8 seconds.
The race car, valued at $12,000 and was the only muscle car in the show with the original paint job, was a time capsule for him, Abamo said.
“Growing up in the East Coast, I had muscle cars like this one. It was a Chevy Nova,” Abramo said. “And look what I have now. It is amazing what you go back to.”
Marvin Moura of Wailua proudly polished his 1965 Ford Mustang car, the only car of its kind at the show.
Moura said he bought the vehicle in California for $4,500 three months ago, and almost can’t believe he owns it.
“From when I was a young boy, I always wanted a Mustang. It will be my first and my last,” said Moura. The car represents independence to him.
The car was a “wreck” up until a week ago, but has been restored by Terrance Pantohan, a friend of Moura’s
“This isn’t about winning for me. I do it because it is a way to reconnect with old friends,” said Moura, a Vietnam War veteran. Because of the event he was able to hook up with friends – including contestants – he had not seen in about 30 years.
Kenneth DosSantos of O’ahu, whose black 1927 Ford Touring T car was one of four entries from Oahu, said his car is worth $40,000, the result of two years of reconstruction in the mid-1990s.
He built the car from the “bottom up, using a new stronger frame to accommodate a 500-horse power engine and reattaching the cab, windows, seats and other parts.
The car boasts gold-framed windows and screws and bolts, a dash, running board and air cleaner using koa wood and a metal axles and other metal parts air-brushed in the same color as koa to give it the “Hawaiian look,” DosSantos said.
Other eye-catching cars were a 1955 Chevy Nomad station wagon, a 1946 Studebaker pickup truck, a 1926 Model T Ford, late model Honda sedans, a Shelby Cobra replica with a jaguar engine, hopped-up VW Bugs and a Datsun 280 Z.
The event’s sponsors included Budweiser beer, PSD auto store, Midas Auto Service, Garden Island Upholstery, Lihu’e Wheel Alignment, Honsador Lumber and Scooters.
Staff writer Lester Chang may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
