CLEVELAND — The stars of any auto show are obviously the newest models featuring the latest in tech, but for many, the true draw each year can be found in the area where the bells and whistles are literally almost bells and whistles.
The Street Scene Classic Car section features vehicles from back in the day, when high-tech was power steering or air conditioning and high-end models carried price tags close to $5,000.
“I think the old cars are what bring the people in,” said Dave Johnson of Euclid. “The new cars they come in to look at, but when you want class, you come to the old cars.”
It is, for many like Ron Blake of Cleveland, a walk down memory lane.
“I like the old cars better because I use to own some of them. You know like the Mustangs, I had a ’64, ’65 and ’66,” he said.
Bob Martz of North Royalton is right there with him, “I had a ’58 Thunderbird, ’65 Chevy, ’70 Pontiac."
And the car owners enjoy the adoring eyes.
“They’d rather see these than those,” said Jason Pitak of Brook Park of his 1930 Model A Ford.
That’s what has brought them back year after year, or in Cliff Baugh’s case, decade after decade.
“I have had a car in this show every year except the first year,” said Baugh.
His 1950 Mercury, like all of the classics, displayed a “last ride” sign marking the end of a 40-year run at the I-X Center for the auto show. If this truly is the end of the IX Center era, Cliff says it will be his last ride as well.
“If they go to the Huntington Center downtown I probably won’t go down there.”
And if you think Cliff hates to see the show go, Jason Pitak’s got even more of a reason.
“I’m 28 houses down from this building. I can walk here and I’ve done it.”
He said he’d like to find out where the show is going next. Organizers tell News 5 that’s still being worked out, but wherever the show goes, the classic car owners will be invited to come along.
“I will make room for them, but you know again it may be a little bit smaller but we will always have an opportunity for them because they’ve given back to us,” said Lou Vitantonio, President of the Greater Cleveland Auto Dealers Association. “Again it goes to the fabric of what we have in Northern Ohio with the auto show.”
