| August 13, 2009
click here for full screen photo gallery
Cruisen By the Bay takes over Main Street
By Berl Tiskus
Valley Journal
POLSON — Classic rock and roll songs like “Who Wrote the Book of Love?,” “Blueberry Hill,” and “Sea Cruise” played all day Saturday to get car show visitors in the mood to look at vintage, classic and some newer cars at the ninth Annual Cruisen By the Bay Car Show held on Aug. 7, 8 and 9.
And, like every year, there were so many unique, well-restored cars for car aficionados to salivate over or for the casual viewer to appreciate. A host of local Mission Valley car owners participated in the show, along with a large number of cars from throughout the northwestern region.
One unusual car at the Cruisen By the Bay Car Show was a 1963 Amphi-Car displayed by Joe Maura of Spokane, Wash.
The bright red and white convertible could run on the road or cruise in Flathead Lake.
One of Maura’s crew, Marcial Laude, said they took the Amphi-Car for a spin in the lake on Friday evening and were stopping traffic on the Armed Forces Memorial Bridge.
“People thought we went off the bridge,” Laude said.
Only about 3,876 of the amphibian vehicles were produced from 1961 to 1967. The cars were made in Germany and featured a four-cylinder, British-built 43 horsepower engine. With a top speed of seven miles an hour in the water and 70 mph on the highway, the Amphi-Car’s main problem was that it wasn’t particularly watertight. The bilge pump had to keep up with the water leaking. The vehicle sold for $2,800 to $3,300 new.
The interesting little car had a two-part land and water transmission, which allowed the wheels and the propeller to be operated independently or simultaneously.
Mauro had a notebook of information on the car. He said he purchased the car up near the Canadian border and “put it on the rotisserie,” or an automotive spit, so it could be completely overhauled by Dave Eastwood, also of Spokane.
Although not as rare a vehicle, Dick Tobel’s ‘46 Ford pickup was a sentimental favorite. Tobel said the pickup belonged to his brother for a long time. The pickup had been sitting out in a field on a farm in the northeastern corner of Montana.
“It sat there for 23 years,” Tobel said.
Tobel’s brother died of lung cancer, and his sister-in-law asked if Tobel wanted the old pickup. Tobel did and has been working on the pickup for the last seven years. He just got the bed out of the shop last week, Tobel said, and rushed around to get it mounted in time for the Cruisen’ By the Bay Car Show.
Tobel said the dark green paint color with wheat-colored accents was the original color. All Tobel needed to finish was the bed lining and a few little touch ups.
Larry Knutson from Carson City, Nev. needed more than a few touch-ups for his white 1962 Chrysler convertible with sparkly fruit-punch colored accents. Knutson needed his Philippine Islands bride Helen. Turquoise and pink script on the convertible’s dash read “Larry loves Helen,” but Helen was still in the Philippines.
Car show enthusiasts and not-so-enthusiasts could also participate in a poker run, watch the cars cruising the point and dance at a street party in front of The Cove on Aug. 7. Saturday was the actual judging for the Cruisen By the Bay Car beginning at 9 a.m. The day’s activities included a poker walk, a 50/50 drawing and awards at 3 p.m. downtown. From 6 to 10 p.m. on Aug. 8, the Bop-A-Dips entertained in Riverside Park. Community members and car show folk danced the night away or listened to the music from lawn chairs and quilts on the grass.
The weekend ended with a free thank-you breakfast for car show participants at Riverside Park from 8 to 10 a.m.
Cruisen By the Bay Car Show 2009 winners were:
Best of Show
Alan and Patty Richardson, Port Angeles, Wash.
1949 Cadillac Sedanette coupe
Best Modified Rod, 1949 and newer
1. Rick Stapleton, Dayton, 1949 Plymouth Woody
2. Vern Schaffer, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
1955 Chevy two-door Bel Air
Best Truck, 1961 and newer
1. Tye Owens, Spokane, Wash.
1965 pickup
2. Kenneth Sampson, Columbia Falls
1968 GMC pickup
Best Truck, 1960 and older
1. Dennis Black, Arlee
1937 Chevy pickup
2. Ernie and Laurie Houghton, Cambridge, Idaho
1935 Ford pickup
Best Mopar
1. Chuck Jenne, Florence
1970 Plymouth Roadrunner
2. Rob Ellenwood, Polson
1932 Plymouth coupe
Best GM
1. Richard Ebert, Cutbank
1961 Pontiac Bonneville hardtop
2. Dennis and Lynda McGee, Missoula
1967 Chevy Impala S.S.
Best Custom
1. James Morse, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
1950 Mercury Monterey
2. Gary and Cathy Galetti, Butte
1955 Chevy two-door sedan
Best Muscle
1. Richard Bales, Kalispell
1967 Chevy Camaro
2. Jay and Evy Smith, Sagle, Idaho
1969 Chevy Chevelle
Best Restoration
1. Frank Schmitz, Polson
1968 Ford Mustang GT 428
2. Carl and Sue Ekdahl, Ronan
1933 Dodge five-window coupe
Best Street Rod 1948 and older
1. Scott Young,
1928 T Roadster
2. John and Sheila Emacio, Chattaroy, Wash.
1932 Ford five-window coupe
Best Ford
1. Scott and Linda Wahl
1969 Ford Boss Mustang
2. Gary Honeyman, Spokane, Wash.
1948 Mercury convertible
Best Rat Rod
1. Lowel DeJournett, Ronan,
1929 Chevy flatbed truck
2. Warhawk
Ford Canoe car
Best Sports Car
1. John Cotton, Polson
1971 DeTomasa Pantera
2. Tom Welch, Bigfork
2001 Chevy Corvette
Best of the Rest
1. Joe Mauro, Spokane, Wash.
1963 Amphi-Car
2. Eric Simpson, Rathdrum, Idaho
Studebaker pickup
|
.jpg)
