The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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  • John Cross

    Chevy lovers

June 18, 2009

Enthusiasts turn out for car show

Chevy lovers descend on North Mankato

By Brian Ojanpa

NORTH MANKATO — Vintage automobile buffs enjoy their car-nal knowledge.

Terry Davis, for one, can talk old Chevys like the encyclopedic Missouri collector he is.

Davis owns several, his favorites being two circa 1940s “far” trucks, which is what folks around his parts call firetrucks, and which is a pronunciation he’s so proud of that the word is embossed on his license plates.

Davis and dozens of other Chevy aficionados are in North Mankato this week as part of the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America’s annual meeting for the Midwest region.

“I’ve been to all 33 of these,” Davis said Wednesday as he held court outside his motor home parked next to the Best Western hotel.

On the greenspace ahead 50 pristine Chevys made from 1926 to 1978 were being ogled by fellow buffs and a brace of judges.

Tim Larson of Burlington, Iowa, learned about car restoration at his daddy’s knee and has been judging competitions since he was 13.

In speaking of his duty, he came off like a gleeful voyeur of vintage rides.

“What a great way to look at somebody’s car — to be a judge. You can look at anything you want.”

Vehicles are judged in four categories: Chassis, exterior, interior, and engine, and this week’s club gathering is more than mere showcasing of parked cars.

On Tuesday, members paraded in a convoy to the Morristown area, and today they’ll cruise to New Ulm and Sleepy Eye.

The gathering also serves as a swap meet for those seeking hard-to-find old parts. One happy female car owner posed for a photo holding an aged muffler aloft as if it were a prized fish catch.

Davis took it all in with a smile. These are his people.

“In my life I’ve owned only two non-Chevys — a Volkswagen and a Buick,” he said. “The Buick was my wife’s car, and the Volkswagen was a piece of crap.”

Vintage car owners are of two minds — those who believe their precious restorations should be driven and enjoyed, and those who wouldn’t put rubber to road to save their lives.

“I know a guy with a Corvette with 126 miles on it — trailers it everywhere,” Davis said.

The Vintage Chevrolet Club of America was founded in 1961 and has nearly 9,000 members.

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