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Auto heirlooms on display
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| Jim Aliff of Highlands, N.C., explains to Trevor Coalley, 9, of Lakemont how he built this 1929 Ford Speedster during the sixth annual Clayton Cruisers antique car show Saturday in front of the Rabun County Courthouse. |
By Jeremy Styron News Editor
Though the golden era of Model T's, Speedsters and '55 Chevys is long past, area enthusiasts are still keeping the automobiles of yesterday humming.
More than 100 antique car enthusiasts and builders brought their vintage cars, trucks and dragsters to the sixth annual Clayton Cruisers antique car show held Saturday in front of Rabun County Courthouse.
Terry Watts, president of the Clayton Cruisers antique car club, expressed the spirit of many enthusiasts.
"We always had old cars," he said about his family during his childhood years. "We never had any good cars, and I've always loved them."
In addition to the free antique car and truck display, guests were treated to music, cash awards and door prizes. The three cash prizes, which were awarded at the end of the event, totaled $1,000.
Watts said interest and participation in the show had grown significantly since its inception. "It's really gotten bigger every year," he said. "Everybody loves it."
Browsing one row of automobiles was Bob Platt of Clayton and his grandson Joshua Steigerwald, 8, of Tiger.
Platt, who once owned a 289 Mustang and a Chevrolet Bel Air, said Steigerwald fancied Ford Mustangs. Steigerwald said he also liked Corvettes.
This is "just nostalgia for me," Platt said.
"They enjoy them and the work they put into them," he said about the numerous car enthusiasts in attendance.
One collector and restorer was Eric McCracken, who was showing a 1940 cherry red Ford that took him more than a year to finish.
An enthusiast since childhood, he said he simply had an eye for how a pile of metal would look when he got done with it. "I've got a big imagination," he said. "I can already picture what it will look like."
The story behind the Ford, however, was bittersweet for him. McCracken's father, Steve, helped him work on the car. The elder died before project was finished.
Eric owns nearly 10 antiques that he has either restored or bought.
In another section of the show, Jim Aliff of Highlands, N.C., was showing his 1929 Ford Speedster to Trevor Coalley, 9, of Lakemont.
"I thought it was going to take four months, and it took about 14 months," Aliff quipped.
With seven antiques in his collection, Aliff said he actually helped give his father the builder's bug. "My dad got the fever from me. After I got my first Model A, he had to have one."
The Clayton Cruisers take a monthly "cruise" around Rabun and surrounding counties. The club currently has 240 members. For more information on the organization, call Watts at 706-782-7787.
More than 100 antique car enthusiasts and builders brought their vintage cars, trucks and dragsters to the sixth annual Clayton Cruisers antique car show held Saturday in front of Rabun County Courthouse.
Terry Watts, president of the Clayton Cruisers antique car club, expressed the spirit of many enthusiasts.
"We always had old cars," he said about his family during his childhood years. "We never had any good cars, and I've always loved them."
In addition to the free antique car and truck display, guests were treated to music, cash awards and door prizes. The three cash prizes, which were awarded at the end of the event, totaled $1,000.
Watts said interest and participation in the show had grown significantly since its inception. "It's really gotten bigger every year," he said. "Everybody loves it."
Browsing one row of automobiles was Bob Platt of Clayton and his grandson Joshua Steigerwald, 8, of Tiger.
Platt, who once owned a 289 Mustang and a Chevrolet Bel Air, said Steigerwald fancied Ford Mustangs. Steigerwald said he also liked Corvettes.
This is "just nostalgia for me," Platt said.
"They enjoy them and the work they put into them," he said about the numerous car enthusiasts in attendance.
One collector and restorer was Eric McCracken, who was showing a 1940 cherry red Ford that took him more than a year to finish.
An enthusiast since childhood, he said he simply had an eye for how a pile of metal would look when he got done with it. "I've got a big imagination," he said. "I can already picture what it will look like."
The story behind the Ford, however, was bittersweet for him. McCracken's father, Steve, helped him work on the car. The elder died before project was finished.
Eric owns nearly 10 antiques that he has either restored or bought.
In another section of the show, Jim Aliff of Highlands, N.C., was showing his 1929 Ford Speedster to Trevor Coalley, 9, of Lakemont.
"I thought it was going to take four months, and it took about 14 months," Aliff quipped.
With seven antiques in his collection, Aliff said he actually helped give his father the builder's bug. "My dad got the fever from me. After I got my first Model A, he had to have one."
The Clayton Cruisers take a monthly "cruise" around Rabun and surrounding counties. The club currently has 240 members. For more information on the organization, call Watts at 706-782-7787.
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