That little red Nova is still sweet.

And are you telling me there was no 63 Chevy Impala there representin'? I thought you couldn't have a Chevy function until at least one 63 Impala got there.

OH Come ON! an 89 Cav is a vintage car?

GAWD, I drive an 89 Ranger 89 Ranger (daily) and I sure wouldn't consider it vintage. POSER anyone?

@Novaload: I'm torn. The '65 Chevy II, the blue 'Vair, and "lil red Nova" are battling for my affections.

I wonder how many of the pre-1980's cars in the show are DOTS.

@Novaload: Yea, see it was confusing because they all had older WA plates, but some of the years between the plates and the entry info given by the owners didn't match, the Red 4 door Impala had 63 plates on it... but to my Impala trained eye, it is a 64 (I have a 65 myself, but in SoCal)

@GTBruiser: I'm going to say none of them.. there were some grumpy owners! the owner of the 1930 AD was moaning about his car being rotted out etc... he also made a 25 mile drive to the show across a big bridge and lost his windshield wiper on the way, it was ripped off by the wind... OUCH!

@Novaload: OH, and my VCCA Chapter in SoCal has 3 63 Impalas :D REPRESENT!

I don't understand the significance of the 1989 Cavalier. But then I never have.

Wow, it's the entirety of automotive evolution in one parking lot. Some great shots there.

And that Caprice convertible should be red...

Art deco hood ornaments for the win. I want sculptures like that on my house. Maybe one on either side of the driveway, make the Johovas' Witnesses think twice before they step foot. And on a stormy night, the pizza delivery guy will be freaking out, all wishing he hadn't blazed up behind the restaurant before heading to my place.

And that salt-n-pepper Impala with the red interior? Sheeeeeeiiit. I've stayed in hotels (not motels, hotels) with smaller beds than that trunk. I'd tell my date I'm about to hit the afterburners on those tail lights, we're outta here.

That 1960 Impala is just f a n t a s t i c !
A date with that car.. driving up Mulholland at night...

The '62 corvette is my favorite. Thanks for taking the pics.

Way to go with these pictures! This is awesome - and the rain couldn't have been any more appropriate.

@Benson2175: I don't understand the significance of the 1989 Cavalier. But then I never have.
Yea, that made me laugh a little and was shot for it's "awesomeness"... the interior was mar-VELOUR-ous.. and those rims... WOOO!.. wait where is that picture???

k here it is...

SWEEEEET!

32 CARS? WTF?

I hope the dismal turnout was 'cause of the rain, no one likes wet.
Caprice Classic, replace the white pleather with red and my buddies dad had that car.

The 68 Camaro looks like the 67 rag top we have in the shed...my wife's aunt bought it off the showroom floor,
the year it was made. In line blue flame six with a two speed on the tree. Red with black top and black insides,
Bumble bee black stripes around the front end. Not a modification or aftermarket anything.

Soft spot for the General.

@smart42: small number due to the location and the rain, the dealership cleared out '08s and stuff to have the oldies front and center and featured! (those picture didnt make the gallery)
see below!

I really appreciate the pics of the restored or mostly original cars from the '30s, '40s, and '50s. Seems like all I see anymore are customs, and they're really not all that custom anymore--the difference is mostly which brand of luxo-import did the front buckets come out of and what shade of yellow/red/blue was used for the exterior. Those old cars, riding on the wide whites--they had style. I love the old things. Maybe someday I'll have a few more old Chevs, if I live that long...

@Starlton Heston:
That makes me feel old. I remember when one of my high school friends was cool because he had that iteration of the Cavalier opposed to the previous generation that one of my other friends had (not to mention the Cimmaron, Olds Firenza and Pontiac Sunbird my other friends had!). Makes me wonder what my daughter will think of these cars in 10 years.

@Starlton Heston: You are our hero...!
Thanks for some wonderful weekend carshow-eye-candy. Ironically, the rainy weather made for more even lighting for your photos, which turned out great.

Thanks again, Dude...! Los Jalops are indebted to you...!

Wow. Loved the old trucks!!!!

@charles_barrett: exactly my thoughts! It made all of the pictures pop! Makes me wanna invest in an SLR!!!!

Wow...little red Nova or the white Nova wagon. I've always liked those. All of these are very nice. And I also want a winged(-eel fingerling) decoration on my cupola.

FYI: my chapter's site in SoCal: OCVCCA

I love my club!

You got to be kidding me...how the hell does a Cavalier belong in that group of classic cars?!? What a fugly lame ass piece of crap, and that's candy coating it. A geo metro is probably more of a classic than that.

I really like that Cavalier.

No, I really do.

@BMWer: Alright, this is a celebration of the 75 years of the dealership, they brought out the Vette, Caprice, Corvair, Cavalier, and some boring ass newwer vettes(No ZR1, I shoulda asked).. so it's a dealer's collection car... It's Jalop though to the bones! A sign of what used to be, a small sporty convertible car with velour interior... makes my legs sweat just thinking about it! BASK IN IT'S GLORY!!

HAHAHAHA

An '89 Cavalier Z24? Vintage?!

I still have nightmares about my old '90 RS. It's like that 'fine' 'wine' that you buy in boxes at the supermarket and it turns on you before you get it home. My example even had the steering wheel offset from the drivers position as if the mechanical engineers and interior designers never crossed paths until the car went into production. It was strange having to steer semi-sideways.

I'll admit, however, that it was one very hoonable car. Probably had something to do with me paying only $1000 for it in '99 and just didn't care about it.

@Starlton Heston, Gushing post-mother: I figrured I'd offer: If anyone wants a full res version of any of these pictures, PM me!

@Starlton Heston, Gushing post-mother: Great work 'Chuck'. Keep those good reports coming to the bridge. Thanks for going the extra mile and making the effort. Mmmm... carpix! Outstanding.

The Cavalier gets put down for two reasons: (1) it's not old and rare, and (2) the memories of poor build quality and frequent breakdowns are too recent in our minds.

The fact is it's still more refined and more reliable than all of the classics it shared the lot with on that rainy Seattle day. It's not lacking in style, either; it has 1980s style, to which the classic car fan's eyes have not yet adjusted.

The Z24 Cavaliers were respectable cars among their peers, and when enough time has passed, they will be remembered fondly.

@stu-rock: so it is like a musclecar sans barrett jackson.
Sweet.

@starlton Heston,

75 years in the car business is pretty amazing, even more so with the current challenges facing the Detroit Three.
My comment about "only" 32 cars showing up was uncalled for, congrats to the boys who love their GM's, waxed em up to bead off the rain and showed their support for the marque.

That said, the block theme mags on the Z24 Cavalier are perhaps the worst wheels ever produced IMHO.

For the weight of the car, the 2.8 had torque out the wazoo. The Z24 had decently weighted steering, too.

@stu-rock: Is there hope for my Z22?

It's really only weird to see the Cavalier there because most of them are still beaters (well, most Cavaliers are beaters the moment the warranty expires). This is a nicer model in exceptional condition, and its place will be unquestioned in about ten years.

If unreliable cars can have "character," J-bodies can be "unpretentious."

I don't have any kind of soft spot for the General, but I confess - and it pains me to do it - I've always liked the Z24 Cav convertible.

Okay, go ahead and throw junk at me. I know, I've earned it. When I was a wee lad and pricing cars I could afford that didn't look awful, the Cavalier was among them. Of course, the 'vert was outside my range, and eventually I wound up in a decade-older Honda, but I wanted it bad.

Now leave the Z24 alone. 'Twas never a finer front-wheel-drive muscle car ever made. As Stu-Rock said, you must remember the context of the times in which the car was built. Context aside, it's a better car than just about every other vehicle in the line-up. I'm just happy to see one not hooned out ricered up.

"...hooned out or ricered up." Sorry.

@stu-rock: Sorry, my step dad had a 91 Cavilier.

Besides the motor mount being busted (thus at idle, it was a large massage chair), it over heated better then it drove in a straight line.

Wish my parents didn't trade it in for the Saturn though, Carmax only gave $50 buck. That POS was hoon-dicted and ready for me.

@MajorKong: 'Twas never a finer front-wheel-drive muscle car ever made.

Cadillac El Dorado with a 300 hp V8

The Turbo Ecotec cars.

Nice pics. I'll take the Corvairs. That's where my head and heart have a soft spot.

Did the 37' coupe come standard with a pine box full of 180 proof and a thompson? Ahhhh, I can see it now...

Starlton:

Your notes made me facepalm so hard.

A Nova 400? No 400? Durrrr. A flat-6? DURR DURR I KNOW CARS DURR DURR.

There was no 400 in those Impalas. They had things like the 454 in them. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 180 horses.

Here's your sign.

@stu-rock:
You're not making any friends with that kind of attitude mister...

Y'all know the day is gonna come, like, Jalopnik 2035, when the car crazy kids are gonna be flippin out over those geometric styled Cavalier wheels and thinking how cool 80's cars are compared to today's hydrogen/electric hybrid magneto-car.

One thing I do have to give it up to the Cavi, that 2.8L V6 had a nice throaty exhaust note. Not like the turbine whine of a Honda V6 but distinctly American sounding, if that makes sense.

Thank you for the great pics, Starleton. Like everyone else, I appreciate you taking and sharing them with us.

That Nova Wagon is WAAAAAY cool. In fact, *fidgets while trying to figure out a way to post a pic of his own car* here's another...that's also cool...yeah, gotta love those longroofs.

@TexanIdiot25: I'll give you the Eldorado, though it was maybe a bit pricey (when new) to be considered a muscle car per se.

@Elhigh: I'm with you. I was all set to purchase a Z24CV in late '87 when the Army decided it was time for me to participate in a little squirm(ish) in Honduras. Eleven months later I arrived back in the U.S. and purchased a Z24-ized Cavalier V6 wagon with the uprated suspension, mannytranny, H.O. V-6 and checkerboard wheels. I added the domed hood from a wrecked Z24. I put 143K miles on the little compact.

Man the 40's and 50's were great times for American auto design. How did our designers get so lazy?

@Admiral Cat: Hi Friend!

So It was sarcasm.. "sadly no 400 engine in the little ass Nova", which was a exciting thought! and I was wrong and mistyped the flat six part, it was a I6 194 with 120HP.. but whatever man, give me some correct data then, please!

and no one mentioned Impalas with 400s either.

have your sign back... stop facepalming, it shows.

FWIW, my notes weren't intended to be included "[sic]" if you will, I thought they'd be spun in with the write-up. It was a long day.

Thanks for appreciating the effort though!

@loyter: I circled the Nova wagon many times! I jones for one and plan to buy one if my significant other ever gets the old car bug! :D

Wow, great shots @Starlton Heston, Gushing post-mother: That blue '60 Corvair? That was my first car. Well, not that one, but I had a deep-red '61 700 turtle-top sedan. I think I still have one of the hub-caps sitting in the garage 25 years later.

Thanks for the memories, I guess it's true what they say about the Pacific Northwest and precipitation.

My parents bought a brand new '84 Cav wagon with a 5 speed in 1984, so I've got a soft spot for them. Not only was it our family car, but my dad would TOW A 15FT BASS BOAT with it.

That said, if there had to be an old Cav convertible at the event, a boxier model would've been better ('86 vintage, perhaps). Don't know about the engine there, but if our 2.0 could tow...alright, you get the rest...

@charles_barrett:
Just what you said. Man, you deserve a star for that.Oops too late. you already have one! I guess this is the only way to get things posted on the weekends...if we submit them ourselves. Great Job....

@MajorKong: Indeed when new they were up there.

I almost got one before I found my '69 Chevy CST/10@Starlton Heston, Gushing post-mother: Excellent photography man! What camera?