Old is beautiful in Car d'Lane
John Shaver stands by his 1950 Chevrolet Fleetline Deluxe and laughs before the start of Car d'Lane on Friday night in downtown Coeur d'Alene.
BILL BULEY/Press file
Classic cars cruise up Sherman Avenue in Car d'Lane on Friday.
A Plymouth Valiant is reflected in another car in Car d'Lane on Friday.
A smoking Ford Galaxie rumbles up Sherman Avenue in Car d'Lane.
A boy pokes his head out from an entry in Car d'Lane.
Two lines of vintage vehicles head up Fourth Street in Car d'Lane on Friday.
A Volkswagen convertible rolls down Lakeside Avenue in Car d'Lane.
People wave as they ride on Sherman Avenue in Car d'Lane on Friday.
A license plate of a vehicle in Car d'Lane.
Chrome shines in Car d'Lane.
Dave Priano of Coeur d’Alene sits in his 1954 Nash Metropolitan waiting for the start of Car d'Lane.
A V8 rests in this Car d'Lane entry, as evidenced by the front grill.
COEUR d’ALENE — At 6 p.m. Friday, the roar of rumbling engines filled the air in downtown Coeur d’Alene.
It grew louder. And louder.
Which was music to Tom Kenefick’s ears.
“I like old cars,” he said.
The Coeur d’Alene man and his family arrived early for the annual Car d’Lane and claimed a front row seat on Second Street.
It promised to be a great event on a warm evening, with classic cruisers on display and summer just around the corner.
“I know the '60s and '70s cars,” said Kenefick, who once owned a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass. “I love them. I can’t afford them, but I love them. You can work on them."
Thousands young and old turned out to admire about 800 gleaming beauties of the past. Chrome sparkled in the fading sunlight as they cruised up Sherman Avenue.
A 1965 Ford Galaxie, 1972 Plymouth Valiant, a 1934 Ford pickup and a 1951 Henry were just a few of the vintage vehicles that showed their stuff.
Spectators waved, cheered and recorded the magic of the moments on their phones.
James Sego of Coeur d’Alene showed up with his 1967 Chevrolet Camaro convertible. He’s had it since he was 17.
“Everybody told me, 'Get rid of that piece of junk,'” he said.
But Sego kept it for the decades to come, something he attributes to an accident that put it out of commission, which turned out to be a good thing.
“It sat for a couple years,” Sego said. “Had it not sat, I might have sold it.”
Over the years, the motor, the interior, the top, have been rebuilt and restored.
He hadn’t started it for about two years when he put the key in the ignition Tuesday.
The 327 V8 engine fired right up.
“It’s a total blast to drive,” Sego said.
Dave Priano of Coeur d’Alene rolled out his 1954 Nash Metropolitan with the license plate, “Nashty.”
He bought it about 10 years ago and spent a lot of time since welding, cutting and learning a lot of things.
Priano said he got it running 30 days ago and after several years away, was glad to be driving in Car d’Lane.
“You get to see everybody’s idea of what’s beautiful,” Priano said. “The amount of work that goes into this stuff is just amazing.”
John Shaver, with wife Patricia riding shotgun, entered his 1950 Chevrolet Fleetline Deluxe with a 350 engine, which they bought six years ago.
“We wanted our birth year. We had looked for years, and this came up,” Shaver said. “I had a dream of having a black ‘50s car with red wheels.”
It came true.
Shaver is a Chevy man, as evidenced by “Shaverolet” on his hat.
He said when he was a boy, his father used to take him out in his 1946 Plymouth and they would cruise around.
“I’m a '50s guy, and growing up, I knew everything about cars,” Shaver said.
He said he loves Car d’Lane, especially the support of people who come out for it.
“They're into cars and they like old classics,” he said. “Every kind of car, everything, is here."
Enoch Cruz came down to check out the cruise.
“All these cars, I just love them, the way people put their hearts and souls into them. It’s a second love.”
Cruz has restored some golden oldies himself, but this was his year to marvel at these road machines in all their glory.
“They’re hard not to like,” he said.
Car d’Lane continues today with the Show and Shine in downtown Coeur d’Alene.
Classic cars cruise up Sherman Avenue in Car d'Lane on Friday.
A Plymouth Valiant is reflected in another car in Car d'Lane on Friday.
A smoking Ford Galaxie rumbles up Sherman Avenue in Car d'Lane.
A boy pokes his head out from an entry in Car d'Lane.
Two lines of vintage vehicles head up Fourth Street in Car d'Lane on Friday.
A Volkswagen convertible rolls down Lakeside Avenue in Car d'Lane.
People wave as they ride on Sherman Avenue in Car d'Lane on Friday.
A license plate of a vehicle in Car d'Lane.
Chrome shines in Car d'Lane.
Dave Priano of Coeur d’Alene sits in his 1954 Nash Metropolitan waiting for the start of Car d'Lane.
A V8 rests in this Car d'Lane entry, as evidenced by the front grill.