Classic rides bring fans to Lost in the '50s

SANDPOINT — It's hard to tell who had more fun at Saturday's Lost in the '50s car show — those admiring the cars or those who brought their pride and joys to the annual homage to classic cars.

Following Friday night's vintage car cruise through downtown, the annual car show fills the community with hundreds of classic cars and vehicles as music from the era filled the air around First Avenue.

Among those taking part in the show were Mike Hagestad and Darlene LaBella.

Hagestad and LaBella, who brought Hagestad's 1970 Dodge Challenger — painted "panther pink" — to the show, said they love coming to Lost in the '50s and count it among their favorites to attend.

The Spokane area resident can trace the car's ownership back to the original owner, who bought the car in Sacramento, Calif. He'd wanted the car since high school, promising himself that when he could, if he could find one, he would get it.

Hagestad said he grew up in a family of "car-aholics," from his dad to his siblings to his cousins.

"I don't remember when I turned my first wrench," Hagestad said. "It was probably when I was 4 years old."

Like Hagestad, LaBella has always loved cars — especially those that can go fast. While she owns a 2003 Corvette Anniversary, she says her favorite car was the 1956 Chevy Bell Air she had in high school.

The history and character of classic cars are part of the appeal for her, LaVelle said, adding that newer cars have no character and are all the same.

"(The old cars) have history," Hagestad said. "They squeak and rattle differently. They have a different feel and a different rumble. There's something about a V-8 motor that is healthy. With the computer controlling everything, it's a lot smoother; with these, you feel the vibrations."

They have, LaVelle said, a soul.

"They talk to you," she added, "in more ways than one, and not just when you're driving it."

The camaraderie and speaking with classic car fans are their favorite parts of attending shows like Lost in the '50s.

"You feel a connection with the folks, and you don't even know anything about them, but you feel like they are a long-lost relative," Hagestad said.

Like other car owners at the show, Troy Rimstad said the chance to share his love of classic cars with others is one of the reasons he attends events like Lost in the '50s. The Everett, Wash., resident said he grew up loving cars as he watched how much fun his parents had owning and driving them.

When his stepdad passed away, Rimstad said he inherited his 1967 Oldsmobile 442 convertible, and when his dad passed away, he inherited the 1977 Ford F-100 pickup that he learned to drive when he was 15. The 1934 hot pink three-window Ford coupe street hot rod he brought to Lost in the '50s was once owned by a friend's dad.

After buying the Ford coupe, Rimstad was attending his first car show when someone asked if the car once belonged to his buddy's dad. It wasn't long before the two became fast friends and, with other car enthusiasts from the area, now attend car shows to have fun and share their love for classic cars.

Rimstad said the car's motors and "vintage-ness" make the sport a lot of fun.

"There's not a computer on 'em," he added. "You can take it apart and put it back together again. It's just a lot of fun."

While this iteration of Lost in the '50s is his first one, Rimstad had planned to attend the event a few years ago, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While he couldn't make it last year, Rimstad said his buddy encouraged him to attend — and to bring the hot pink hot rod.

"This has blown my mind," he said of the show. "(Friday night) doing the cruise and seeing everybody's face just light up when you came around a corner and they see a car they've never seen before."

Jeff Wilkins brought his dad's 1961 356B Porsche to the show. Purchased by his dad in 1972, the car had sat in a garage since 1979 and needed restoration. The Bayview resident brought the car to his home and got to work, getting help from a friend to ensure he did it right.

"I wanted to do this for him," Wilkins said. "He's 85, and I told him I want to do this before you can't see it, so it really was a labor of love."

While his dad gave him the car and he knows he's working on it, Wilkins said that's all his dad knows at this point. The car, which was finished three months ago, is ready and waiting for when his dad comes to North Idaho this summer.

Wilkins, who restored the car to what it looked like when his dad first bought it, said he wanted to keep what the car looks like a secret until this summer's visit. He hasn't, the Bayview resident said, even seen a photo of it.

"I want to see his face when he sees it for the first time," Wilkins said.

Not originally a Porsche guy — he was more into Mustangs and Chevelles — Wilkins said the "James Bond-esque" sports car is a connection to his dad and will eventually be passed on to his son.

"When I see my dad's expression," Wilkins said of the moment that will make the several years of hard work worth it. "That's what it's all about — to see how he feels about it, to see what it looks like. And he's 85, and I told him, 'You get to be the first one to really drive it.' "

    Classic car fans take a photo of a car during Saturday Lost in the '50s car show.
  

    Alex Thompson of Priest River polishes his classic car during the Lost in the '50s classic car show. Hundreds of classic cars and trucks packed downtown during the annual event.
  

    Classic car fans are reflected in the highly polished paint of one of hundreds of cars that filled the downtown during Saturday's Lost in the '50s classic car show.
  

    Classic car fans pack Cedar Street during Lost in the '50s classic car show on Saturday.
  

    Jeff Wilkins stands by the 1961 Porsche 356B that he acquired from his dad and restored as a labor of love. Wilkins brought the classic "James Bond-esque" car to Sandpoint's Lost in the '50s car show.
  

    Hayden Gilbert of Sagle polishes his "Ghostbusters" truck, made the same year and by the same company as the "Ecto-1," a 1959 Cadillac hearse used in the classic film. A fan of the movie, Gilbert created what the vehicle would look like if a truck had been used.
  

    Troy Rimstad peeks into the interior of his 1934 hot pink three-window Ford coupe street hot rod.