A&W Cruise Night 2

8/3/2021

Our second trip to the A&W Cruise In!

Above: 1968 Dodge Charger R/T in B-5 Blue 

David: A true beauty of a classic muscle car. This was the first car we saw at the show that night, and like you see in the picture, there was a crowd around it all night. The '68 Charger R/T is an automobile legend, and one of my favorite Mopars. This looked absolutely gorgeous in B-5 Blue, and was easily one of my favorites of the night.

1928 Ford Model A 

Sam: This car appeared to be either an older restoration or an original survivor car.  It's sporting an original 1928 RI license plate with an RI State medallion above it.  You don't see a lot of these Model A's at cruise nights, possibly because of their low top speed and mechanical brakes, so this one was a bit of a rare sight.  

1992 Rolls Royce Silver Spur Mk. III

Sam: This car actually had some starting trouble when it tried to leave the show, but the owner eventually got it going.  

Above: 1966 Chevy Chevelle SS Drag Car

Sam: This  heavily-modified Chevelle was actually used to drag race, as the owner had some pictures and documentation of past races.  The current mill is a 540 CI turbocharged big block, but I can't remember what transmission was hooked to it.  This will definitely blow the wheels off any Civic or Integra that tries to get in its way.  

David: And I thought my Saab Turbo was fast!

A Familiar Face at the Show: 1969 Pontiac GTO

Sam: Here we have the maroon '69 GTO from the last A&W cruise night.  A year later and not much has changed (which in this case is a good thing!).  

Above: 1968 Dodge Coronet

David: A cool find for sure! A stock '68 Coronet. B-Body Mopars are another favorite of mine. I don't believe this is an R/T, and I'm glad the owner didn't fall into the curse of fake SS cars and make it an R/T clone.

Above: The 1958 Edsel Pacer Returns

Sam: The Edsel is back!  Like the GTO, not much changed in the year since I last saw it.  

Above: 1963 Chevy II Nova

1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass

Above: 1965 Chevy Impala SS 

Sam: This car was a really neat find.  Other than some flakes and scratches in the paint, the car was in amazing shape.  This is actually the first '65 Impala I actually saw in-person, as I didn't go to look at my '65 until a week later.  Sporting a 327 and Powerglide, this car came with factory AC, and power steering, and possibly power brakes.  It's been converted to power disc brakes and has a universal brake booster, so I don't know if the owner replaced the original booster or converted directly from manual brakes.  I haven't seen this car since, although I'd definitely like to, as I have plenty of questions I'd like to ask the owner.

1970 Chevy Monte Carlo SS

David: Another favorite of the night, a '70 Monte Carlo. The first gen Montes are some of the best looking cars of the '70s in my opinion. 

1969 Dodge Charger R/T in Sublime Green 

Sam: A very rare model year thanks to the Dukes of Hazzard 

1969 Ford Torino GT Revisited

1966 Ford Thunderbird

Above: 1966 Ford Mustang with Original 170 CI Straight Six Engine

Sam: This is a fairly uncommon sight these days, too: a straight six Mustang.  One of the first mods made to a 1st-gen Mustang is usually replacing the six with a V8, or doing tons of cosmetic mods to make the car appear faster (Hey, the chrome exhaust tips add 5 hp!).  We talked to the owner of this car for awhile, and he told us he did all the paint himself in a spray booth in his backyard.  Originally a factory red car, he decided to repaint it in blue.  He was going to chuck the inline six, but decided to keep it as a conversation piece for the car.  

1968 Chevy El Camino

Above: 1964 Chevy Impala

David: Another great example of a classic Impala.

Above: 1958 Chevy Bel Air with 235 CI "Blue Flame Six" Engine

Sam: One sick ride

1964 Oldsmobile Cutlass F-85 Sedan: Whole Lotta Red 

Sam: I disapprove of this.

1955 Ford Crown Victoria with Hand Painted Pinstriping 

1969 Chevy Camaro RS Convertible 

David: This is probably my favorite photo I took that night. I love the way the sunset looks upon the yellow paint of this Camaro. Pure beauty.

1972 Chevy Chevelle SS Restomod with an LS Swapped V8 

David: "On a long enough timeline, everything gets an LS" - RCR

1978 Plymouth Volare "Duster" 

Sam: This is another local North Providence classic.  I'd see it fairly often during the warmer months, and I finally got the opportunity to photograph it at the show.  The paintjob is aftermarket, there's some filler in the lower quarters, and the interior is pretty ratty, but it's overall a solid car.  I think the owner must be a Dunkin' addict, as I've seen him parked at Dunkin' several times.  One of them was really late at night.  The Volare was Plymouth's ill-fated attempt to replace the Valiant, and I'm not sure if the Volare-Duster was any sportier than its Valiant-based predecessor.  I'm not a fan of the Volare or of Dunkin', but this car is too much of a local meme that I have to appreciate it.