Gas prices have not curbed car show folks

The regulars were there on an unusually cool July 2 evening. Harold Moorman brought his bright red 1959 Chevy El Camino, W.C. Swain parked a white 1964 Pontiac GTO and Sam Fennessy showed off his 1957 Pontiac Sky Chief.

The classic models were among a hundred or more vehicles of all shapes and types at Bessinger's BBQ's monthly car show, which is held the first Wednesday of each month from early spring to late fall at the Savannah Highway dining spot.

All different, the classics nonetheless shared one thing. When they were built, regular gas cost a quarter a gallon. Actually, it may have been 25 cents more, or a few pennies less. No matter. Today, the owners pay upward of $4 a gallon to fill 'er up.

Car enthusiasts at the show said surging fuel prices haven't hindered the thrill of fixing up old cars, driving the vintage models and displaying them at shows and cruise-ins. But they agree the fuel-price jump hasn't helped and acknowledged it could cut down on longer trips, say to shows in other states or other parts of South Carolina.

"I have to pick shows," said Buddy Ulmer, who drove more than 100 miles round trip to and from his Walterboro home in a 1948 Dodge pickup.

Ulmer and his father plan to drive to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah later this year to give the Dodge a spin on the wide-open flats famous for land-speed records.

Ulmer said he's budgeted $1,700 for gas on the cross-country trip in the pickup, a rust bucket that he cobbled together with an exposed 283-cubic-inch Chevy engine, Model A headlights, Olds shifter and pieces of century-old pine from a barn.

"I've been saving all year," he said.

Ryan Wheat, who brought his yellow 1966 Chevy Nova with a '66 Fever vanity plate, said, "People might be cutting back on long trips."

But he doesn't see a big change in the local shows. For one thing, older cars weren't really that bad on fuel, and they can perform even better with new engines. "I've got a 204 (hp) overdrive in it," said Wheat of Summerville. The Nova averages 19 mpg, he said.

A row or two over, Gary Pelow parked his reproduction 1941 Willys, built from a kit from Miami outfit Street Beasts a year ago. Would $4 a gallon gas cut down on show-going in the 310 hp street rod? "Not really," said Pelow of Ravenel. The car has a 18-gallon tank and takes "high-test" (premium fuel), which is even pricier than regular. But he rarely takes the model out for anything other than car shows or an occasional spin.

"This is something you don't drive every day," he said. "I put 130 miles on it in a year."

Reach Jim Parker at 937-5542 or jparker@postandcourier.com.