Crowds enjoy Suffolk car show
Published 8:57 pm Saturday, May 12, 2012
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North Main Street was lined with classic cars of all shapes, sizes and colors during Saturday's Shake, Rattle and Roll Spring Car Show.
Main Street was a sea of cool cars from Finney Avenue to Washington Street Saturday when the Shake, Rattle & Roll Spring Car Show came to Suffolk for its fourth year.
Both sides of the street were lined with all manner of classic cars, from the classy to what would better be described as the unique, bringing out a crowd of thousands.
Among the unique cars – perhaps topping that particular category – was a 1949 Ford “Rat Rod” driven from Emporia by 20-year-old Steven House and his grandfather Percy House, 72.
The vehicle, to give a fleeting description, featured an engine out of a 1968 Chevy pickup, a 1987 S10 pickup chassis, a real turtle shell air-filter cover, a beer keg gas tank, nine .300 Ultra Magnum shells decorating the roof, brass knuckles adorning the hood, suicide doors and boiler valve exhaust cutouts.
“It’s state-inspected,” Percy House said. “More people stop to take pictures driving it down the interstate than anywhere it goes.
“We drove it to Myrtle Beach (for a car show) and there’s no telling how many people jammed on their brakes and backed up to get a picture.”
Another mean machine was Jeff Bateman’s Ford Deuce Coupe. The Hampton hotrod enthusiast said he had “always wanted me a yellow ’32 Ford three-window deuce coupe with suicide doors.”
He blended the old with the new in building the car, which has modern-looking chrome mags, doors and a trunk that open by remote control, electric seats, air-conditioning and a surround-sound system he plugs his iPod into.
“I’m getting back into showing cars again after doing it before,” Bateman said. “I envision it, I do it, and it looks good.”
The event from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. included more than just cars, with a “tribute tent” featuring memorabilia and souvenirs, a Boy Scout Troop 1 presentation and various vendors.
The more energetic entered the hula-hoop contest and kids enjoyed miniature racing cars.