EFFINGHAM – Phil Kiser was driven by memories of his first car as he admired classic vehicles during Cruise Night in downtown Effingham Saturday.
“My first car was a ’56 Ford, and I liked it really well,” said the Effingham resident.
Kiser comes to the event every year to reflect on the classic cars he used to have. His wife, Bernice, said she favors the older models, such as Model As and Model Ts, as a Model A Roadster caught her eye.
They prefer the look of the classic cars compared to today’s vehicles.
“I think they’re more special-looking than the new ones. The newer ones are too similar to each other,” said Bernice Kiser.
Tim Anderson of Lerna also prefers classic vehicles to today’s for their personality and uniqueness.
“They all look the same – the new cars,” he said.
Anderson brought his 1955 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery to Cruise Night. The sleek black vehicle got plenty of looks Saturday for its resemblance to another car, which Anderson is used to.
“Lot people think it’s a hearse,” he said.
Anderson describes the vehicle as a panel truck on a car frame and said some have mistaken it for a Nomad or station wagon also.
Anderson said he knew he had to have the vehicle when he saw it.
“You don’t see very many of them,” he said.
He has made a lot of modifications to it, including replacing the motor – which he notes didn’t have enough power — and installing power windows.
“It’s nothing like it was when it was built,” he said.
Anderson has been redoing vehicles since he was 16. Now that he’s retired, he and two others have a shop in Windsor called Shelby Dream Cars. Anderson prefers Chevrolets from the 1950s and ’60s.
“I don’t like all the electronics,” he said of newer cars. “I can’t work on them.”
Lindell Coleman of Watson drove his 1962 Nova to Cruise Night. Barbara Nyberg of Edgewood stopped to admire it but had one particular classic on her mind as she perused the collection of vintage and — some more recent — cars on display around the old courthouse square.
“My favorite is a 1966 GTO. But I don’t see it here,” she said, noting it was her first time attending the event. The muscle car belonged to her husband and served as their wedding car.
“I’m hoping, but I don’t think so. It’s pretty rare. You don’t see very many,” she said.
The Nova is one of three cars and three trucks Coleman owns. Vehicles have always been his passion.
“It’s my life. It’s what I do,” he said.
Coleman said he doesn’t have any favorites.
“I drive them all. If I can’t drive them, I don’t own them,” he said.
However, if he had to choose just one, it would be the 1964 Ford Galaxy 500. He sold one several months ago.
“First car I ever owned,” Coleman said, adding his was baby blue. “It always stuck in my mind.”
Twenty-year-old Bentley Johnson is just starting his collection of classic cars, a passion he developed from helping his grandfather with his classics.
“He’s got a ’64 Impala SS and ’66 D200 Dodge, really low miles and all original,” he said.
Johnson, who drove from Shelbyville to check out the vehicles during Cruise Night, has a 2004 Ford Bonneville GXP, which he went to Florida to get.
“It’s a car I always wanted, and it had 47,000 miles on 2004, which is unheard of,” he said.
Johnson recently sold his dream car, a 2015 Chevy SS, to get a family-friendly vehicle before his daughter is born.
“650 horsepower. It’s the best car I could ever imagine,” he said.
He hopes to pass on his passion.
“Hopefully, my little girl is also a motorhead herself,” he added.