Wheels: Classic Cars

Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2005

Shows/events • Weekly Cruise Nights

BY BRIAN BEAULIEU
Journal Staff Writer

Young guys like old cars, too, even if they didn't grow up with them. And what could be better than a fast convertible?

But Kyle Landry, 17, of Cumberland, didn't exactly get into GTOs on his own. His father, Woonsocket Police Capt. Ronald Landry, is the registered owner and has been a big fan of what some say is the first muscle car since he had a ride in his father's GTO as a young man.

This father-son project has come together nicely after the Landrys found the car in Johnston two years ago. They took a month and a half to patch the body and paint it, and other work is ongoing. It's a great learning experience for Kyle, a freshman at Framingham State, who knows just about everything about the GTO.

"This car is made for driving," he says, and he's not afraid to put some miles on it. But he admits that the combination of a big engine and a light body is better on a straightaway than in the corners.

A 400-cubic-inch Tri-Power setup making 360 horsepower is under the hood. But it's not the original engine, and the plans are to replace it with the 389 and the two-speed automatic that the car came with. The two motors were part of the sale. "The 389 is actually faster than the Tri-Power," Kyle says.

The GT0 has a three-speed automatic on the console, a power top and a rallye clock (that doesn't work). It came with red fender wells, a rare option, but only three of them are left, and the hunt is on for one more. "It's going to be all original," Kyle says. "It's a matching numbers car, except for the engine."

He drove the car all summer, and took it to cruise nights, but it's mostly back in his dad's garage now. Babe magnet or not, he won't be driving it to college.

ENGINE/TRANSMISSION: 400-cubic-inch Tri-Power; three-speed automatic.

COLOR: Martinique Bronze.

MILEAGE: Unknown.

PLATE: 82234

CAN BE SEEN: Tuesdays at A&W, Smithfield, Thursdays at Scrambler's, Woonsocket.

CONDITION: Pristine body restoration, original interior.

If you have a classic car you wish to be considered for this feature, please e-mail bbeaulie@projo.com with details.

Shows/events • Weekly Cruise Nights

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

There are several big shows this weekend, the Middletown Rotary Club show and the annual bash on Dexter Street in Central Falls among the top draws. The Little Rhody Pontiac-Oakland Club is helping the Rotary with the show at Newport's Fort Adams State Park, but all makes are invited. Motorcycles are included this year in Central Falls, where Dexter Street is blocked off for the day.

The most prestigious event is Saturday at the Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich, Mass., where concours-level vehicles will be on display on the 100-acre grounds. This is the 32nd year for the show, the highlight of which, for the second year, is an elegant, judged grand invitational featuring a select group of vehicles, both restored and original.

Two other Massachusetts shows Sunday are at the Brockton Fairgrounds, which spotlights Chevy Camaros but is open to all makes, and the all-GM show at Mass. Bay Community College in Ashland.

And two twice-a-month cruise nights are winding up. The Shawmut Diner cruise in New Bedford will bow out Friday night and the Tiverton cruise night at Market Place Plaza calls it quits after Saturday.

Other cruise nights are winding down, also. The Monday night gathering at the Burger King-Krispy Kreme lot in Cranston ended Monday, as did the meet at the Middle of Nowhere Diner in Exeter.More will be closing up shop in the next few weeks, so it's best to check before heading out.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 16 -- Shawmut Diner, Hathaway Road, Exit 3 off Route 140, New Bedford, 5-9.

Sept. 17 -- Market Place Plaza, 1160 Stafford Rd., Tiverton, 4-dusk.

Sept. 17 -- Middletown Rotary show, Fort Adams State Park, Newport, 10-3.

Sept. 17 -- Heritage Invitational, Heritage Museum, 67 Grove St., Sandwich, Mass., 10-2. Rain date Sept. 18.

Sept. 18 -- Cars and motorcycles, Dexter Street, Central Falls, 9-6.

Sept. 18 -- Brockton Fair grounds, Route 123, Brockton, Mass., 9-3.

Sept. 18 -- All-GM show, Mass. Bay Community College, 250 Eliot St., Ashland, Mass., 9-4.

Sept. 20 -- West Greenwich Plaza, 780 Victory Highway, West Greenwich, 6-dusk.

Sept. 21 -- American Legion post, Route 79, south of Route 140, Berkley, Mass., 5-dusk.

Sept. 22-- Inside Scoop, 1105 Scituate Ave., Cranston, 5:30-dusk.

Sept. 24 -- Glen Park, Route 138, Portsmouth, 9-3.

Sept. 24 -- Briarcliff Manor, 49 Old Pocasset Rd., Johnston, 11-3.

Sept. 24 -- Crandall Field, Route 3, Ashaway, 9-3.

Sept. 24 -- Pontiac GTO day, Museum of Transportation, Newton Street, Brookline, Mass., 10-3.

Sept. 25 -- Green Room, 145 Clifford St., Providence, 1964 and older cars only, 8-on.

Sept. 25 -- Antique equipment, trucks and cars, Boro Sand & Stone, 192 Plain St., North Attleboro, 8-4.

Sept. 25 -- DeSantis Chevrolet, all makes show, Route 28, Brockton, Mass., 9-4.

Sept. 25 -- Corvette show, Heritage Museum, 67 Grove St., Sandwich, Mass., 10-2.

Sept. 25 -- Volkswagen Van day, Museum of Transportation, Newton Street, Brookline, Mass., 10-3.

OCTOBER

Oct. 1 -- Cars and trucks, Oak Harbour Village, Route 2, South County Trail, Exeter, 10-2.

Oct. 1 -- British car day, Edaville Railroad, Carver, Mass., 10-4.

Oct. 1 -- Japanese car day, Museum of Transportation, Newton Street, Brookline, Mass., 10-3.

Oct. 2 -- Mustangs and Fords, Lincolns, Mercurys, New England Institute of Technology, Access Road, off Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, 9-4. Rain date Oct. 9.

Oct. 6 -- Truck show and tractor pull, Foster Fairgrounds, Route 94 off Route 6, 8-3.

Oct. 16 -- Swedish car day, Museum of Transportation, Newton Street, Brookline, Mass., 10-3.

Oct. 23 -- Studebaker day, Museum of Transportation, Newton Street, Brookline, Mass., 10-3.

Sam's Club, Route 6, Seekonk, 5-dusk.

Big River Inn, 809 Nooseneck Hill Rd., Route 3, West Greenwich, 5-8.

Seekonk Speedway, Route 6, Seekonk, 6-dusk.

Appetites Restaurant, 473 Tiogue Ave., Coventry, 5-8.

Towne Pizza, Plum Corner, off Route 105, Rochester, Mass., 5-9.

A&W, Route 44, Smithfield, 6-9.

Oakland Beach, Warwick, 5-9.

Jukebox Diner, Route 6, Somerset, 5-9.

Slater Park, Pawtucket, 5-9.

Patriot's Bar and Grille, Routes 140 and 126, Bellingham, Mass., 6-9.

Motorcycles, Suzy Q's Place, 208 Plainfield Pike, Scituate, 5-9.

Brooks Pharmacy plaza, Washington Street, Canton, Mass., 5:30-dusk.

Rendezvous Leather, 690 Quaker Highway, Route 116, Uxbridge, Mass., 6:30-9.

Warwick Mall, food court entrance, Route 2, Warwick, 6-9.

Denny's, Exit 7 off Route 95, Coventry, 6-9.

Market Square, Woonsocket, 5-8:30.

Club Raymond, 1084 Charles St., North Providence, 5-9.

CAP auto store, Fortune Boulevard, Milford, Mass., 6-dusk.

Scrambler's diner, off Route 122, Woonsocket, 5-9.

Star Drive-In, exit 10 off Route 140, Taunton, 5-9.

TGI Fridays, Routes 117 and 2, Warwick, 5-dusk. .

McDonald's, Stop & Shop plaza, Route 122, Cumberland, 6-9.

Firestone tire store, Post Road, Route 1, Warwick, 6-9.

Gazebo at the Village Green, Route 116, North Scituate, 5-dusk. British cars and others.

Milk Bottle restaurant, Route 138, Raynham, 5:30-7:30.

Bangma's dairy bar, West Hartford Street, Uxbridge, Mass., 6-9.

Carousel at Crescent Park Drive, Riverside, 5-8. Gold cruise, Gold's gym, Route 109, Millis, Mass. 6-9.

Gold cruise, Gold's gym, Route 109, Millis, Mass. 6-9.

To list an event, e-mail information to Bbeaulie [at] projo.com, phone (401) 277-7179, fax (401) 277-8175 or write to Brian Beaulieu, Journal Features Department, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902.