Cruisin’ Thru the Ages in Rhode Island

The Carrara family, including two-year-old Alessandra, six-year-old Diamantino, mom Michelle and dad Jay, enjoy an evening out in their ’58 Chevrolet Brookwood station wagon at the Smithfield A&W. Diamantino is a devoted classic car fan and has his own subscription to Hot Rod. “He gets that from his father and his grandfather. My dad had a garage fixing cars for forty-five years in Johnston, so it’s a car family,” Jay says. The family typically camps out in the car every Fourth of July after watching the fireworks at Deerfield Park. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

J.J. Golden takes a nap in his custom-built stroller modeled on a ’40s-era Mercury at the Cause for Paws Classic Car Show to benefit the Warwick Animal Shelter. J.J.’s father, Jonathan, and grandfather, Daniel, built the stroller from a pedal car and spare parts. “Being a father is the best thing I’ve ever done. It’s so amazing,” Jonathan says. “I’m forty-one years old, so I didn’t think I was ever going to have a child, and now I do. It’s been a blessing for sure.” In the background is J.J.’s grandmother’s ’64 Ford Ranchero, which his father and grandfather restored. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Six-year-old Camila Pereira, below right, and her little sister Kaia collect their grandfather’s trophy for “Best GM” during a show at The Beef Barn in North Smithfield. Their grandfather, Troy Comire, received the ’55 Chevy Bel Air as a gift from his father, the original owner. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Archer rides shotgun with Brenda Martins in her ’68 Dodge Dart during cruise night at the Smithfield A&W. Martins began attending shows when she met her husband nearly twenty years ago, eventually falling in love with the Dart convertible. She bought this one from a Rhode Island woman who’d owned it for twenty-five years and now drives it every sunny day of the season. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

The King was known for his love of Cadillacs, reputedly giving away more than 200 of them in his lifetime. Here, Elvis impersonator Robert Black poses with friend Robert Poulin’s ’67 Cadillac DeVille at the Cause for Paws Classic Car Show hosted by the Friends of the Warwick Animal Shelter. Black, from North Providence, performs more than 300 shows a year as the King. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Paul Jordan was working at a junkyard in Tiverton when he spotted the car that would become his friend Dennis Sorensen’s ’55 Chevy Bel Air. “He was looking for a car, so I brought him down there,” Jordan says. “We traveled around to all different cruise nights and car shows together. That photo was taken at a cruise night that we went to up in Bangor, Maine.” Sorensen passed away from pneumonia in 2013. Shortly after, his girlfriend sold the car to Jordan. Though he also owns a ’57 Chevy Sedan Delivery and a ’67 Chevy Nova SS, this one is special. “I’ve been driving it and babying it ever since,” he says. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Seven-year-old Cecilia Do and her stepmom, Megan, dance with raffle tickets in hand during a cruise night at the Cumberland Stop & Shop plaza. Megan drives an ’87 Chevy Camaro. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Andrea LaBarbara of Foxboro, Massachusetts, lifts Benjamin Paquette of Cranston into the saddle of her 1934 Indian motorcycle during the Providence stop of the Great Race. The multistate road race showcases classic cars at multiple checkpoints every year, including, in 2024, the Providence Marriott Downtown. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Tim Laiho greets his friend, Christine LaMountain, as she pulls into the Providence stop of the Great Race with her ’32 Ford Model 18. Laiho, who has Down syndrome, is an avid car enthusiast and served on the support team for another competitor. He’ll celebrate his thirtieth birthday this year with a party featuring approximately 100 classic cars. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

“Cruisin’ Bruce” Palmer and his wife, Donna, pose with his ’59 Plymouth Sport Suburban during a show at The Beef Barn in North Smithfield. The radio deejay, who hosts car events throughout the summer months, owns a dozen vehicles but has a special spot for station wagons. “When I was a kid, I grew up riding around in the back of a ’66 Dodge station wagon when Dad bought it new,” he says. The couple lives in Coventry, where they have plenty of space in the yard for classic cars. “I have twelve cars because my wife says I can’t have thirteen,” Bruce says. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Ledge Tuchon polishes his ’56 Ford Victoria during the Isaiah’s Classic Wheels for Wishes event at the Mishnock Barn in West Greenwich. The annual show benefits Children’s Wishes. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Richard Verville of Cranston bought his first Ford Model A at fourteen years old and has been collecting cars ever since. He’s seen here in front of his ’57 Chevy Nomad with fellow collector Gwen Randolph, who owns an ’88 Pontiac Fiero. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

James and Gloria Penta stand next to the ’55 Chevy Bel Air James bought for his son forty years ago. The car has won numerous awards over the years, including a near-perfect score of 986 out of 1,000 at the 2006 Chevy Convention. “I’ve got triplet grandkids, and we’re saving it for them,” James says. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Father and son Elvin and Jonathan Morales stand in front of their ’67 Chevy Camaros — the pair spent three years working on the cars — while wife and mother Wanda exclaims, “I own that, that, that and that!” Photography by Wolf Matthewson

James Mitchell, his son James and friend David Randolph pose with their ’70 Oldsmobile Delta 88 during the Isaiah’s Classic Wheels for Wishes car show at the Mishnock Barn. James Sr., a mechanic, owned the car for about nineteen years before passing it down to his son. James Jr. says car collecting gives them peace of mind to get away from all the hecticness. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Hernes Ferrer, right, has taken home more than 200 awards for his ’67 Volkswagen Beetle, a replica of the famous Herbie the Love Bug. The mechanic from Cranston also owns a ’76 Oldsmobile Cutlass and an ’89 Chevy Silverado but says Herbie is his number one guy. “I’ve got so many trophies, I don’t even have a desk anymore in my garage,” he says. He’s seen here with his friend and fellow collector Kevin Campopiano during a show at The Beef Barn in North Smithfield, where Herbie took home “Best Foreign Car.” Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Friends David Hajian, left, and Sam Gerhard show Gerhard’s ’65 Chevy Impala during cruise night at the Smithfield A&W. The two friends run oldnewenglandcars.com, a website dedicated to documenting classic cars. “When we started, we just wanted to document the cars that we see on the road,” says Gerhard, who also restores antique radios. “We’d start texting each other and talking every time we saw a car somewhere.” The two friends met while attending La Salle Academy and both recently graduated from college — Hajian from the University of Rhode Island, and Gerhard from Princeton University. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Three-year-old Graham, left, sits on the running board of his grandfather’s ’26 Model T. His grandfather, Gregory, received the car as a gift from his mother and grandparents when he was eighteen years old. It originally belonged to his uncle, who died in a car accident. “I paid a dollar for the car. I took it all apart, and I took pictures of it in pieces. Here I am, eighteen, nineteen years old, and I started getting into flea markets looking for parts,” Gregory recalls. Today, he shows it around southern New England and lends it out to family members for weddings. The car is named Irma after his grandmother. “I put my time into it and I took care of it. And my mom said, ‘I gave it to the right guy.’” Photography by Wolf Matthewson

John Robert Sokoloski stands in front of his father’s ’67 Plymouth Fury. The car originally belonged to his great-grandfather, also named John, who purchased it brand-new in Florida in the ’60s. After his death, the family shipped the car to Rhode Island and now shows it at cruises and car shows, including the annual Isaiah’s Classic Wheels for Wishes at the Mishnock Barn. John is a former recipient of Children’s Wishes. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Seventy-two-year-old Jack Robinson has been collecting and working on cars for fifty-two years. He’s a regular at The Beef Barn car cruises and seen here in his ’27 Chevy Roadster Original. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Bob Lundell bought his ’67 Chevy Camaro — deemed the “Chromaro” — when he was seventeen years old. His father often helped him fix up the car and asked on his deathbed if the two could go work on it together. When Lundell explained he wasn’t going to make it, his father left him with some parting advice: “Do it once, do it right, do it the best you can.” Today, the Chromaro is a fan favorite at shows around New England and has been featured in Hot Rod. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Donald Moran was eighteen when he bought this ’57 Chevy Bel Air. He was living in Connecticut at the time, studying carpentry and working nights at a chicken factory. “Something about it when I was driving by, it just caught my eye,” he says. “It was out front of the dealer. I turned around and went back, and I ended up buying it.” He and some friends took it apart to restore it in 2001, finishing the job in 2009. He says he wouldn’t sell it for any amount of money. Moran is seen here at Frederickson Farms in North Scituate with a photo of himself driving the vehicle at eighteen. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Wendy Birchmire began collecting Mini Coopers about fifteen years ago and owns four of them. She’s seen here at the Cause for Paws Classic Car Show in Warwick in her ’73 Mini 1000, nicknamed the “Union Jack.” She visits shows throughout New England, enjoying the fresh air and nice people. “There’s a camaraderie, too, showing the cars,” she says. Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Lance Heffernan and his dog, Hannah, enjoy an evening out with Heffernan’s ’69 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396. Heffernan and Hannah often attend cruises together, including this one in the Cumberland Stop & Shop plaza. Photography by Wolf Matthewson