Wednesday, August 29, 2001
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Wednesday, August 29, 2001 |
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Classic car club's picnic turns heads in PTC By JOHN
MUNFORD
Quite a few samples of yesteryear's automobile industry were on display at Michael Posey's Peachtree City home Saturday afternoon. With plenty of chrome, shiny paint jobs and ultra wide whitewall tires, the Cadillacs, Packards and other classics looked as if they were beamed into the present from the 1940s, '50s and '60s. Many had their own authentic license plates indicating their year of manufacture. Some didn't even have air conditioning, a luxury back then which couldn't be built into convertibles. It was a jazzy display, all in Posey's yard in the Smokerise Plantation subdivision. The occasion was the annual picnic of the Peach State Cadillac-LaSalle Club; Posey is the club's president. Posey has two classic Packards in his garage, a result of a car-loving habit that started at a young age. At 13, he got his first full-size classic, a Model A Ford, in 1970. But with his 6'5" frame often cramped in the vehicle, he traded it in for his first Packard in 1993. His first Cadillac was bought in 1975 for the price of $250. "It all started with Matchbox cars when I was little," Posey said. "And as I got bigger, so did they." Club member Jerry Peterson may be as proud of his Packards as he is his grandchildren. Both are featured as photos in his wallet. Peterson, of Roswell, said it can be challenging finding spare body parts for the classic vehicles. Mechanical parts are much easier to come by. "It's almost a full-time job to keep 'em all going," Peterson said. For instance, a rim on his '41 Packard split recently, and though he found a serviceable replacement, Peterson is still looking for a nicer one. "At least I found one I could put a spare tire on," Peterson said. One of the show-stealers was the '57 bright-red Cadillac El Dorado brought in by Dave and Marty Comstock of Cumming. He bought it almost two years ago from its Arizona owner, flying out to give it the once-over before sealing the deal. Over the years, Comstock said he has found it's much easier to buy a fully-restored classic than to pay someone else to restore a vehicle in need of repairs. "That old license plate I found at a flea market and paid $95 for it," Comstock said, noting that the plate is recognized as his official tag in Georgia thanks to a new law that went into effect July 1. The spectacle of classic cars strewn all over Posey's lawn also generated a few spontaneous spectators who traveled by on the adjacent cart path, caught by surprise at the instant "car show."
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