Classic Cars

HARWINTON, CT – Ken Ackley of Harwinton was 17 years old when he purchased his first car. Unbeknownst to his parents and against their wishes, he bought a used muscle car – a 1971 Oldsmobile 442. He still owns it nearly 50 years later. “Bought this car in 1976. I …

TORRINGTON, CT – It’s not uncommon to hear owners whose classic cars and trucks are showcased on RIDE-CT to say that their vehicles will someday be passed down to their children. Ann Rafferty of Torrington and her husband Peter Rafferty are the recipients of such a bequest. Nearly two years …

TORRINGTON, CT – Sometimes stories take unusual twists after the fact. That’s true of even RIDE-CT classic car stories, and, specifically, one published three months ago about a model that wasn’t what it was believed to be at the time. It’s actually a rarer, short-lived and largely forgotten model bearing …

HARWINTON, CT – Don Truskauskas of Harwinton is like most classic car owners in that he understands the commitment that’s required. He owns a conspicuous 1976 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray that he’s upgraded substantially since acquiring it seven years ago. “Having one of these cars, or anything that’s older, you have …

HARWINTON, CT – It was a roadside Halloween display unlike any other. Harwinton resident John Birden used a 1935 Hudson Terraplane to be the centerpiece of a spooky display last month near the end of his driveway. RIDE-CT spotted the old car passing his house one day, returned and got …

BURLINGTON, CT – It’s a Bumblebee Camaro – a bright yellow 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS with a movie franchise connection that has obtained a modicum of celebrity of its own. Nicole Partyka of Burlington has had the “Transformers” special edition model since summer 2023 and is the car’s third owner. …

LAKEVILLE, CT – So few of them were built that each one is routinely referred to by its chassis number. Howard Kroplick of East Hills, N.Y. on Long Island owns “#1044.”  Kroplick paid nearly $1.35 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Arizona in 2017 for the privilege of owning a …

COLEBROOK, CT – With its oxidized black paint and rusty running boards, Jon Gray’s “rare but not priceless” 1937 Studebaker President always gets attention at car shows because it hasn’t been restored cosmetically.  “It’s the best kind of show car to have because it only requires mechanical maintenance and a …

UNIONVILLE, CT – The model name is Pantera. That’s the Italian word for “panther,” and it was back in late February that Jeffrey Tencer of Unionville finally purchased the De Tomaso Pantera mid-engine sports car that he’d lusted after and searched for with cat-like patience for decades. “I had been …

BRISTOL, CT – Muscle cars were the powerful, high-profile, lusted-after models of the 1960s and coveted by teenagers of the era. Matt Strus of Bristol bought a 1968 Plymouth Road Runner as his first car when he was 16 years old, but he didn’t keep it long. He replaced it …