Classic Cars

NAUGATUCK, CT – David Semanoff of Naugatuck was five years old when he got his first ride in a Plymouth Barracuda. It belonged to an uncle. “He took me for a nice spirited ride and, ever since then, I had to have a Barracuda,” he said last this week as …

NEW MILFORD, CT – Gary Hults of New Milford didn’t intend to own his 1973 Ford Gran Torino Sport for 50 years.  “It’s one of those things I’ve often heard people say, ‘Oh, I wished I had my first car, second car I ever owned’ and when I bought it, …

BEACON FALLS, CT – Stacy Poulos of Beacon Falls has owned his 1968 Chevrolet Impala convertible for only two years, but his memories of the full-size model go back to the 1980s when his grandfather owned one.  Chevy introduced the Impala in 1958 as the top trim level of its …

WESTPORT, CT – Jason Alford of Westport, CT owns a visually appealing, yet uncommon and surprisingly unsought after 63-year-old Porsche model in Aetna blue. It’s a variant of the popular Porsche 356, the brand’s first production sports car that lasted from 1948 to 1965. Alford drives a 1961 Porsche 356 …

WOLCOTT, CT – Paul “Buddy” Musso of Cheshire and Gene Fercodini of Wolcott have known each other for decades. They’re golfing buddies and each owns a 1966 Ford Mustang. Musso’s six-cylinder Mustang hardtop is red with a white vinyl top. Fercodini’s eight-cylinder convertible is black with a black top. Both …

WOLCOTT, CT – When the family business involves building custom hot rods, no member should be without one. It was part generosity and part self-interest that played parts in the making of the bright red 1939 Chevrolet hot rod that Susan Brunetti of Cheshire, CT was gifted in 2018. “My …

WATERTOWN, CT – March marked the 70th anniversary of the arrival of a new 1954 MG TF roadster into Charles McNair’s family. His father was 37 years old when his mother – McNair’s grandmother – gifted it to his father, who kept it until 1981 when he passed away and …

(Editor’s note: This story is from the RIDE-CT archives having appeared in the “Republican-American” newspaper in March 2018. Mark Prause still owns the car.) LAKEVILLE, CT – History didn’t repeat itself. It was in late October 2018 that Mark Prause’s 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray departed Lime Rock Park in …

When purchasing a car or truck, regardless of whether it’s new, used or classic, the transaction is usually fairly brief. Spot it, make an offer, strike a deal and bring it home. End of story. For Glenn Nielsen of Newtown, however, acquiring his Bolero red 1967 Chevrolet Nova SS was …

TORRINGTON, CT – It was a memorable slogan that suggested exclusivity and owner passion back in the early days of automobiles: “Ask the Man Who Owns One.” It was applied to the Packard brand, which began in 1899 in Warren, Ohio and lasted until 1958. “They were extremely well made …