Classic Cars

WINCHESTER, CT – Matthew Cannuli was only 14 years old and living in Bristol, CT with his parents when – unbeknownst to them – he acquired his first car. It was a six-cylinder 1965 Rambler Classic 770H produced by AMC. “I saved up money from doing lawns, snow blowing, plowing, …

Over the years, Paul Cote has owned hundreds of vehicles, including the first car that he drove as a teenager – a 1972 Buick LeSabre convertible. He currently has about a dozen classic models, including another 1972 Buick LeSabre convertible.   “I’ve had cars since I was 13. I’ve owned …

LITCHFIELD, CT – From a distance, it looks like a classic Chevrolet Chevelle. But it’s not a Chevy.  Get a bit closer and its split grill suggests maybe a vintage Pontiac muscle car. But it’s not a Pontiac, either, despite what its registration states, although badging on the car does …

HARWINTON, CT – Unlike in their younger days, Pat and Bill Green of Harwinton don’t drive their dove gray, two-seat 1960 MGA roadster very often. In fact, since giving the British sports car an expensive freshening with new hoses and other rubber elements a year or so ago, it has …

BEACON FALLS, CT – At a distance, it almost looks like a Matchbox model, but it visibly lacks the quality of the toy. With a Duraplast body and small two-stroke engine, the smoky and noisy Trabant 601 was a cheaply-made East German sedan that buyers often waited years to get …

NEW HARTFORD, CT – Bill DeDominicis of New Hartford has owned his two-seat 1962 Chevrolet Corvette sports car for 45 years. “I was just always a car guy. Always a Chevrolet man. And the Corvette was the next step up,” he said one sunny day last fall. DeDominicis recalled that …

THOMASTON, CT – Tom DeLuca of Thomaston has a long list of reasons for buying a 1970 Shelby GT 350.  “They’re rare. They have unique styling. Very nice performance. They’re collectible. They’re worth a good bit of money. And they’re just not very common. It’s a unique automobile,” he said …

GOSHEN, CT – Parked in his barn in Goshen is a non-running 1931 Chevrolet sedan that Skip Shattuck bought when he was a teenager growing up on Long Island in the 1960s. It was his first car and provides a tantalizing entry point into this RIDE-CT story of why decades …

NEW HARTFORD, CT – Paul J. Cerruto got his final wish. Given six months to live in June 2022, he got a whimsical 1959 Jeep Surrey in two-tone pink restored. He even took his final project to two car shows before succumbing to cancer at age 70 on Dec. 1.  …

WEST CORNWALL, CT – It was while living for six years in western France in the 1970s that Jerry Roth of West Cornwall became aware of the Fiat 850 Spider roadster. The two-seat convertible model was introduced in 1965, an Italian response to the British-made MG Midget, Triumph Spitfire and …