Classic Cars

 NEW MILFORD, CT – Stephen Shay was 17 years old when he bought his first car – a 1968 AMC AMX. The model was a short-lived sports car that mixed pony car size (with a long hood and short rear deck) with tire-smoking muscle car performance. “In high school, I …

TORRINGTON, CT – It wasn’t until the two classic Pontiacs were parked side by side at Laurie and David Canty’s house in Torrington that it became instantly apparent just how quickly car styling and technology advanced in the mid-20th century. Only 15 years separate the two models, but the gap …

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 …