Classic wheels gleam at Rotary car show

Corvettes, hot rods and muscle cars fought the ocean for attention Sunday during the Rotary Club of Laguna Beach’s 11th annual Classic Car Show, held in the Forest Avenue/Laguna Canyon Road parking lot across from the Festival of Arts grounds.

Not a scratch or fingerprint could be found on the vintage beauties, which had visitors talking about what it would be like to drive or even own one.

Tom Lopes returned with his prize-winning 1932 Ford convertible, which claimed Best in Category for hot rods for the second straight year.

It took the Mission Viejo resident three years to build the car, which features a 427-cubic-inch aluminum block engine (built by Bruce Chandler), 575 horsepower, an all-steel Dearborn Deuce body (painted black), leather seats, wool carpets and a fold-away top that connects to the car.

Lopes, 67, does all the detailing and drives the car about twice a month. He joked that he often needs to select destinations based on proximity of gas stations since the car gets six miles to the gallon.

Lopes developed his love of cars in high school and said car shows foster a camaraderie among those of like minds.

“Every one is friendly and we all have that car connection,” Lopes said. “My first car was a 1957 Buick that I customized. [Working on the 1932 Ford] brings me back to when I was in high school.”

Fifty yards from Lopes’ car sat Also Viejo resident Mark Aldrich’s 1959 Nash Metropolitan, an entrant in the Mini Car category — for vehicles with engines of 1,500 cubic centimeters or less through 1969.

Aldrich called the car the family pet. He bought the manual-transmission car in 1986 so his daughters, who are now 38, would have something fun to drive while they were in high school.

Aldrich’s children have had sway when it comes to the Metropolitan. His daughters convinced him to change the car’s color from yellow to its current turquoise, while his son pleaded for Aldrich to keep the car when he thought of selling it about 10 years ago.

Aldrich, 60, rebuilt the engine in the 1990s and, with help from a North Hollywood business, redid the convertible’s interior within the last year. Work included replacing seats, seat cushions and door panels along with painting the dash board, he said.

“I drive it once a week,” Aldrich said of the Metropolitan, which maintains its original radio. “I’ll tow it behind our motor home, and I drove it to Idaho for a car show.”

Working on cars is in Aldrich’s blood. When he was 7, his father had a Nash Rambler towed into the family’s backyard so the son could play in it.

“I’m always tinkering,” Aldrich said.

Other categories, most of which were year-specific, included Ferraris through 1979, Jaguar sports cars through 1974 and Porsches through 1969.

Proceeds from admission sales will be distributed among local charities.