Wheelin’ in for a good time

[caption id="attachment_12208" align="alignleft" width="270"] Kim and Robert Quint, from New Zealand, drove this 1939 Chevy coupe from California to Clear Lake to participate in Saturday’s show.[/caption]

Classic car lovers once again made Clear Lake the place to be, as the Clear Lake Auto Social Society hosted its annual Car Show and Summer Dance Cruise over the weekend.

A record number of vehicles— around 1,100 cruised all the way around Clear Lake Friday night, drawing crowds rivaling the July 4th parade.  Saturday’s show drew 554 participants, all eager to show off their restored beauties to huge crowds.

“We try our best to please the community, spectators and the car owners,” said CLASS President Jerry Young.  “We appreciate everyone’s help in making the weekend the biggest car show and cruise between Minneapolis and Des Moines.”

In addition to drawing car enthusiasts— or gear heads as they often call themselves— the event drew at least one participant from outside the country.  Robert and Kim Quint came all the way from New Zealand to join in the fun.

“I’ve been a petrolhead for a long time,” joked Robert, offering a slight twist to the ‘gear head’ nickname often used for engine and car enthusiasts in the States. In New Zealand he is in the automotive business, he said.

Earlier this year the couple purchased a 1939 Chevy coupe from a seller on eBay.  They had the vehicle shipped for storage in California.  Robert said that when it appeared their trip to the U.S. and visit with his cousin Corry Bertelsen and her husband, Roger, would coincide with the CLASS event, they decided to make a road trip.  The Bertelsens live in Ames, but love to spend time at their place at The Harbourage on Clear Lake. On a previous trip the Quints had enjoyed time at the lake.

“We had people waving and wanting to talk with us about the car all the way along,” said Kim.  “We turned a lot of heads.”

The Quints drove their classic Chevy 3,000 miles to Clear Lake, stopping along the way to camp and take in sites, such as the motorcycle rally at Sturgis, S.D.  The couple