BANGOR, Maine — It was the American dream on four wheels Saturday during the eighth annual Wheels on the Waterfront car show sponsored by the Greater Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Attracting hundreds of vehicles, the show had vintage cars lining the Bangor Waterfront. For some owners, driving a vintage vehicle is a throwback to an earlier time when their younger selves longed to be behind the wheel of a beautiful machine.
“It’s a car that I always admired and never believed I would have,” said Lee Carelton of his fully restored 1959 Chevrolet Corvette.
The auto was converted to a drag racer before he purchased it and converted it back to its original condition.
For others, driving a vintage auto can be a fun attention-getter.
“It attracts a lot of attention, but it’s fun, and it just floats down the road,” said John Buckley of the 1965 Ford Thunderbird he purchased with his father, Bill Buckley.
With a $15 registration fee, vehicles were judged in a variety of classes such as Mustangs or Best of the ’60s.
The Greater Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau is a nonprofit organization established to stimulate the economy by promoting the Bangor region as a destination for meetings, conventions and visitors.
With more than 300 participants, 120 winners were recognized in categories such as “antiques up to 1949” and “best of the ’50s.” A complete list of winners is available here.
Follow Evan Belanger on Twitter at @evanbelanger.