ARLINGTON — Close to 250 cars, trucks, hot rods and dragsters returned to the Arlington Airport for the annual Sittin Pretti Summer Slam car show Saturday, Aug. 18, as auto enthusiasts from across the state and beyond turned out to help out a local community organization.
Sittin Pretti President Shawn Altermott, who grew up in Marysville, expects this year’s Summer Slam to raise between $3,000 to $4,000 for the Arlington Boys & Girls Club, a feat it’s consistently managed for the past few years.
“The turnout is actually a little lower this year,” Altermott said. “Some of that is just the scene in general, and how it’s been impacted by the economy, but we’ve also got the show in Las Vegas coming up, which is the biggest in the world for this type. We should still be able to give about the same amount we do each year, though, because there’s no profit made here. It all goes back into the local community.”
Marysville’s David Wade noted that the crowds were a bit lighter this year, since he usually sees a few fellow Ford Model A owners, but this year he joked that, at the age of 73 and with a 1931 Model A, “I’m probably the oldest guy and the oldest car here.”
Wade, a former chief master sergeant in the Air Force whose car reader board bears his rank, was forced to replace everything but the cab and body on his ‘31 Ford in order to meet modern safety specs affordably. As it stands, the car has been appraised at $125,000, even though he knows he’s invested much more than that in it, which is why one of its paint colors is so fitting.
“It’s actually called ‘money green,’” Wade laughed. “I always wanted a hot rod. Anyone can have a new car, but even if you have the same make or model of a given classic car as someone else, it’s still not the same car.”
Mike Garcia and Cesar Tepale came all the way from Des Moines, Wash., to show off their spiritually matched set of cars. Garcia’s 1978 Chevrolet Unity bears the name “Redemption” in its paint job, while Tepale rechristened his Buick Regal the “Buick Evil.”
“She’s not a car show lady just yet,” Garcia said of his Chevy, whose two-year build was only recently completed. “My goal is to get her four feet in the air, though.”
Garcia’s Chevy is a “hopper,” equipped with a single pump and eight car batteries to make it bounce.
As for Tepale’s “Buick Evil,” not only does its name appear hidden in all sorts of spots between the front and rear bumpers, but so do an assortment of painted skulls and an appropriately diabolical design on the underside of the hood.
“The devil’s face appears in pin-striping on the back, and the front hood has a cathedral in flames,” Tepale said. “It’s just evil enough.”
Just as Garcia loves the lines of old Chevys, so too does David Krouse of Mountlake Terrace love the design of Datsuns. And like Tepale, Krouse’s 1977 Datsun Longbed 620 features a fantasy mural on the inside of its hood.
“I gave the artist free reign on the painting, except for the girl who’s in the center of the canvas,” Krouse said. “This is a great show. I’ve been coming here for years. I like supporting more local shows, and I’m good friends with all the guys who put it on. Being the Datsun guy helps me stand out from the norm.”
“Car guys have wonderful camaraderie,” Wade agreed.
