RI Central - Wicked Hot Wheels

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NORTH KINGSTOWN — You won’t find any waitresses on roller skates or greasers in leather jackets but pull into the North Kingstown Wal-Mart parking lot on a Tuesday night and you will think you’ve been transported to another era.

Every Tuesday evening, portions of the parking lot on Ten Rod Road go retro with the sounds of 50s, 60s and 70s music and the revving of some pretty sweet engines.

The antique car cruise night there started in mid-July as just an idea between two friends.

“My buddy Mitch and I were sitting at a cruise night and a lot of new cars were showing up, like the PT Cruisers and Corvettes and a lot of the old cars were being turned away because there weren’t enough parking spaces. So we started talking about starting one up in town,” Jack Bardsley said.

Soon after that, Bardsley was shopping for parts for his antique car when he bumped into another customer and began talking about starting a cruise night.

“He told me the owner of Wickford Junction, Bob Cieo, has been talking about starting one but really didn’t know how to go about it. So 4,000 flyers later here we are,” he said.

Each week between 150 and 200 cars from across New England show up for the event, which includes food, music, raffles and car talk.

Warwick resident Brendan Mulhall just recently got into the antique car hobby. After years of boating, he became bored and wanted something more exciting. Seven months ago he bought a 1955 Ford Fairlane.

“I need a hobby to keep me occupied now that I’m retired and I’ve always been interested in antique cars. I had a Ford Fairlane when I was 17 years old and bought it in great condition, just some minor mechanical work that I fixed,” he said.

He searched around the country for the car, traveling to Miami, Fla., and North Carolina, but ultimately found what he was looking for in Freeport, Maine. In the short time he’s had the car, he’s won seven awards and numerous trophies, which he has on display in the back seat.

In addition to Mulhall’s car this Tuesday there was a 1977 Corvette, a 1966 Oldsmobile, a 1969 Dodge Charger, a 1967 Chevy II, 1936 Chevy “The Pink Panther,” a 1965 Falcon Futura, a 1957 Chevy Belair and many more.

Many of the spectators enjoy coming to the shows because it’s a chance to get out of the house on a nice summer evening and meet new people.

“You meet so many different types of people whose interests are all the same. They’re eager to talk about their cars and what work they’ve done to them and the memories they have because a large group of these people had these cars when they were younger,” Shirley Hargraves of West Kingston said.

John Boiardi of Warwick, who has been into antique cars for 12 years and owns four, showed his 1969 Dodge Charger this week.

“Like everyone else here tonight, I’ve loved antique cars my whole life. I drove a 1968 Buick through high school and college. The thing with antique cars is they have personality and with hard work become works of art. The new cars these days, are generic and boring,” he said.

When asked whatt got him into antique cars, Bob from Smithfield laughed and said, “Because I’m antique.”

“I love personalizing antique cars but still keeping them original. Plus nothing beats driving around in an antique car, it’s a great experience,” he said.

For more information on the cruise night, call Jack Bardsley at 294-9297.