Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

The front grill of a '57 Chevrolet Bell Aire at the Grand Classic Cruisers 'Cruise In' in the Christiansburg K Mart parking lot.

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• Sights and sounds of 'Cruise In'

CHRISTIANSBURG -- On warm Saturday nights this summer, the back of the Kmart parking lot bears a resemblance to a classic-car museum.

From 75-year-old Model As that can't top 45 mph to flashy Corvettes and Mustangs that would fit in just as well at a drag strip, a diverse assortment of "grand classic cruisers" are usually on display.

Most of the vehicles roll in about 6 p.m. Some arrive earlier.

Their owners, who hail from as far as Raleigh, N.C., and Princeton, W.Va., sit and laugh and reminisce for hours about their respective treasures on wheels. The mood is as relaxed as a Sunday afternoon stroll through the park.

"It's not a club," said Christiansburg resident Dale Echols, who organized these "cruise-ins" in the summer of 2002 with help from his wife, Teresa, and fellow car enthusiast Roger Averhart of Blacksburg. "Everyone can come and go as they please."

Only a few basic guidelines are enforced -- specifically, no through-traffic, bicycles or spinouts are allowed. Participants seemingly devote as much time to peering underneath companions' car hoods as showing off their own vehicles. There is no prize for the best car. And the price to attend is impossible to beat: It's free.

The camaraderie among car lovers combined with the dearth of participation cost make the cruise-ins popular among regulars.

"If it's a pretty weekend, you expect to see at least 100 cars," Echols said.

On a busy night, he said, there are sometimes up to 500 spectators who come just to admire the vast confluence of classic rides.

"Everybody that's there is just super nice," Echols said. "That's what I like."

Don Huffman 1950 Ford F-1

The speedometer reaches 100 mph. But the retired electrician from Volvo Trucks North America in Dublin isn't ready to test his prize vehicle's velocity.

"I don't want to be sitting in it if it did go that," he said.

So Huffman doesn't drive the antique truck faster than 60 mph. After all, he's more concerned about his ride looking spiffy than being speedy. The most obtrusive feature might be the cherry red Flatbed's matching red rims.

Huffman, who bought the truck about two years ago from a man in Ellet Valley, found the rims at a junkyard in Floyd and had them painted and sandblasted before putting them on. Besides installing new mirrors above the driver's seat and attaching a new Ford logo on the hood of the truck, the Christiansburg resident has made few other upgrades.

Upkeep, however, particularly oil and filter maintenance, is essential, Huffman said.

"This is what you call a basic truck," he said. "No big motor in it -- it's just like it came out of the factory. It's all original."

Huffman doesn't own or have immediate plans to buy any other classic vehicles. He considers his current piece perfect for the cruise-in, which he attends almost every week.

"I'm very proud of this baby," he said. "I really like it."

Bobbie Miller 1966 Ford Mustang GT

Distance is no obstacle between her and classic-car events. When the Cashmere, W.Va., resident isn't at the Christiansburg cruise-in, she's usually visiting other cruise-ins of equally notable distance in Hillsville and Salem. But unlike fellow automobile enthusiasts who drive their classic cars to the grocery story or the bank, Miller saves hers for special events.

The drive to Christiansburg from her home is 52 miles.

Having the chance to showcase her snazzy ride makes the trip worth it.

"A lot of people want to buy it," said Miller, adding that she has had offers as high as $15,000. "I'm not interested in selling it."

One of the vehicle's most marketable characteristics is its Deluxe or "Pony Interior," an interior upgrade for 1965 and 1966 Mustangs most closely associated with two-tone seats with running horses stamped on the backs.

Of equal prominence is the car's Emberglow color, a brownish-orangish-salmonish tone most commonly tied to classic Mustangs.

"It ain't too many in the world this color," Miller said. "It's kind of rare."

Miller added her own touch to the car shortly after buying it six years ago from a man in Rocky Gap after seeing the Mustang advertised in a car trading journal.

She replaced the vehicle's eight-track player with a cassette player, traded in the car's old white wall tires for a more modern set and had speakers installed across the back dash.

But Miller doesn't want onlookers to be fooled by the Mustang's amenities. It doesn't even have power steering.

"It reminds me of my old days growing up and stuff," she said. "A lot of them went to the crushers and stuff. It's a shame. If a person had known what they were worth now, they wouldn't have ever gotten rid of them."

Dewaine Smith 1931 Ford Model A

This classic-car owner isn't a regular at the Christiansburg cruise-in. That's because unlike many of his fellow antique-car owners who consider their rides to be mainly showpieces, Smith utilizes his vehicle for more than just cruise-ins. He has driven it as far as Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, and recently entered it in a national car show in Williamsburg, where the Washington blue and Tacoma cream-colored Model A earned an award of excellence.

Still, Smith is choosy about where he drives.

"We don't get on the interstate," the Pilot resident said.

This retro machine -- one of the oldest American cars, introduced not longer after the horse-and-buggy days -- tops out at about 45 mph and lacks a number of modern amenities; it boasts a generator instead of an alternator and lacks a fuel pump. Smith, who is joined often in the car with his wife, Joyce, and daughter, Evangeline, bought the vehicle 22 years ago from an insurance salesman.

"It's just a simple car to work," he said.

But that doesn't keep it from getting noticed.

"We get a lot of looks and a lot of horn-blowing and waves," Smith said.

Roger and Lisa Gardner 1970 440 Plymouth GTX

Joann and Dave Shepherd 1969 Dodge Super Bee

Not only are the two couples friends, they also own similar classic cars.

The bodies of the Gardners' 1970 440 Plymouth and the Shepherds' 1969 Dodge Super Bee -- parked side by side on a recent Saturday at the Christiansburg cruise-in -- are identical with only a few differing modifications.

Most noticeably, the Plymouth features a hood-popping device that unlatches the hood automatically when the engine starts. The hood of the Dodge Super Bee has to be manually removed.

But there's no competition between these classic-car owners.

"It's nice and laid-back, just a group of friends," Lisa Gardner said. "There's no prizes or awards or anything, just a common interest of being together and spending time with people who have the same type of interests."

This Christiansburg couple's Plymouth GTX is valued at more than $25,000, Lisa Gardner said, and this particular model is one of only 5,000 ever made.

It seems natural for the Gardners to be a bit possessive when it comes to their metallic green classic machine.

"It's my husband's car, but it's mine if he leaves," said Lisa Gardner of husband Roger's classic muscle car. "I think we've seen one other GTX around here in this whole area, and I think the guy bought it for, like, $40,000 from a museum or something."

The Shepherds also take no shortage of pride in their classic vehicle.

"Everywhere we go, people will give you high-fives on this car," Joann Shepherd said.