Retro rides featured at Oak Brook car show
If there was a prevailing sentiment at Sunday’s classic car show in Oak Brook, it was this: Today’s cars are boring.
“They’re cookie-cutter cars,” said Buffalo Grove resident Roy Johnson. “You can’t tell one from the other. I used to be able to identify a car from a block away. Not anymore.”
Johnson was one of dozens of vintage-car enthusiasts who displayed cars from the 1930s through 1970s at the 43rd annual Father’s Day Classic Car Show in Oakbrook Center mall Sunday.
Visitors gawked at the sleek designs of those retro rides — the long fins, the gleaming chrome grills, the luxurious interiors.
Johnson displayed his pristine 1972 Cadillac Coup de Ville, which he bought new from a dealership in Lombard 39 years ago. The car, which has just 40,000 miles on it, cost Johnson a whopping $8,425.
What impressed passers-by most, though, was that the Cadillac has never been restored. Everything on it — the floor mats, the upholstery, the taillights, the engine — is original and in nearly perfect condition, Johnson said.
“Why? Because I just take care of things,” he said with a shrug.
When an admirer congratulated Johnson on keeping the car in such beautiful shape, he laughed. “I’ve got parts missing from me!” he said.
More than 100 vehicles were on display at the show, which has become a popular tradition at Oakbrook Center. Organizers said they expected between 70,000 and 80,000 people to stroll through over the course of the day.
Several visitors said the cars reminded them of their younger days.
“My dad drove one just like that,” Westmont resident Carl Newton said, pointing to a 1956 Imperial 4-door sedan. “Cars in those days just looked cool.”
Ken Karlson of Orland Park agrees. He and his son, Kurt, displayed several vehicles at the show, including Ken’s 1964 Lincoln Continental convertible.
Karlson said he bought the car 12 years ago and recently had it completely restored.
“I just love the designs of these old cars,” he said, pointing at the long lines of his Continental. “Each car had a specific look in those days. They were fantastic.
“Nowadays, cars all look the same. They’ve lost that special quality.”