'They don't make cars like this anymore': Over 100 car owners showcase vehicles during annual car show at Albuquerque Museum
May 19—For a few hours on Sunday the Albuquerque Museum parking lot and parts of 19th Street NW was a mecca for classic car enthusiasts.
Among the gems at the New Mexico Council of Car Clubs' annual car show were several Ford Model Ts, a 1955 Chevrolet 3200 pickup, 1935 Chevy pickup and 1965 Volkswagen Beetle. The latter three are owned by members of the same family.
Michael Saavedra owns the '35 Chevy that was once his father's work truck. When Michael turned 16, Michael said his dad gave it to him, telling him that "You take care of stuff. I have no problem giving you this."
To the right of Michael's pickup was his son Paul Saavedra's 1955 Chevy. Paul said it took "a good four years of stripping the whole truck down to bare minimal, doing body work, getting things to fit, getting things to work like they should."
On the other side of Michael was his brother Dennis Saavedra's Beetle known as "U-Dub."
Despite everyone having their own projects, Paul said everyone helped one each other.
"It's a family effort," Paul said.
The Saavedras were not the only people to showcase their pride and joys on the 85-degree day.
For more than 35 years, the Council of Car Clubs puts on a car show between Mothers' Day and Memorial Day that allows people like the Saavedras to showcase their vehicles.
"We just like to have a casual show where people come together and talk about their cars," car show chairwoman Joyce Clements said.
This year the theme was the Roaring Twenties. Clements, and others, came to the Albuquerque Museum decked out in 1920s attire.
Others contributed to the theme by bringing Model Ts and Model A including Mike Marquez, Jr., who drove down from Española to show off his 1929 Model A Tudor he picked up in December.
"It has always been on my list of cars to have," he said. "They don't make cars like this anymore."
As Marquez talked to people about his new acquisition, others posed with Mark Wing's 1925 Ford Motel T touring car.
Wing, who said he has owned the vehicle for about a decade, said he restored it from the "ground up" with the help from members of the Tin Lizzies of Albuquerque, a club for Model T enthusiasts.
"It probably hadn't been driven in 60 years," Wing said.
Wing said people who looked at the Model T were "really curious how they operate because they're unlike modern cars."
"The transmissions are totally different," he said. "The Model T's also don't have fuel pumps, oil pumps or water pumps."
Regardless of the era, people took selfies or photos of loved ones standing next to that Ford Model T or 1951 Willy's M38 jeep. But they weren't the only ones.
Some walked away from the vehicles they were showcasing to admire the work that their contemporaries put in.
"It is definitely validating when somebody compliments you, especially other car people," Paul Saavedra said. "They know what they are looking at, and they can see all the hard work you put in it."
