Tim Kreminski should be part of the show Sunday at the 71st annual Autorama in downtown Detroit.
Reese's Krzyminski, who owns a 1969 Tran-Am Convertible and says he's been a “car guy” all his life, was attending the first Autorama and was assigned to keep an eye on his family's blue 1967 Chevy II Nova on display at Huntington Place.
“My cousin and my wife own this,” said 60-year-old Krzeminski. “They live in Bay City. We are a family.” He estimates that his cousin invested at least $200,000 in making the Nova.
“This is a drag race car. He just finished it on Tuesday… It's brand new. It should go about 4… seconds in the eighth mile. … It should be pretty aggressive.”
When he's not watching the Nova, Krzyminski said he watches the other vibrant and colorful displays of antique and modern cars at Huntington Place.
“I go to a lot of local car shows, but this is a whole other level,” he said.
The 71st annual Autorama, a celebration of Motor City culture that ran Friday through Sunday, featured hot rods, custom trucks, motorcycles, cars, Batmobiles and a tribute to Evel Knievel.
One of the cars Krzyminski admired was a yellow 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass with red blankets on the hood that he said was the only car of its kind.
“It's a very unique and special engine. It's like a half-head engine… It's a car that doesn't exist. They only made one,” he said.
He highlighted the hips of a “sexy” 1959 black Cadillac with a cream and red interior and a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air that was on display as General Motors' 50 millionth car.
The dedicated car show allowed attendees to purchase replicas of miniature cars, street signs such as “Mustang Street,” license plates, and other car enthusiast paraphernalia.
Clayton Jewett Jr., of Detroit, continued a decade-long tradition with his son, Clayton Jewett III, attending the luxury car show.
“I like a lot of things: exotics, muscle, imports,” said Jewett III, 26. “If it has four wheels and a motor, I love it.” “The level of cars has increased since previous years.”
Samuel Negrete, who lives in Florida but is in Detroit on business, found out about the event from a co-worker. He took a video of a blue Corvette at the show Sunday afternoon.
“I love cars: classic cars and muscle cars, so I wanted to come check them out,” Negrete, 26, said. “My favorite is the 1969 Camaro. I hope to see one here.”
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