Car-maraderie: A couple revels in show weekends

MIKE KERWICK, STAFF WRITER
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
06-20-2007

Car-maraderie: A couple revels in show weekends
By MIKE KERWICK, STAFF WRITER
Date: 06-20-2007, Wednesday
Section: BETTER LIVING
Edtion: All Editions

WHAT: Classic Car and Motorcycle Show with Law Enforcement Motorcycle Skills Competition.

WHEN: Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHERE: Parking lot adjacent to Whiskey Caf, 1050 Wall St., Lyndhurst.

HOW MUCH: Admission is free. Entry fee for classic cars (1980 or earlier) and motorcycles (any year), $25. Entry fee for law enforcement skills competition, $10.

***

You cannot separate the man from the car. Carol learned this 34 years ago, before she exchanged rings and vows. She was driving to work in her father's '58 Oldsmobile, trying everything to turn a colleague's eyes her way.

Charlie didn't seem interested.

"When I got my '67 Camaro," Carol said, "then I got asked out."

They are standing on their driveway in Lincoln Park — Charlie Ehm next to his '70 Chevelle Malibu, Carol Ehm next to her '67 Camaro. Neighbors who are out for an evening walk glance at the photographer in the driveway.

"No, we're not selling them, don't get excited," Carol tells them.

"We'll sell the house first," adds Charlie.

He's only half-kidding.

Charlie and Carol Ehm are part of a small but enthusiastic group that shares this fascination with classic cars. They've competed in Wildwood. They left an event in Wayne with a Sheriff's Choice award.

This Sunday, they will drive their cars to the parking lot adjacent to the Whiskey Caf in Lyndhurst for the Classic Car and Motorcycle Show.

"I know he likes the [mechanics] of it as well as the looks," Carol said. "With me, I just like the looks."

They put this obsession on hold while they raised their kids. Carol jokes that "the '67 Camaro became the '80 Mercury Zephyr [station wagon]." The couple still made it to car shows, dragging their kids along to share in their pastime.

And then in 1998, Charlie got the itch. The kid who grew up driving a hand-me-down '63 Rambler made the decision to purchase a '70 Chevelle Malibu.

"A fellow I worked with had it," Charlie said. "He had twins. He was in the position I was in 30 years ago."

It needed some work. He ripped off the vinyl roof and found nothing but rust. He made a nervous commute from his house to the body shop.

"No bumpers, no headlights, no glass in the front and rear," Charlie said. "I passed three cops on the way to the body shop."

Soon Carol got the itch. In 2006, she would go back to the car that helped win her husband's heart.

"I always loved Camaros," Carol said. "I just kept searching the Internet."

It took her three years to find the '67. She plunked down $32,500 for the car. Six months later, after some body work and a new coat of marina blue paint, Carol had it appraised at $40,000.

The cars are not very practical. Charlie said he's driven his Chevelle fewer than 3,000 miles since he bought it nine years ago. They require premium fuel. Carol's car gets about 15 or 16 miles per gallon on the highway. And if the car breaks down, good luck persuading a tow truck driver to be gentle.

But they wouldn't trade their cars and the enjoyment of taking them to cruise nights in Jersey. Charlie and Carol are already spreading the gospel to the next generation. Austin, the couple's 2-year-old grandson, is a convert. Carol sometimes lets him sit in the driver's seat of her Camaro.

"Let's roll!" he yells.

Pity the girl who wants to win his heart. She might need a flashy car to get his attention.

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E-mail: kerwick@northjersey.com

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Illustrations/Photos: 2 STAFF PHOTOS BY PETER MONSEES;
Keywords: MOTOR VEHICLE, SHOW

Copyright 2007 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.