Spectators look at a line of classic cars on display Saturday at the 10th annual Cars Under the Stars event at Cohen Stadium. Photo by Dustin Perry.

 

Cars Under the Stars event showcases vehicles from every era

Dustin Perry

Editor

More than 160 four-wheeled machines, from a 1925 Ford Model T to the sleek and powerful sports coupes of today, lined the field at Cohen Stadium Saturday for the 10th annual Cars Under the Stars car show.

The show, sponsored by the Rio Grande Wheels Car Club, drew both first-time participants and longtime veterans of the competition for a noisy night of live band performances, screaming fans and of course the bone-rumbling sounds of growling engines and tricked-out audio systems.

Vehicles fell under one of two classes: stock, meaning a car that has no exterior alterations beyond its factory specifications; and modified, meaning a car that has additions such as body accessories, engine upgrades or custom paint and tires.

Juan Deluna has poured seven years of work into his topless 1925 Model T - regarded as the car that “put America on wheels” - and has been entering it in shows since 2003. He said the thing he enjoys the most about putting his car on display is the sense of admiration he notices when people look at it.

“It gives me a sense of satisfaction,” said Deluna, who has attended four Cars Under the Stars shows. “People's reaction when they see it is usually amazement because what they're seeing is basically a big engine on wheels.”

Memo Hernandez’s 1939 Chevrolet Opera Coupe sits on display Saturday in the outfield at Cohen Stadium during the 10th annual Cars Under the Stars event. Photo by Dustin Perry.

 

Deluna compares driving the car to “the excitement of a roller coaster” and says he gets “a lot of thumbs-up” from both pedestrians and other drivers who see him on the street. The sheer amount of time and work car enthusiasts put into their vehicles is something to be admired, said Deluna.

“We have a real dedication in our work,” he said. “Sometimes you have people who build their own cars from scratch, or have people build it for them. Either way, it is money well spent.”

Memo Hernandez, the owner of a black 1939 Chevrolet Opera Coupe he entered in the show, has been a car enthusiast for 30 years and has been to shows throughout Texas and in Oklahoma, Colorado and Kentucky. He began working on his Chevy three years ago, building it from scratch and adding a 1972 GMC engine and putting “chrome on everything.” Hernandez said he most enjoys coming to shows so he can meet others who have the same interests as him.

“You learn a lot of the tricks of the trade and you get to see the care and attention to detail that others put into their cars,” said Hernandez.

A music video is shown playing simultaneously on four of the six flat-screens – including the 20-inch pull-down screen in the center – inside the cab of Chris Ohle's 2001 Chevy Tahoe. Photo by Dustin Perry.

 

For Chris Ohle, a Fort Bliss Soldier with 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, Saturday's show was only the second in which he has ever participated. Most assuredly belonging to the modified class, his 2001 Chevy Tahoe caught the eyes of many spectators with its custom paint job, booming sound system and six flat-screens inside the cab - one mounted on each of the front visors, one in the center console, one on the back of both headrests, and a 20-inch pull-down screen. 

Ohle belongs to Team Elite, a newly formed car club with only a handful of members. Like Deluna, he also admits to getting “a lot of attention from the public” when driving his truck. Car shows are not about the awards, but rather the admiration he gets from the people who attend them, said Ohle.

“It's a feeling of accomplishment, because that's what I've been working for - to get my truck how I want it to be,” said Ohle. “There is so much you can do with a vehicle, and it's great to see how far the limits are to what people will do to their cars.

“We all have a general appreciation for cars,” added Ohle, “but this is more than a hobby - it's a passion. We all appreciate each other for our passion.”