Hot August Nights continues in Northern Nevada today, with show-n-shines bringing everyone out to Victorian Square, C Street in Virginia City, and the J Resort.
This year marks the 39th annual nostalgic classic car show in the Truckee Meadows.
Rocky Wagner says he's brought his 1940 Willys Coupe to every single event since its inception in 1986 - and it takes a lot of maintenance to keep it as good-looking as it is.
"You got to clean out underneath the car. I got a lift up at the house," Wagner says, "And you got to clean all the chrome and all the stainless [steel]."
He says he bought the car at an auction in Milwaukee and spent six years restoring it.
Wagner is one of many owners who have returned year after year.
Ron Babjar says he's been coming out since 1992, and he's brought his black-and-yellow 1955 Ford Sunliner to the show since 2003. He bought an engine in Connecticut in 1996, but didn't know what to put it in at first.
"I saw this, calendar with a black and yellow '55 convertible," Babjar says, "And I said, 'Well, I think I'll look for that.'"
Babjar says he found the car in Montana in 1998. It took some modifications to get the engine to fit, but it worked out in the end.
"We had to put a whole new front clip on it," Babjar says, "And it's got a beefed-up rear end."
While we're on the topic of yellow cars, Mel Wallila and his 1972 Plymouth 'Cuda have been cruising down from Rainer, Oregon—a short drive from Portland—since 2019.
He says he bought the car back in November 1971, shortly after it hit the market.
"When I was 19, I bought it brand new off the showroom floor in Longview, Washington," Wallila says, "And I've owned it ever since."
He says it's been restored back to stock, with some added chrome here and there. He takes extra care of it and waxes it before every show.
Wagner's, Babjar's, and Wallila's cars are just three of a plethora of gorgeous cars at this year's Hot August Nights, which runs through August 10.
