Some Fords Cruised Monmouth

 

The Wheels Back On Monmouth show in Newport this past fall held to benefit the local police department's programs saw nearly 300 cars and trucks line the city's main street. Among them were a number of Fords including a Galaxie 500, a Galaxie XL, a Sunliner, a Fairlane, a restomod Fairlane and a Galaxie convertible.

 

El Camino On Monmouth

 

Introduced in 1959 to compete with Ford's successful Ranchero, the Chevrolet El Camino was also a kind of hybrid vehicle. Part pick up truck and part sedan, the El Camino was originally based on the Biscayne platform. The first generation only lasted two model years but was re-introduced in 1964 on the new General Motors A Body platform shared with the brand new Chevelle. It shared that platform until the 1978 model year when Chevy retired the Chevelle. That's when the El Camino moved to the new GM G Body where it stayed until it was shut down in 1987. A lot of people are fans of this vehicle and that was evident at the Wheels Back On Monmouth show in Newport. Here are the El Caminos that were on hand that day.

 

Chevelle Was On Monmouth

 

In 1964 Chevrolet released the mid-sized Chevelle in response to Ford putting out the Fairlane two years earlier. Mid-sized cars in general and the Chevelle in particular were aimed at the growing middle class who was inhabiting the suburbs and wanted to have room for a growing family. As was common for the time, the Chevelle could be ordered with a number of different power plants ranging from a 3.2L inline six all the way up to a muscular 6.5L big blog V8. The more powerful engines, particularly the 327 (5.4L) small block V8, became very popular and are often what are seen in the Chevelles that are still running today. A good number of these Chevy cars were on hand for the Wheels Back On Monmouth show in Newport this past fall. Here they are.

 

Camaros Came To Newport

 

Chevrolet introduced the Camaro in the fall of 1966 for the 1967 model year. It, along with the Pontiac Firebird, was intended to compete against Ford's highly successful Mustang. In fact, according to numerous accounts, one General Motors public relations person, when ask what a "camaro" was replied, "A vicious creature that eats mustangs." While the Camaro didn't exactly eat up the Mustang, it has had a very successful run. There were quite a few Camaros on hand for the Wheels Back On Monmouth event in Newport this past fall. Here are a few of them.

 

Buick and Oldsombile Were In Newport

 

When General Motors developed its structure of automobile lines to provide a car for every market group, they had Cadillac as their top of the line models. At the bottom as entry level was the Chevrolet. Just above the Chevy was Pontiac. Just below the Caddy was Buick. Smack in the middle was Oldsmobile. These mid and upper mid level makes were well represented at the Wheels Back On Monmouth show this past fall. Here are some Buick and Olds cars that there that day. Among them was a Buick Regal, an Oldsmobile convertible, a Buick Roadmaster, an Olds 88, a Buick GS convertible, a 1951 Buick Special Model 41D, and a Buick Gran Sport convertible.

 

                                        

Vettes On Monmouth

 

For years the Rides On Monmouth show was one of the region's largest. Then a combination of things, including the Covid pandemic and the retirement of the person who ran it, saw the show to shut down. Not it is back with a slightly different name, Wheels Back on Monmouth. This past year's event brought in nearly 300 cars and trucks to line the city's main street for eight blocks. Any show worth its salt is going to have a fair number of Chevrolet Corvettes. Here are some that were in Newport that day.

 

Trucks On Monmouth

 

The car shows in Newport on Monmouth Street are legendary for this region. They pull in vehicles from all over and always have a large selection of trucks. This past year's event drew nearly 300 automobiles to line more than eight blocks of the city's main drag. Here are some of the trucks that were on display including a Dodge Adventurer 150, along with a selection of Chevy pick ups from over the years.