Novas Exploded Onto the Streets Of Newport

 In 1960, in an attempt to bring more small car value, along with perhaps some European flair, Chevrolet would undertake a grand experiment. That year they introduced the rear engine Corvair. Sadly for Chevy, the Corvair was constantly outsold by the rival, Ford Falcon, a conventional front engine, rear wheel drive car. Chevy scrambled and by 1962 introduced the small, entry level Chevy II. The "Deuce" came in three basic trims (there was a fourth that was cut almost immediately), the 100, the 300 and the Nova 400. By far the sportiest, the Nova 400 was also the most popular. By 1969 the Chevy II moniker was dropped and all compact Chevy cars were Novas. The brand was pulled in 1979 but reemerged in 1985 through the 1988 model year. Among the nearly 300 vehicles at the Wheels Back On Monmouth show in Newport were a number of Chevy II and Nova automobiles. Here are some of them.

MoPar Joined the Wheels Back On Monmouth Show

 Chrysler has a division called Motor Parts which, obviously, handles all of the company's various parts. The shortened version of the name, MoPar, has become synonymous with all Chrysler vehicles including Dodge and Plymouth. While Chrysler is the number three manufacturer in America, there were still plenty of MoPar examples among the nearly 300 cars and trucks that were on hand for the Wheels Back On Monmouth show in Newport. Among them was a fairly rare Dodge Conquest, a 1974 Dodge Challenger, a Challenger R/T convertible, a Plymouth Gold Duster, a Duster, a Barracuda, a 1970 'Cuda, a Dart Demon, and a 1969 Dodge Charger Dukes of Hazard tribute.

Plenty Of Customs Came to Newport

Customs come in many different forms. Heck, that's why they're called customs. They can be hot rods, like this Chevy coupe based model, or something completely unique and different. Customs have been around for as long as there have been automobiles with people using their imagination and skills to alter the look of a standard car. There were plenty of customs that rolled into Newport for the Wheels Back On Monmouth show. Here are some of them.

Bel Airs Rolled Onto Monmouth

The Bel Air was Chevrolet's best selling automobile coming out of World War II. Originally only a two door hard top it became the top of the line Chevy through much of the 1950s. The cars from the middle of that decade, the so-called Tri-5 models from 1955-57, are very common at old car events all over. Of course, at a show that managed to draw nearly 300 cars and trucks, you can get more than just those Tri-5s. For example, at the Wheels Back On Monmouth in Newport there was a 1964 Bel Air station wagon. Here are some of the Bel Airs that were on hand that day.

Corvettes Came to Newport For the Wheels Back On Monmouth Event

When American soldiers returned home from Europe following World War II many brought with them an interest in the sports cars they saw over there. So they started to import some. In order to counter this, General Motors developed a small, two seat sports car of their own. Introduced in 1953 the Corvette has become something of an icon in the States. With nearly 300 cars and trucks showing up for the Wheels Back On Monmouth show in Newport, it's easy to imagine the number of Vettes on hand. Here are just some of them.

Trucks Put Their Wheels On Monmouth

The Wheels Back On Monmouth in Newport brought in around 300 cars and trucks. And there were plenty of trucks. There were working vehicles from GMC, Ford, and Chevrolet.

There Were Plenty of Pontiacs In Newport

Many people regretted when General Motors closed down the Pontiac division in 2010 in order to reign in costs and eliminate cross divisional competition. Personally, I grew up in a Pontiac home. All the way into high school the family had Pontiacs, mostly station wagons. A lot of other people seem to rue that day when GM ended Pontiac's historic run because there seems to be a lot of them showing up at old car events. That was surely the case at the Wheels Back On Monmouth show in Newport. Among the Pontiacs on display was a Bonneville convertible, a Trans Am, a Catalina, a Firebird, a LeMans convertible, and a GTO.