VIRGINIA CITY, NV (June 27_ – For the past six years the annual Women With Wheelz car show has been held in Reno. This year however it moved to the Comstock thanks to the support from Virginia City and the Silverland Inn and Suites.
Due to the current situation the attendance wasn’t as big in years past but there were a variety of cars on display. In addition there was also a trailer full of vintage clothing.
Barbara Mann probably came the farthest to display her car, a 1959 Dodge Cornet. She and her husband drove their classic up from Lincoln, California.
Asked about the car she said, “I bought and it still had the scallops on it, which was great but it was primer, the bodywork done, which was a treat, and it had the seats done. But other than that we’ve done a lot of restoration.”
Among the items worked on were rebuilding the engine, having the front end redone as well as the chroming and “a ton of stuff.” She also had it painted.
“I added a double mirror, changed out some of the old things and it doesn’t have a generator any more cause it kept getting stuck and changed out the points as got stuck a few times with that,” she said. “It’s a driver, not a trailer queen that’s why it’s not perfect. Yea it’s had a lot of things done to it.”
Next in line was a 1970 El Camino owned by Iris Bustamante of Carson City. She got the car by trading a Scion for the El Camino, which was owned by her husband’s son.
“It was really in disrepair, wasn’t running or anything. I wanted a car to work on so my husband and I went ahead made the trade and I got it,” she said. “Started working on it, got it down to bare metal, did the upholstery on the side panels. We had the seats done at the prison as the Silver State Industries does that.”
She added the engine and transmission are original but one thing that isn’t is the paint.
“It’s a Ford Fusion color. I have a Ford Fusion and liked the color so much I asked them if I can do that they said yea and it’s Pearl White so that’s what we did. I just love it.”
Her latest effort is painting a design on the tailgate and she’s had the bed lined.
Next up was from Qincy, California owned by Diane Skow. It all got started eight years ago when her husband was restoring a car, getting it reupholstered and she found this car.
“It didn’t have the top, didn’t have any brakes, which is a bad thing and it over heated all the time,” she said. “My husband said that I’ve been such a good sport I needed a car of my own so I test drove it and came back with a big grin. I said ‘well our 40th anniversary is coming up, traditionally it’s rubies and that’s close enough.'”
When asked Skow said she wasn’t going to name it Ruby as every car show seems to have one or two cars with that name.
“The first couple of years we went to car shows and at the end of the day I said, ‘I doubt I’ll ever have a red car, I know I’ll never have flames with the engine just out there.’ Now I have all three so her name is “Never Say Never.”
The car is a 1932 Ford Roadster and it’s a Model B. The car has an all steel body but she said, “Someone put a Chevy engine in it.” At one time she considered putting Ford valve covers on the motor but her husband said everyone would know it was a Chevy motor.
Then with a smile she said, “The unfortunate thing is that my husband sort of made me a Ford girl. I do the little stuff on it but my husband maintains the engine. I’m there supervising but it’s fun especially with Women With Wheelz as it’s a fun show.”
There was another classic Ford in the show owned by Teri Tholl from Reno. She named her blue car “Walter” and it’s a 1931 Ford Model A sedan.
“I bought it pretty much like it is. I’ve added the trunk, changed the brakes, done some interior work and it has a 302 Ford engine. A lot of people put Chevy engines in them but this is a Ford,” she said. “It drives really well and I drive it everywhere. I really enjoy it and it’s fun.”
Asked about some of the extras she chuckled and explained that Walter likes a little Bling in his life.
One of the displays wasn’t a car but a trailer, a special trailer full of unusual things. Susan Greco and her husband brought their trailer full of vintage clothes and things to the show.
“We had an antique store then we got a bunch of vintage clothes in so just expanded from there but we ended up closing down the store,” she said. “We were going to use an old trailer my husband then we came across this beauty.”
The beauty is a 1968 Silver Streak in good condition. It has as stovetop, sink, an oven, a refrigerator and they all work. Inside and outside there was a selection of clothes ranging from dresses, gowns, scarves, hats, lingerie and other things.
“The bedroom is used as a dressing room,” she said. “You have to try vintage on as our bodies have changed.”
There is one primary way to find out where she will be displaying the clothes.
“We have a Face Book page, Five Decades True Vintage and it’s usually first on the search,” she said. “We also have a web page but haven’t been keep it as much. If you like us on Face Book anytime we’re at a show it will be posted there. I’m not an over poster so you won’t be hearing from us everyday.”
All during the day there were prizes being handed out from an on going raffle. This year’s Women with Wheelz trophies were also on display and one of them was to be raffled or auctioned off. The show’s proceeds after costs go to Women on the Run.
Asked about the show organizer Teresa Aquila said, “We got a lot of ladies that came up and wanted to promote the show. They’ve been to the show several times as it’s our seventh year. We’ve done really well and had a lot of spectators come and join in.”
She really appreciated the help provided by Virginia City and the Silverland Inn and Suites.
“Both of them wanted up to be up here as it’s been a slow year for all events,” she said. “This one being on private property so we’re following the protocols that we had put in place. Everybody is having a great time, everybody wanted to get out and this is a great day to do it as the weather was perfect.”
For further information on next years show readers are advised to check the website at www.teresasgarage.com or the Face Book page with the same name.
OTHER RACING NEWS:
• Remember the South Meadows Steak N’ Shake is the site of the weekly Tuesday evening cruise. The meet runs from 5 until 9 p.m. and there are prizes, awards as well as cool music to enjoy.
• Teresa’s Garage Radio Show, the only local radio show dedicated to all things automotive has news, trivia and other topics. The show is on Tuesday afternoons from 2 until 3 p.m. and in the Reno/Sparks area can be heard on 1180 AM.
I have a preview section at 2:15 and we can also be heard on a Podcast at amm.streamon.fm. The show is live on Face Book at that time.
• If you enjoyed this article please “like,” and share it as widely as possible. Comments are welcome.
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Our newest sponsor is G.I.S.L Land Services that, while having a global client base it has a Western U.S.A. Focus. Owner Greg Ekins is a long time off road motorcycle racer competing in the MRANN Series as well as the AMA National Hare and Hound series.
Among the services offers are Surface and Mineral Title Reviews and Cartographic Services. The website is www.gislandservices.com.
Another great sponsor is General Transmission and Power Train Specialists. The shop is located at 2515 Sutro Street in Reno, a few blocks below Hug High School.
Former motorcycle racer Pete Attashian is the owner and they not only service older and newer transmission but now have a section dealing with high performance units including those used for towing.
The phone number is 775-786-5888 and the shop’s website is www.generaltransmissionreno.com.
Another sponsor is fantastic race photographer Melissa Coker. If you have raced at Summit in Elko, Battle Mountain, Lovelock, Rattlesnake Raceway or Diamond Mountain Speedway she probably has a photograph of your car on the track.
She’s also been at the IMCA Duel in the Desert was well as the Wild West Tour and IMCA Super Nationals in Boone, Iowa. Melissa not only has photos of the cars, and many times drivers, but she can produce hero cards and even a book covering from your season.
To see her collections or to place an order please check her website at www.melissasoutonalimb.smugmug.com.
Two of our sponsors are first class motorcycle shops located in Reno.
Our first sponsor is Reno Motorsports (RMS). Not only do they have about anything a rider might want or need and the store also has a full service shop.
Their location is at 964 Terminal Way, by the intersection with Mill Street. Store’s phone number is 775-322-1499 and the site is, www.rms-renomotorsports.com.
The next shop is Motosource located at 3180 Mill Street. Once again they are a full service shop plus about any thing a rider might need or want.
The phone number is 775-856-3855 and the website is, www.moto-source.com.
The next sponsor is an excellent place if you need collision repair on your car or truck. It’s Concours Body Shop, located at 250 Telegraph Street in Reno and has a long history of first class repairs.
Brian Saul is the owner, a car enthusiast himself and he’s committed to continuing the shop’s reputation of quality work. Phone number is 775-329-4557 and the website is, www.concoursbodyshop.net.
Hungry, want a great place to eat, then try PJ&CO for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and it’s a great place to watch your favorite sports. If you’re a rider, well Wednesday evening is Bike Night, always a great time to see some great looking bikes and meet like-minded people.
The location is 1590 South Wells Avenue, just north of the round about. Phone number is 775-323-6366 and their website is www.pjandco.net.
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