From muscle cars to go-carts, Charleston’s tenth annual Car Show to benefit Camp New Hope was held Saturday at the Charleston County Fair Grounds. Those in attendance left with a sense of not wanting to leave in the vehicles they came in.

One of the first cars upon entering was a pretty-in-pink ’74 Volkswagen. According to owner Sarah Skorczewski, Hugo “the Wonder Bug” Super Beetle was bought on Ebay, painted pink by her father, and although the brake pedals and clutch pedals have been replaced, it still has its original engine.

“Had to have a Volkswagen,” Skorczewski said. “I drive it every day.”

A little red, white, and blue splashes this $3,475 retail valued machine. The AMC Rebel Machine is decorated in the colors inside and out; even the engine and interior show the American colors. Only 1,000 of the cars were produced with this color scheme.

The car show also included classic 1950s cars, like a red and white 1956 Pontiac Star Chief.

“All the chrome had to be redone, all the paint, engine reworked, transmission reworked, pretty much just the whole dang car,” remarked Roger Kinder, Newton, Ill., winner of the 1950-1959 stock car category for his Star Chief.

The 1960-1969 and 1970-1979 muscle cars that really stood out from the rest of the cars at the show. The classic 1968 Chevy Camaro SS, in an orange paint job with a white racing stripe down the hood and back end, and also a sea green 1971 Oldsmobile Delta SS, complimenting a 1971 Philadelphia Eagles cap that sat in the front seat.

“Fifteen thousand, five hundred original miles on it, never been rebuilt, never seen a drop of rain on it. I fell in love with the interior when I bought it,” said Joe Nave, of Martinsville, and runner up in 1970-1979 stock cars awards on the day.

Although it was a car show, it was the trucks that walked away with the major awards on the day.

Mike and Emily Hourigan’s Ford F1 Pick Up won for Best in Show, while the Participant’s Choice Award went to Cathy Veach for her 2004 Chevrolet Corvette. Keith and Bryan Sparks won the Mayor’s Choice Award for their 1938 Chevy Master Deluxe.

Salem resident Mike Hourigan’s fire truck red pickup comes with heated Ford Explorer seats that, Hourigan says, he got from the junkyard.

“We’ve been going to a lot of shows; this is our first Best in Show award,” Hourigan said. “Very rough, very rough competition, had a lot of good variety of vehicles and a lot that could have deserved Best in Show.”

Charleston Mayor John Inyart was responsible for judging for the Mayor’s Choice Award, and his fondness for older cars contributed to his decision.

“I found out that judging is not very easy,” Inyart said. “It’s harder than it looks; I’m partial to the older stuff and this particular car has not been restored. It’s the third owner of the car and it’s to my understanding that the original owner went away to WWII and never came back, so it’s just got a lot of character and you can see the history in it.”

Third owner Keith Sparks has said that despite the chips and scratches the car carries on it, it shows a lot of character.

After the original owner died, “the car sat in a garage at his parent’s house until the early 1960s,” said Sparks. “Then Buford Car over in Champaign bought it and they just used it throughout the years for parades and car shows and then they sold it to me October the 13, 2002.”

Camron Nees, 7, from Ashmore sits in his 1966 Ford Ac Cobra GoCart before the judging started Saturday afternoon at the Jaycee Car Show. (Jay Grabiec/ The Daily Eastern News)

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