GALT, CA (MPG) - Galt Area Historical Society held its annual showcase of automotive history on Aug. 17, opening McFarland Living History Ranch for the Drive Down Memory Lane Car Show.

Classic cars from 1970 and earlier were lined up on the lawn outside the historic McFarland ranch house, and the owners discussed their lovingly maintained vehicles with visitors.

Car show participant Neil Guerin said he was nearing the end of a decades-long restoration project on his 1970 Ford Torino GT convertible.

Guerin bought the GT about 40 years ago for $500, and since then has worked on most components of the car.

“Now I just basically drive it,” Guerin told the Herald. “The only thing I’m going to do in the future is put in air conditioning this winter and then I think I’m absolutely done.”

The GT convertible is good for a leisurely cruise and, Guerin said, stands out from other classic convertibles.

“What I personally like about the car is that it’s different. It’s not another Mustang, it’s not another Chevelle, which are plentiful,” Guerin said. “Only 3,600 (GTs) were made in the convertible in 1970 and so there’s not many on the road and that’s kind of the big thing I like about it.”

Besides the car show, guests had multiple other attractions to choose from, such as vendors, food trucks and tours of the ranch house, as well as a barn sale offering vintage and antique items at low prices.

The sale proved popular, drawing an estimated 100 visitors by midday.

Susan Dudley and Stephanie Zimmerman found a few treasures looking through the merchandise, including a decorative marble figurine, a wool rug, and a pair of bright blue boots for Zimmerman.

“We both do the antique thing; I got a cherry pitter here one year,” Zimmerman said, a useful find because “plastic doesn’t work. You’ve got to have metal.”

Dudley said the attraction of antiquing lies in “the memories, the treasures, the looking-back, finding something for somebody else.”

Zimmerman came to the car show because her father was showing his 1940 truck, and she and Dudley toured the ranch house before heading to the barn sale.

The car show concluded with former Sacramento County Supervisor Don Nottoli presenting awards for best of show.

The winners were Skip Jenkerson’s 1938 Chevy Business, Jim and Carole Snow’s 1912 Fort T Runabout, Randy Gomes’ 1946 Chevrolet, Doug Holck’s 1934 Terra Plane, Curtis Conner’s 1934 Ford Tudor, Ray Goulart’s 1964 Chevy El Camino, Jean Fontes’ 1949 Chevrolet, Mary Ann Spence’s 1955 Buick Century, Pete Ohm’s 1950 Buick Streetrod, and Max Long’s 1928 Model AA Ford Truck.

Car show participants and guests were a mix of repeat visitors and first-timers.

Galt native Craig Meixner brought his customized 1969 Mustang, painted an iridescent color that looks purple or blue depending on the light. 

Meixner attends the show every year because he enjoys the grassy, tree-lined location.

Guerin, who brought the Ford GT, was at the car show for the first time.

 He looked forward to installing air conditioning over the winter and showing the completed car at next year’s show.