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The deep guttural roars of high-performance engines reverberating between the buildings on and around the first few blocks of North Queen Street were advertisement enough.
Fred Frattaroli, owner of Triangle Classic Cars in Lebanon, was one of more than 100 owners of rare and classic cars helping to increase the noise level Sunday.
The two-tone 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible he had on display generated a few decibels.
But it purred like a kitten in comparison to Frattaroli's fully-restored 1966 Pontiac GTO, powered by a Pontiac 400 Tri-power engine.
"This car is nicer than it was when it first came off the showroom floor," Frattaroli said of the muscle car. "It's in mint condition, and it's worth $200,000."
Restoring and selling classic cars is Frattaroli's business — a business he said is hotter than ever.
"There's a lot of demand for these old cars right now," he said. "The guy who had one or his parents had one back in the day — now they want to have them again."
That demand is precisely why John Douglas, co-owner of Horsepower Enterprises, 939 N. Prince St., was on North Queen Street Sunday, showing a replica of a 1932 Ford Roadster.Besides buying and selling more modern performance cars, Horsepower Enterprises also is in the business of restoring classic and antique cars.
"We have about 22 restorations going on right now," he said. "But we're still trying to get the word out about what we do."
Not everyone showing cars Sunday was trying to drum up business.
Some, like Sean Grimm of Jarretsville, Md., were there because they're gearheads who love fixing up old cars to show and to race.
"I like all cars, but mostly high-performance cars, street rods — stuff like that," Grimm said. "It's fun building them."
Grimm sat under a tree on the first block of North Queen Street next to his metallic-blue, 1972 Chevrolet Nova.
Grimm said he's had the muscle car since 1994, and it's on its third engine.
"There was the one that was in it when we bought it and we replaced that one right away," he said. "Then we blew that one up drag racing, and we put in the one that's in it now."
(54) (25) (2) (2)Andy and Judy Andrews of Ronks were eager to show photos of their 1934 Chevrolet two-door sedan before they turned it into a street rod.
When the couple bought the car in 1999, it was all black — some areas had been painted by hand with a brush — and it had the original wooden floor, door frames and roof skeleton.
Andy Andrews figures he and his wife, their son "and anyone I could pull into the job" spent about a year stripping the car down to its base components and then rebuilding it.
Now, the car is white and purple, the interior has new carpet and upholstery, air conditioning and power windows.
It's powered by an automatic Chevy V8 engine.
For Mr. Andrews, the hot rod he and his wife have named "Purple People Eater" is a dream come true.
"I always wanted one from the time I was a kid," he said. "My dad said it was a waste of money and that I'd ruin a good car. He hated customs and hot rods.
"I went to him when I bought this one and I said 'Dad, I'm 58 years old, I got a '34 Chevy; I'm going to build a hot rod. I don't care if you like it or not.' He said 'I don't care what you do now.' "
Email: preilly@lnpnews.com
