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BEHIND THE WHEELS
EXTRAORDINARY THEN AND NOW • By Richard Greene
Bob Sherwood’s ‘55 Chevy Bel Air convertible was, is, and always will be a classic Photos: Richard Greene
Mike Ames stands with his 1934 Cadillac, which is the mostcelebrated vehicle among a collection of classic cars that features models from every decade of the past century. Photos: Richard Greene
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adillac Motor Division produced, mostly by hand, only six of these in 1934, and this is the only known survivor of the massive two-passenger coupe that looked the Great Depression in the eye and didn’t blink. This is Mike Ames’ first acquisition that stands today among his collection of remarkable classic cars from every decade of the last century. It remains his most celebrated, having won the 2002 Best in Class Trophy at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance – the flagship event considered the world’s premier celebration of the automobile. Mike explains, as he gently draws his hand along the expanse of its stainless trim, the one-of-a-kind pedigree, “Powered by a 353-cubic-inch, V-8 engine delivering 120
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ARLINGTON TODAY • June 2021 • arlingtontoday.com
horsepower, car industry styling and engineering took a giant leap toward streamlining shifting from the upright, carriagebased platform to smooth deco design, providing better aerodynamics, space utilization and mechanics without being jarring or strange.” I’m always interested in how owners of the cars featured on these pages every month obtained their vehicles. While some of them are true “barn finds,” Mike discovered his in 2000 on the fifth floor of a downtown San Francisco parking garage, where it had been stored for several years. “The only way down was a freight elevator that measured 20 feet deep,” Mike recalls. “The big coupe fit with only a couple of inches to spare, and the lowering mechanism
