
It's a unique club, made for those whose heartbeat quickens with the rev of an engine, those who have just a splash of motor oil in their veins. Some like to tinker, others are sentimental about the cars they cruised in as kids.
The classic car culture has always thrived in Petaluma. It's part of the reason George Lucas brought his 1973 coming-of-age tale “American Graffiti” to film in the city. It is a lifestyle that is celebrated annually with Cruising the Boulevard's Salute to American Graffiti, which will culminate on Saturday when Petaluma Boulevard will shut down to showcase 425 classic automobiles, including a 1956 T-Bird and a 1967 Citroën that were both featured in the original film.
“It's the Citroën that Richard Dreyfus actually drove in the movie,” says John Furrer, a founding board member of the all-volunteer charitable event.
Furrer has always been a motor head. He likes that he can work on the cars himself, “no computers or smog checks needed.” But there's also something sentimental about his fascination with the classics, which can be seen in his 1931 Ford Model A. “I bought that with my first income tax return check,” he beams.
The classic car culture has always thrived in Petaluma. It's part of the reason George Lucas brought his 1973 coming-of-age tale “American Graffiti” to film in the city. It is a lifestyle that is celebrated annually with Cruising the Boulevard's Salute to American Graffiti, which will culminate on Saturday when Petaluma Boulevard will shut down to showcase 425 classic automobiles, including a 1956 T-Bird and a 1967 Citroën that were both featured in the original film.
“It's the Citroën that Richard Dreyfus actually drove in the movie,” says John Furrer, a founding board member of the all-volunteer charitable event.
Furrer has always been a motor head. He likes that he can work on the cars himself, “no computers or smog checks needed.” But there's also something sentimental about his fascination with the classics, which can be seen in his 1931 Ford Model A. “I bought that with my first income tax return check,” he beams.