The town of Metuchen, NJ, has been sponsoring a midweek cruise night for at least the past twenty years. How can I be so sure, you ask? Because in August of 2006, I trailered my BMW Isetta there, and it was a lot of fun. But I haven’t been back since, and when my friend and fellow Alfa owner Tony suggested that we check it out, I took him up on his offer. It’s a once-a-month arrangement for Metuchen, and always on a Wednesday, so Tony and I were there this most recent Wednesday, July 2, 2025.

We both decided to drive modern cars for this run, and after meeting Tony at his house, I hopped into his brand-new Ford F-150 Lightning, which is 100% EV. It was quiet and comfortable, and frankly, if you didn’t know better, you’d easily mistake it for a gasoline-powered truck. Perhaps the biggest giveaway while riding in it is the complete lack of noise within the cabin. We got to Main St. in Metuchen about thirty minutes before the official 5:30 p.m. start, so we headed into an Irish pub for a quick meal. By the time we alighted, most of the parking spots along two blocks of Main St. were taken with classic cars.

Compared to the Somerville Cruise Night, I would give Metuchen higher marks for its slightly classier Main St., and also for covering the parking meters with “cruise night car parking only” signs. On the flip side, Metuchen’s set-up is much smaller, as they devote only two blocks to cruise night cars. At least on the evening we attended, there were a few empty parking spots. In Somerville, you practically need to arrive two hours early to get street parking for your classic. There was a nice variety of domestic fare, several of which I’ve not seen in many years. There were also almost no import cars, but Tony and I may hatch a plan to get our local Alfa club to caravan to Metuchen for a future cruise night. All in all, it was a pleasant evening of car gazing, and my attendance brought back great memories of my 2006 visit.

A very nice chrome-bumper C3 Corvette, before they got ugly.

I spoke with the Riviera owner, who has owned this car for 35 years, since he was 19. It’s a ’63, first year for the model, and he’s done some mechanical work, including an engine refresh and some brake (Wilwood) and suspension mods. The red leather interior is original to the car. Paint may have been as well.

 

My favorite car at the cruise night, if only because I don’t know when I last saw one. It’s a 1968 Pontiac Grand Prix, the final model year on the full-size platform, before the complete (and highly successful) redesign for 1969. My photos do not do justice to the visual impact of this automobile.

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