When I first spotted the signs taped to every parking meter which read, “SOMERVILLE CRUISE NIGHT, 35 YEARS,” I was shocked. Was it really thirty-five years ago when the town of Somerville, NJ began hosting Friday night cruise nights? That brings us back to 1990, eleven years before I moved back into the area and first became aware of the event. As I’ve posted about before, at first, the local businesses were aghast at the idea of their quiet little town overrun by hot-rodders. However, when they saw revenue jump, and further realized that these undesirables in fact consisted of well-mannered individuals and families, they embraced the concept, with many restaurants and stores extending their open-for-business hours in order to accommodate the thickening crowds.

Aside from visits with my local Alfa Romeo club, it had been a while since I brought the Alfa to this cruise night. This past Friday, July 11, turned out to be a beautiful evening: warm, not too humid, sunny, and with no threat of rain. Although the official hours are from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., I knew from experience that car owners arrive much earlier. Indeed, I hit Main St. just a few minutes before 4 p.m. and it appeared that over half of the available parking spots were already occupied by show cars. Nevertheless, I managed to quickly find a spot without doubling back, and once parked, I was free to grab my camera and stroll.

Compared to an AACA event, where 100% of the vehicles are showroom stock, and compared to an Alfa event, where all the cars are from a single marque, the Somerville cruise night offered true variety. Let’s start with the modified cars. Are the typical modded cars of the ‘30s, ’40s, and ‘50s gone? Not the case here. It was fun to see these old-school rods, reminiscent of what I saw as a boy, still out and about. The next surprise was the number of pre-war vehicles. There are many who think that these cars are no longer collectible and have disappeared, yet, owners brought them to Somerville. And finally, there were the imports. A small number of interesting European and Asian collectibles were in attendance. Overall, to call this cruise night “eclectic” would be quite accurate.

My friends Larry and Art drove down from Bergen County to meet me. We grabbed a bite at a new brewery on Main St., then took in the show. They both observed that it was nice to see a different selection of cars than what they would normally come across at a cruise night in their area, and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves, as did I. They split around 7:30 p.m. and I hung out by my car for another hour, chatting it up with a few passers-by who stopped to admire the only Alfa Romeo on display on this particular evening. All in all, it was a great night, and given Somerville’s proximity (six miles from my house), I need to make the effort to attend a little more frequently.

 

PRE-WAR

CLASSIC HOT RODS

 

MUSTANGS

IMPORTS

 

 

I was completely smitten with this Fiat 500 “Abarth” (probably a recreation). It was parked in front of an Italian restaurant that also offered curbside gelato.

 

AND THE REST