The throaty rumble of a Ford Mustang comes from the distance as car owners and gawkers alike admire the gathering of rad rides on a perfect spring evening in the parking lot of David's Burgers and Furniture Row on Landers Road in North Little Rock.
The loosely organized show happens on the first Friday night of each month through the fall, starting at about 5:30 p.m. Gearheads converge upon the sprawling lot, the smell of burgers and fries in the air, to show off their vehicles and talk about horsepower, paint jobs, tires and year models. Spread across the tarmac are hot rods, rat rods, super cars, muscle cars, luxury cars and pickups. If it has wheels, a motor and stands out from the crowd, it is likely here.
Mike Roberts of North Little Rock has parked his ultra-rare, gray, 2006 Ford GT in the grass just off Landers Road and a crowd quickly gathers, snapping cellphone photos and asking questions.
"It's one of only 246 ever built," Roberts says of the immaculate, low-slung, rear-engine, two-seater that looks like something Speed Racer would drive.
On the other end of the automotive spectrum is the 1947 Studebaker truck that belongs to Butch Brumfield of Little Rock.
"It's got a Chevrolet frame up under it and a turbo 400," says Brumfield, 70, who rebuilt the truck "from the ground up."
There are also deals to be found at the monthly show.
"I've had it a couple of years," says Lee Preston, 59, of Cabot. He's talking about his gorgeous 1997 Ferrari F 355 Berlinetta manual in black, for which he is asking $97,000.
"This is the quintessential Ferrari," he says. "The F 355 is the Ferrari to have."
Buyer beware, though.
"People almost wreck their cars into me trying to take pictures of it," Preston says with a laugh.
-- Sean Clancy
Style on 05/16/2017