This 1976 Buick Riviera belongs to Kevin Kauppi, director of the Chiwaukee Border chapter of Buick Club of America, who will showcase it at the Classic Collectors Car Show taking place June 26 in Barrington. (Courtesy of Kevin Kauppi)
Barrington has had “cruise nights” with cars on display in summertime for years, but the car show next month will be a much more formal affair, with a requirement that car owners be approved in advance.
Suzanne Corr, president of the (Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce), said there’s a “high concentration” of classic car collectors in the greater Barrington area. The goal is to bring them out for a community event that also will boost small businesses and Main Street retailers, she said.
“Collecting classic cars is more than a hobby; it is about preserving a story and a piece of history,” she said. “Owning classic cars can be irresistible and emotionally compelling for the stories they represent. They capture the art and history of engineering and design.”
Another car show participant will be Kevin Kauppi, director of the Chiwaukee Border chapter of Buick Club of America, which includes northeastern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin. Kauppi, 60, of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, will display his red 1976 Buick Riviera, a family heirloom.
“My parents purchased it in fall 1975, and it’s been in the family ever since. I received my driver’s license driving this car. I went to prom dates in the car. And now, here, years later, I’m showcasing it and displaying in my parent’s memory,” he said.
Kauppi spends at least an hour per week detailing the car so he can take it to car shows, including national meets where he’s earned awards, he said.
Read more here, or visit the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce website here.
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