GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - Cruisin’ the Coast brings people from all over to South Mississippi. However, for many people who live here, this is the week they build their Coast Life around — including a familiar salesman who’s always eager to show off his classics.
“By far this is the best car show in the United States,” claimed Dad’s Super Pawn owner Kevin Riley.
When it’s not Cruisin’ the Coast week, Riley keeps his classic cars locked away in his garage at an undisclosed location.
“This is my 1959 Chevy Impala. The ’59 Impala is probably one of the best Impalas ever made. It’s just a huge car, but it rides so well. The eyes on this car look like it’s looking at you. You’d think it’s going to wink at you going down the road.”
When car lovers all get together, there’s sure to be a lot of buying and selling. That adds to the thrill of Cruisin’ the Coast for the owner of Dad’s Super Pawn.
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“I can’t go anywhere in this car without somebody coming up and making me an offer to buy it, and I just look at them and say, ‘No.’ I’ll sell just about anything I’ve got, and I promise you, for the right amount of money, everything is for sale.”
But one car just might not have that magic price.
“You ride down the road, press the horn, everybody hollers and claps. It’s just exciting.”
Riley first saw this nearly century-old vehicle at Crusin’ the Coast years ago and bought it on the spot.
“I walked by that ’31 Sedan and I was like, ‘That’s my car. That’s the car I want, and I can do something with that.’ Five minutes later, I was sitting on a milk crate because that’s what was on the interior of the car, and I cranked it up and drove it home. It took a while to get the interior done, but the interior is fabulous.”
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Like so many cars, this ’31 Chevy Sedan brings back a flood of memories for Riley — especially of his mother.
“Within a day of having this car, my mother was convinced it was her car, and I have never dispelled that thought since. I have a license plate with that on there — Mom’s Car. And I still call it that. This car would be hard to buy from me because my kids have grown up in this car, and I hope my grandkids are going to get to grow up in here, too.”
Riley is also always working on the next classic masterpiece.
“We’ve gone from the ground up on this thing. It’s been repainted, bodywork, all fiberglass — this thing was in bad shape. When it’s all done, you look back and go, ‘I made this happen. I did that.’”
From getting the cars ready to taking them out on the road, it’s all part of a shared passion for Cruisin’ the Coast.
“Meeting the people is so exciting, and every year, you meet some of the finest people from all over the country. There’s nothing more fun than Cruisin’ the Coast and living in South Mississippi.”
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