Traffic jam at the ‘junction’ brings out car buffs

ROSEVILLE — Under a bright sun and across from DJ Chuck and DJ Marek spinning tunes, Robert Reece sat next to the 1965 Ford Mustang convertible he owns with his wife, Carol Reece.

Reece, of Fraser, was among the 60 classic car owners who displayed their hot rods, muscle cars and pickup trucks during the annual Jammin’ at the Junction car show held Sept. 23.

The event, on Utica Road between 12 Mile Road and Gratiot Avenue, was presented by the Roseville Downtown Development Authority. The show gave car buffs the chance to mingle with each other, as spectators checked out the souped-up vehicles on display.

Carol Reece usually accompanies her husband to car shows and cruises, but he did Jammin’ at the Junction solo. But not for long, as many visitors stopped by to ask him about his light blue Mustang with its 289 engine, fuzzy dice and luggage rack he bought in Nashville.

“We bought the car in 1984. The original color was midnight blue,” Reece said. “It’s got the original ashtray, door handle, radio and horse emblem in front of it. My wife and I both drive it. Carol is the one who picked out the color.”

When they bought the car nearly 40 years ago, it came with some problems.

“We found out the frame was shot,” Reece said. “We didn’t know we bought a piece of junk then.”

The couple took it to a local collision shop, which went out of business. Therefore, the Mustang sat quiet for a long time.

“We shoved it away for 10 years,” Reece said. “We didn’t know what we were going to do with it. We had a lot of money invested in it. We didn’t know if we could get anything out of it.”

The couple eventually found two men who made the Mustang’s engine rev again.

“Jerry did all the mechanical work on it,” Reece said. “Kevin brought it back from the scrapyard. He did the restoration from the frame up. Most of this car is all new.”

The Reeces take the Mustang to all kinds of car shows and even have brought it to nursing homes for people to view it.

“One lady, when we pulled up, she said, ‘Stop that car. That’s a Mustang,’” Reece said. “People come along, blow their horns and yell, ‘Hey, nice car.’ It’s nice that people do enjoy it. That’s what this is all about.”

Reece believes there are different reasons people enjoy vintage cars.

“The way they look, how they were built. You can just look at a car and know the different ages,” Reece said. “The ’57 Chevy had one look. The ’58 Chevy had a distinctive look. The ’59 Chevy had one look.”

Not far away from Reece, Jamie Victory was “Jammin’ at the Junction.” Victory — well-known in St. Clair Shores for his disc jockey skills and fashionable Detroit Tigers uniform — displayed his Dodge 2013 Grand Caravan he calls White Lightning KITT. It’s written on the front window, high enough so he can see when driving.

He got the “KITT” nickname from the 1980s television show “Knight Rider,” starring David Hasselhoff. Victory has owned three different vehicles he has called “White Lightning,” named after a “bad storm.”

“I was looking out my back door, and it looked like white lightning,” Victory said.

Victory has decorated his van with fuzzy dice and two stuffed animal tigers that pay homage to his favorite sports team. He also has a large teddy bear that fits snugly into the passenger seat. It keeps the memory of his mother alive.

“I got this teddy bear from a biker picnic,” he said. “I named it after my mom, Teddy.”

Victory plans to share his stories about White Lightning with others. He’s in the process of writing a book called “Adventures of Jamie Victory and White Lightening III KITT.”

“I’m almost there. It should be out soon, hopefully,” he said. “I asked my grandmother, ‘Can you help me to write a book?’ She started helping me. She got sick. She passed away. When I got White Lightning II, I started writing again.”

One fun experience was participating in this year’s St. Clair Shores Memorial Day parade.

“I had people on both sides of the street yelling, ‘White Lightning. Hey, Jamie!’” Victory said. “I never had so much fun.”

Victory has a daily ritual with the vehicle.

“I keep him clean and shiny. I wipe him down every day,” Victory said. “Every night before I go to bed, I hug and kiss him. He’s my buddy.”