Rich and Linda Sotelo’s love of classic cars brought them more than a room full of trophies—it led to romance.
The San Martin couple, who will have their 1955 Chevy Bel Air in Gilroy’s Memorial Day parade and on display at Christmas HIll Park, met 34 years ago driving in their cars and talking on CB radio.
For those born after Jimmy Carter was president, citizens band radio was the chat room of choice before internet chat rooms. It was a walkie-talkie-style radio where strangers communicated while driving. Now, they are mostly seen in old Burt Reynolds movies and still used by long-distance truckers.
Rich and Linda talked on the radio before they met in person. They were among a group of Gilroyans who chatted on the commute up Highway 101, getting traffic reports from a man who was in a tractor baling hay on the side of the road in Morgan Hill and would alert CBers, saying, “Traffic backed up way back there.”
Rich, 73, went by the name “Slapstick,” after the candy bar of the same name. Linda called herself “Nicky,” just a random name taken from her upstate New York upbringing. They would talk on their commutes from South County to Silicon Valley. She was a quality control engineer at Memorex and he was a facilities manager for companies including GE and Quantum.
What they call retirement, some might call work. Rich spends three hours a day taking care of his collectible cars, which include a 1941 Chevy Special Deluxe and a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle convertible. No water from a hose has touched them. He cleans and shines them all with a water-free compound.
Both travel to car shows all through the summer, everywhere from American Graffiti gatherings at the Kohl’s parking lot in San Jose to big shows in Reno. Unlike some collectors, who are so fussy they won’t even drive their cars, Rich and Linda use them them to get around, round, round.
Rich bought his 1955 Bel Air when he turned 55 because that was the first car he ever drove and he was nostalgic for it. He’s also had a 1923 bucket Model T, a 1931 Model A and a 1957 Chevy pickup.
“You can’t keep them all,” he said. He stores them in portable tent structures on his property, he said, because it’s too hard to get a permit to build another garage.
Everywhere they go they meet other car lovers.
“We’ve met so many people who have become such good friends, like brothers and sisters,” said Rich. “It’s not about the trophies. It’s about having people look at the cars who love cars.”
What’s different about classic car lovers?
“They have personality, they are a lot friendlier,” said Rich. “We congregate a bit more. If we talk to someone and find out he has a car and we have a car, that’s a real bond. Even a wife won’t tear us apart.”
In this case the hobby brought this wife and husband closer as they travel all summer, often to shows that benefit veterans. Rich served in the Army Airborne Division as a drill instructor in 1964 and 1965. When she asked for air conditioning, he put it in. When she wanted power steering, he did the same. He was more interested in comfort than authenticity.
“There is something different about car people,” said Linda. “They sit around and they appreciate what you have because they know what it takes to get it looking like that. We’ve gone to some car shows and people were in the trunk of our ’31 Chevy. No appreciation. They were sitting in the car, playing with the radio. You don’t do that.”
They do have some more recent cars, including a Honda SUV, but they don’t hesitate to drive the classics around town and around the state.
“If we wanted to go to Ukiah, we go,” said Linda. “If you want to go to Oakhurst, we go. You want to go down to Paso Robles, we go.
The say the old bench seats are much more comfortable than today’s buckets. And they love the metal construction of the old cars, as opposed to the plastics in today’s.
They’ve added other artistic touches, including pin stripes, hand etchings, a commando mascot doll and dream catchers, which is a theme Rich likes.
“Chasing dreams is important to people,” he said.
