This junction was jamming

ROSEVILLE — “Isn’t that pretty?” Mike Pankake said when opening the front passenger door of his red 1965 Chevy Impala. “Everything is custom. There is nothing stock on the car. The dashboard is all digital. It’s a fuel-injected motor.”

Pankake, of Clinton Township, was among the classic car owners who headed over to Utica Road in Roseville Sept. 24 for the annual Jammin’ at the Junction. His Impala took home the overall best of show award.

Pankake found the vintage Impala on the internet from a gentleman named Eddie Gonzalez who lived in the Amarillo, Texas, area. The pair decided to switch vehicles: Gonzalez’s Impala for Pankake’s 2012 custom Harley Davidson street glide motorcycle.

“The values were similar,” said Pankake, who traveled to Texas to make the trade.

To give the Impala a unique look, the side mirrors were removed. When he takes it out to local car shows, such as the Harper Charity Cruise in St. Clair Shores and the Woodward Dream Cruise, he always meets people who have their own 1965 Impala stories.

“From young to old, I hear stories: ‘My mom had this,’ or ‘This was my dad’s first car,’” Pankake said. “I think that’s the great thing about cars.”

This year marked his first time at Jammin’ at the Junction.

“It’s a nice collection of people,” he said.

Utica Road was closed off from 12 Mile Road to Gratiot Avenue for the event. And although it appeared the rainy weather that day kept some people away, those in attendance enjoyed the show.

“This is a great event for the city of Roseville,” District 11 Macomb County Commissioner Harold Haugh said, adding that the Shelby Cobra was his favorite model. “It’s the kind of thing that our citizens do appreciate.”

Brothers Ron Gasparetto and Jason Gasparetto parked their sandstone 1964 Dodge 330 and silver 2017 Ford Mustang, respectively, along Utica Road.

“I picked it up in an estate sale,” said Ron, a St. Clair Shores resident. “I always admired the old Dodges.”

So do other people, because when Ron takes it out, “They give me a thumbs-up,” he said.

This is the first Ford for Jason.

“I never had a Ford in my life. I saw this, and I had to have it. I was looking for a classic car. I kept going back to this one. It was either tinker with an old car or have reliability,” Jason, of Chesterfield Township, said. He appreciates the vehicle’s features.

“Mustangs are a good vehicle to have,” Jason said.

During the event, many people stopped to admire Victoria Doebler’s 1955 Ford Victoria.

“I got it about three months ago. It’s a 272 engine,” she said of the pink-and-white model. “I just love driving it down the street. People look at the car.”

“Isn’t it gorgeous?” is among the comments she hears. While at a car show with her husband, David, Doebler’s brother-in-law spotted the classic car.

“I like that it’s nostalgic. I love the interior,” Doebler said. “I like the fact it’s kind of got my name on it. It reminds me of the old days.”

The Ford Victoria doesn’t have power steering or power brakes.

“That’s the not-so-good part. My grandpa had a car like this growing up,” Doebler said.

The Roseville resident is a regular participant at many car events, including the annual Cruisin’ Gratiot in Eastpointe and the Lakeside Mall Circle Cruise-In on Monday nights in Sterling Heights. The Marysville Hot Wheels Weekend, where she got an autograph from Mickey Dolenz, of Monkees fame, “was a lot of fun.”

“A lot of little girls come up to my car and take photos,” Doebler said, adding that it reminds them of Barbie.

Ron Fuller and his stepfather, Greg Rico, greeted spectators who checked out their vintage vehicles. Fuller, a 1983 Roseville High School graduate who now lives in Avoca, Michigan, may have had the oldest car there: a 1924 Ford Model T. Rico, of Roseville, brought his 1939 Ford Deluxe. Rico purchased the Ford in 1981.

“I was driving for a trucking company and the car was in a junkyard in the 16 Mile and Van Dyke area,” Rico said.

Rico made an offer on the car but was initially turned down by the owner. The car sat for a long time before he made another offer, and this time, the owner “took it.”

“The car was pretty solid. It’s very nice,” he said. “I just wanted an old car, a classic car.”

Fuller said there was a time in which Rico and his mom, Jean Rico, would dress as gangsters and take the car in parades.

“They got a lot of applause,” Fuller said.

Fuller purchased the Model T with his high school graduation money. He liked the look of the Model T because it reminded him of the car in “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

“It was junk when I got it,” Fuller said. “Everyone laughed at me.”

But not for long, as Fuller was able to use everything he learned in auto shop class to restore the car. It took him about five years to complete the job. He takes the car out often on country roads with his kids, who have grown up with the classic car that can move as fast as 30 mph.

“It’s been a fun car,” he said, adding that it can even run on moonshine.

Jammin’ at the Junction was put on by the Roseville Downtown Development Authority. As the liaison to the DDA, Roseville Administrative Services Specialist James Gammicchia was the city contact for the event. Several sponsors also made the event possible. Eric LaFata, of LaFata Auto Body, is a DDA Member and coordinated the event.

“Many hours and much effort goes into putting on an event like this, and we are forever grateful to him and the rest of our volunteers and employees for their amazing effort and hard work,” Gammicchia said via email. “We are also grateful to the many sponsors of the 2022 Jammin’ at the Junction.”