Shiny chrome fins, flame decals and revving engines paraded outside the Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) headquarters Wednesday, marking the department’s Second Annual Car Show.
According to Detective Pete Posada, who has worked for SUDPS for over 16 years, the car show was a team effort. Posada recognized a common interest in cars among both students and faculty and sought to connect SUDPS with the community. The first car show, held last year, served as a test drive to gauge interest.
The event attracted car enthusiasts from all corners of campus and across the Bay Area. “To our amazement, we had a successful turnout,” Posada said. “It was a positive vibe that convinced our chief and the community engagement team to do it again this year.”
The event came to life through connections with local car clubs, social media and word-of-mouth advertising. As a classic car collector, Posada showcased his custom 1957 Chevy 3100 truck. In the back sat a speaker that blasted classic rock music queued by DJ Kao, a graduate student in aeronautics.
Posada’s daughter, Ava, said her dad is “always finding ways to give back to the community.”
“At home, he always has different events going on in our neighborhood,” she said. “He’s made a lot of friends in the car community, so it was really easy for him to find people who are just as passionate about bringing their cars out and showing them off.”
Stanford employee Denise Smith brought her 1972 Chevy Camaro with 350 horsepower.
“1972 was a strike year for GM [General Motors], so not very many of them were made,” Smith said.
Smith’s interest in cars stems back to her days taking auto shop classes in high school and going on car cruises in San Mateo. Now, she’s a member of a Bay Area Camaro Club.
“I met my boyfriend in the Camaro Club, and he has a ’68 Camaro, so he always says I dated him for the first-generation Camaro,” she joked. “We also have a ’70 Z28.”
Other car models at the show included the Ford Thunderbird, Volkswagen Beetle and Dodge GT Charger. Many of the models can be found in classic movies and shows like “Bullitt,” which starred Steve McQueen, or “The Dukes of Hazzard,” a show about two fun-loving cousins who drive a customized Dodge Charger.
Student Services specialist Adam Petty said he enjoys attending car shows. Although his favorite car at the event was the 1957 Chevy Bel Air, with its purple color scheme and chrome fins, he was impressed by all of the “different energies” brought by each car.
“All of these cars are really impressive,” Petty said. He gestured to one at his left that had “a really nice beach vibe that feels like the Beach Boys and going to Kokomo. Others are more your classic muscle car, and it’s just fun to see all of these. Public Safety is doing a great job hosting and keeping it fun for everybody.”
The 1957 Chevy Bel Air, owned by Daniel McNamara, won the Best in Show prize. Second place went to Mark Manuel, owner of an orange Pontiac GTO Judge. The fan favorite was David Lewis’ Chevy Chevelle, a model that was only produced from 1964 to 1977.
Posada acknowledged that car refurbishing is “on the expensive side” but said “the cool thing about a hobby is that you connect with other people who are also in the same environment, and we just feed off of each other because of our passion.”
The SUDPS plans to host the car show again next year. While passing a Ford Bronco, one officer joked to her colleague, “That’s a nice car. I just might not give it a ticket if I see it speeding along the interstate.”