BUENA PARK : Older Cars Draw Young Admirers

Yaldoh Satar liked the sleek 1988 Lotus so much that she wants three of them--black, red and white. But she’ll first have to get a driver’s license.

“It was very fun,” she said of her stationary test drive. Driving a car is a few years off for the 8-year-old, but she got the general idea when some Los Angeles car collectors brought their customized models to the Boys and Girls Club of Buena Park Friday afternoon.

Like the five other cars in the show, including several 1950s classics, the Lotus “is mostly for people to look at,” said owner Beto Garcia of Huntington Park.

Buena Park resident Anthony Chavez, 11, seemed to be knowledgeable about cars already. “I’ve always liked the style,” he said of the Lotus. But his favorite is a Ferrari.

About 150 children with the Boys and Girls Club checked out the seats, engines, chrome work and wide whitewall tires during the day.

“It gets them away from gangs,” said club athletic director Ralph Cervantes, who organized the event. “It’s a positive thing.”

Youngsters took turns bouncing in the back seat of a two-toned 1954 Chevy sedan, which had been restored to pristine condition by owner Ricky Tula of Bassett. “It’s fun,” said Christopher Butts, 8, of Buena Park, as he waited to climb in.

Steve Mejico of Rancho Cucamonga placed mirrors under the body of his 1966 Volkswagen convertible so the youths could see the chrome underneath. “Kids really get a kick out of the murals,” Mejico said, noting the elaborate claw design painted on the bumpers.

“It looks all cool, and it has pictures on it,” said Richard Nealand, 8, of the convertible.