BY MATT KITE for WEEKLY VOLCANO | 8/28/2026
On a warm August evening in the plaza outside LeMay, America’s Car Museum, a dance remix of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” pulsed from several strategically placed loudspeakers and subwoofers.
Local motorheads and car collectors were gathering for this summer’s third and final installment of Cruise-In, a free annual summer series made possible through funding from the Tacoma Creates Initiative. Food trucks and local vendors vied for attention among a motley collection of hot rods, classic cars, and exotic jalopies.
But while cars and trucks, foreign and domestic, commanded center stage, the true engine driving the gathering was people-powered. Community-minded locals had motored in from points north, south, east, and west to make new friends and nurture old relationships.
Ryan Loy, a thirty-year-old photographer and car enthusiast, didn’t deliberate long when asked why he was among the several hundred in attendance.
“It’s just the people I meet,” he said, “and sharing that common interest with a bunch of like-minded individuals who share the love and compassion for the cars and the community that we have.”
Born and raised in Tacoma, Loy waxed poetic about watching his father and uncle work on cars during his youth. He talked about his beloved 1997 Honda Civic hatchback, decked out in Midori green, a hue that typically earns a knowing nod from Honda aficionados. And he talked about the one that got away: a 1997 BMW E36 M3.
“I had to sell it off when I went off to college because I couldn’t afford to bring it with me,” he explained. “Looking back now, if I would have known how much sentimental value it had for me, I would have kept it, because the price of those models just went up in value, and now it’s hard to re-obtain.”
Loy, equipped with a Sony A7 II camera, was looking for the perfect shot as the sun dipped toward the downtown skyline. He travels to car shows all over the region, including Oregon and British Columbia, and his photography can be found on Instagram under the name PNWCE (Pacific Northwest Car Enthusiasts).
Jake Welk, LeMay’s marketing and communications director, estimated the turnout at 300 to 400 people and 200 cars. Many of the latter were entered in a friendly competition, with volunteer judges rating cars in several categories, including best build and best classic. Winners walked away with car-themed prizes ranging from museum tickets to car-care packages.
“The biggest thing for us is there are lots of car shows out there that are like ‘The Z Club,’ or ‘The Porsche Club,’ or ‘The Ford Mustangs,’” Welk said, “and our big thing is we want it to be all makes and all models, and everybody’s welcome.”
Welk added, “At our plaza up here, which we would call our premier show space, you get everything from a Ferrari F40 to a Mini Cooper to a Fiat to someone’s 1990 Honda Civic. It’s really cool to see that eclectic mix of everything from rusty all the way to a Pebble Beach show car.”
Welk was still answering questions when someone drove by in a 1958 Messerschmitt KR200. Also known as a Kabinenroller, German for ‘cabin scooter,’ the three-wheeled car is just big enough to seat a driver in front and a passenger in back. It can hit a top speed of 65 miles per hour and travels 85 miles to the gallon.
“Look at that guy,” Welk said as the Messerschmitt left the lot. “When are you ever going to see that? Where’s he going? Off to Red Hot to grab a hot dog or something.”
What fascinates Welk about car owners is that every driver, just like their car, is different.
“I guarantee that the guy driving the Messerschmitt has a really cool story of how he obtained it, why he was interested,” Welk said. “I always wonder what made that guy say, ‘That’s what I want. That’s what’s intriguing to me.’ I want to know why he’s passionate about that.”
David Carlson, the owner of a 1984 Buick Riviera convertible in Firemist Red, told the story of how he bought his beloved luxury car on a cold, rainy January day in 1988. Fresh off graduation from Pacific Lutheran University, he got the used car at Titus-Will in Tacoma and not long afterward drove it to Sunriver in Oregon for a vacation with his brother and cousin.
At the time, the car only had 38,000 miles on it. Today, thirty-eight years later, that number has barely doubled at 78,000. Carlson briefly used it to commute to work at Weyerhaeuser in Federal Way before reserving it for special occasions. It still has the original coat of paint, pinstripes, simulated wood-paneled dashboard, and red leather-and-vinyl interior, and it’s on its second set of tires.
The last of a dying breed, the seventeen-foot-long “land yacht” features automatic everything, plus ubiquitous ashtrays and cigarette lighters. With the AC on and the top down, it gets about ten miles to the gallon.
“It’s had an easy life, owned by a mild-mannered accountant,” he said. “I love the horn. It’s my favorite option.”
Carlson read from a copy of the original window sticker before testing the horn. “‘Four-note horn. Twenty-eight dollars.’ It sounds like a freight train.”
Brent Brabant, a Florida native who served in the Army at JBLM for ten years before retiring to rural Rainier, Washington, shared his story while standing next to his 1995 Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R. A modern classic built for speed, the car raises eyebrows due to the location of its steering wheel on the right side.
Brabant belongs to Sapphire Suns, a local car club dedicated to Japanese imports and inspired by Initial D, an anime series about street racing. The protagonist’s chief rival and eventual ally in the series is an elite racing team called the Red Suns.
“Growing up, working on cars, it’s never about your car, the horsepower, whether you’re a Chevy guy, a Ford guy, whatever,” he said. “I grew up with Trans-Ams and Camaros. It’s about coming together as a family and a community and helping each other work on your cars.”
Brabant added, “I think that’s something we lack in today’s society, where everything is instant gratification, likes, comments on social media. The days of two people with a wrench trying to make something work are over, and I want to get back to the humanity aspect that makes life fun.”
For more information about future LeMay events, visit the museum online at americascarmuseum.org.
