William Babaian's 1983 Mitsuhishi Sapporro Technica is named "Charlene."
Babaian—a Monterey resident—and his son decided "it would be in good company" at the Concours d'Lemons on Saturday at Toro Park in Salinas.
The plain Jane car was one of many touted by the Concours' website that "celebrated the oddball, mundane and truly awful of the automotive world.
Many people, like Jeff Hildreth of Williams, OR., visted the other Monterey County car shows this past week, but says the d'Lemons was special.
"Anyone can go look at a Ferrari, but these are "people's" cars," he says. "This was a premiere event for me."
Across the lawn, Dan Shinnick did total restoration on his AMC Gremlin X.
"This is my everyday driver," says the Placerville resident. "(The cars here) are different and unique."
A shiny, sky blue 1965 Rambler 990 Cross Country Wagon slightly resembles vintage ambulances or the "Ghostbusters" car. When Eric Parsons found it on the side of the road, it was beat up and covered in dirt. He restored it.
"I never thought I would own a Rambler," said Parsons, who resides in Valley Village, CA. He collects cars, but prefers to get unique autos. "It's a neat to have people who see things (and cars) in a different way."
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