Lifelong love affair with cars leads Yuman to Midnight at the Oasis

If a love of cars could be found in one's blood, Bob Eaton's would be thick with it.

For as long as he can remember, he has loved everything about cars. From turning the pages of car magazines with his buddies as a youngster, to spending weekends watching drag races at the Detroit Raceway, to getting an early look at the prototypes his father drove home from his job at Cadillac Motors, Eaton's love affair started early and hasn't ceased.

"I have loved cars since I was a kid," Eaton said. "I worked for General Motors and Pontiac Motors, and I grew up in the Motor City (Detroit)."

Seeing a hot rod or muscle car from Eaton's favorite era, the 1960s, sends his heart a flutter and reminds him of the good old days. That's why he couldn't turn down the opportunity to own the 1965 Pontiac LeMans Pro Touring that he found on the Internet.

In fact, Eaton traded his 1957 Chevrolet Nomad for the LeMans, which came all the way from Alexandria, Va., and he can't wait to show off his new baby at this year's Midnight at the Oasis.

"I wanted more of a hot rod, more of a muscle car," Eaton said of his recent car swap. "The Nomad was all stock and I'm not that much into stock cars."

Eaton said another reason he is into the cars of the 1960s is because those are the cars of his era. He also loves the unique qualities that his Pontiac has.

"Usually with the '60s era, everyone wants a Chevelle or a Camaro," he said. "This is really different. You don't see a lot of Pontiacs."

Eaton's muscle car has a 326 Pontiac motor with a 671 Dyers blower and dual four-barrel carburetors. It also has a four-position air bag system for lifting and lowering the vehicle, Bear disc brakes, and billet aluminum wheels, which are 17 inches in the front and 20 inches in the rear.

"It's a car that you can drive that has modern conveniences," Eaton said. "It's an old car that's been modernized."

The car's black paint is covered with Taylor flames across the hood and fenders, which were painted with a shadowing effect so that they appear three-dimensional, he said. Eaton said the flames are named after a pin-striper who is well-known among East Coast car enthusiasts.

"The paint is show-quality paint," he said.

Eaton said he knows that the car underwent a complete frame-off restoration; however, he has not been able to determine who did the work. The car's previous owner purchased the vehicle from an individual in Kentucky, but Eaton has not been able to locate that person.

"It's got a very high quality restoration, but we don't know who built it," he said. "I tried to research it, but I couldn't locate the person in Kentucky."

Regardless of the car's origin, Eaton is enjoying cruising it through town and showing it off. He will have the opportunity to do both of those things as part of the annual Midnight at the Oasis car show. He plans to take part in all of the events that will be going on.

"Friday night is the best part," he said. "I like the poker run and the parade of cars."

This will be Eaton's seventh year to enter a car into the event. In previous years he has entered a 1959 Chevrolet pickup, a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster, a 1955 Chevrolet Delray, and the Nomad. He is not only anxious to show off his newest ride, but he enjoys looking at everyone else's classic and custom cars.

"I like to see all of the new entries," he said. "All the hot rods are in garages around town, but they bring them out for Midnight at the Oasis."