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Vincent Barre loves the interior of his 1970 Jaguar E type car, especially the speedometer with 160 mph written and the enough leg room. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
Tony Dellafiore, in a blue shirt, DJ at the event, greets Patrick Barnett, of Windsor. Barnett has been visiting the Wednesday cruise night for 33 years. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org

On almost every Wednesday night in the summer, a small crowd of car lovers gathers in the parking lot of Bart’s Drive-In Restaurant in Windsor.

The “Cruise Nights” can attract cars from almost every era. But the gathering is not just about the cars — it’s about the stories behind them, and the stories of their owners.

Wesley Birbeck, of Suffield, postponed restoring and driving his 1954 Chevrolet truck for several years while he cared for his mother. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
Soon after his mom passed away, he had a heart attack. That was when Birbeck decided not to delay driving the truck anymore. “I wanted to drive it before something else happens,” Birbeck said. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
Soon after his mom passed away, he had a heart attack. That was when Birbeck decided not to delay driving the truck anymore. “I wanted to drive it before something else happens,” Birbeck said. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
Roy Szoka, kneeling, has organized a raffle at the Bart’s Wednesday Cruise Night this summer. Money from the raffle will be donated to Mary’s Place, a nonprofit organization in Windsor whose mission is to provide a safe environment where children grieving a death can express themselves in ways appropriate to their developmental stage. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
Roy Szoka, kneeling, has organized a raffle at the Bart’s Wednesday Cruise Night this summer. Money from the raffle will be donated to Mary’s Place, a nonprofit organization in Windsor whose mission is to provide a safe environment where children grieving a death can express themselves in ways appropriate to their developmental stage. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
Marion Barre, left, and Vincent Barre, of Westfield, Mass., visited Bart’s Cruise Night on their 54th wedding anniversary. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
Marion Barre, left, and Vincent Barre, of Westfield, Mass., visited Bart’s Cruise Night on their 54th wedding anniversary. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
About 12 years after marriage, Vincent Barre, left, asked Marion Barre if she would like a diamond ring, which they couldn’t afford at the beginning. “I don’t want one,” she said. Marion instead asked for an E Type Jaguar that she fell in love with when she was a kid. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
About 12 years after marriage, Vincent Barre, left, asked Marion Barre if she would like a diamond ring, which they couldn’t afford at the beginning. “I don’t want one,” she said. Marion instead asked for an E Type Jaguar that she fell in love with when she was a kid. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
Vincent Barre loves the interior of his 1970 Jaguar E type, especially a speedometer that goes up to 160 mph and enough leg room. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
In her childhood, Marion Barre fell in love with the look of E Type cars and told her father, who was a farmer. “You’d never get it,” her dad said. Marion and her husband purchased the car together in 1984. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
In her childhood, Marion Barre fell in love with the look of E Type cars and told her father, who was a farmer. “You’d never get it,” her dad said. Marion and her husband purchased the car together in 1984. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
Kris Rusling, center, of Windsor listens to Patrick Barnett, left, talking about his car parts. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
The conversation evolves among the owners of a motorcycle, an electric wheelchair and a bicycle. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
From left, Steve Burke of Enfield, Kevin Burke of Windsor, and Roy Szoka talk about the coating of Steve’s Ford Fairlane 1966. Bart’s Cruise Night is a way for the Burke brothers to bond. “I follow him all over the place,” Kevin said. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
From left, Steve Burke of Enfield, Kevin Burke of Windsor, and Roy Szoka talk about the coating of Steve’s Ford Fairlane 1966. Bart’s Cruise Night is a way for the Burke brothers to bond. “I follow him all over the place,” Kevin said. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
Back in 1960s, the Ford Fairlane was one of Steve Burke’s dream cars. “You grew up with this, but you couldn’t afford it,” Burke said. After his two sons grew up, he jumped at the opportunity to buy one. “It was time to buy a toy,” he said. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org
Back in 1960s, the Ford Fairlane was one of Steve Burke’s dream cars. “You grew up with this, but you couldn’t afford it,” Burke said. After his two sons grew up, he jumped at the opportunity to buy one. “It was time to buy a toy,” he said. Credit: Yehyun Kim / ctmirror.org

Yehyun joined CT Mirror in June 2020 as a photojournalist and a Report For America Corps Member. Her role at CT Mirror is to tell visual stories about the impact of public policy on individuals and communities in Connecticut. Prior to joining CT Mirror, Yehyun photographed community news in Victoria, Texas and was a photo and video intern at USA TODAY and at Acadia National Park in Maine. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Yehyun was born and raised in South Korea.