A handful of north Clark County locals attended the Downtown Camas Association’s Camas Car Show on Saturday, June 29, to show off their classic rides.
Along with north county car enthusiasts making the cruise to the mill town, well over 100 classic and special interest vehicles attended the show from both sides of the Columbia River. The 17th annual show was well attended both by participants and visitors until a surprise rain storm popped up on radar and began to threaten the area.
Jesse Lambert, a Battle Ground local, drove his 1954 Chevy Bel Air he named “Blue Bel” to the Camas show.
“I bought it out of southern Oregon. Somebody built the car and then they parked it in a barn and they kind of forgot about it,” Lambert said. “So the guy decides to sell it … So I picked it up, and we pulled it back up here to Battle Ground.”
Lambert put his spin on the ’54 classic with new suspension, engine repairs, an air-ride system and a lot more as he said it was in horrible shape. After a few years, he got the Bel Air running and said it drives great.
Lambert’s passion for classic cars began when he was young.
“When I was a kid, my dad had an old Chevy C10 pickup, and we had a matching camper on it,” he said. “I remember as a little kid sleeping on the bench seat and something bit me back then, and I loved it.”
After gaining the love for classic rides, he attended an auto-tech school at Clark College. Despite never turning his love for automobiles into a career, Lambert’s passion never died. He is now a part of a C10 pickup club. The club can be found on Instagram under @c10cluboregon and on Facebook by searching for the C10 Club Oregon group.
Ken Davis, another north county local, showed off his 1989 Ford Mustang “Fox body” that he inherited from his father.
“I inherited it two years ago when my dad passed away,” Davis said. “He bought it I think 25 years ago. One of the doors was a different color. He just kept it in the garage in central Oregon pretty much and hardly ever drove it. I’ve just been trying to keep it the way he would want me to keep it.”
The Fox body Mustang has just 93,000 original miles. Almost everything on the car is original. Davis’ father only exchanged the stock wheels and tires.
With a lot of original parts on the 1989 car, Davis enjoys the comments he receives on the stock profile of his ride, he said. Davis said he also enjoys having an unusual show car as rarely do more than two Fox body Mustangs attend at once.
For more news on the upcoming 2025 Camas Car Show and other downtown happenings, visit downtowncamas.com.
