There’s a new gang in town, and they call themselves the Deception Pass PT Cruisers.
But it’s hardly a wild bunch, as these cruisers sit at the wheel of the popular Chrysler product that has populated the nation’s highways since 2001. They’re old-fashioned looking, like something a respectable gangster might have driven to church in 1935.
John Williams and his wife Denise founded the Deception Pass PT Cruisers last year. “We started it in September 2007 when I came home after I got out of the Navy,” he said. Both he and his wife now work at Safeway. “We were in a club in California, but the closest one to Whidbey was in Seattle.”
So the couple started their own club, beginning with just two cars. The Williams’ have a shiny black model with sliver lightning bolts meticulously glued to the sides.
For those who don’t like formalities, the Deception Pass PT Cruisers club is easy to join: No regular meetings, no dues and no officers. They just get together from time to time and go on a cruise.
The club now totals 18 PT Cruisers. Their next get-together is Saturday, Sept. 20 at 10 a.m. in Deception Pass State Park, at North Beach near Cranberry Lake. They’ll spend half an hour getting organized then wend their way down the island’s back roads to Fort Casey where they’ll have a picnic.
Williams said he got into the PT Cruiser fan club accidentally. He was trading in his old pickup and realized he couldn’t afford the new one he wanted. The car salesman steered him toward the Cruiser and a love affair was born.
His is a 2003 model he affectionately calls “Greased Lighting.” Besides the lightning bolts he put on himself, it sports a 2.4 liter turbo-charged, 4-cylinder engine that kicks out 235 horsepower while getting 22 to 25 miles per gallon.
As for the design, Williams is happy with the retro-look. “I’ve heard them referred to ‘30s and ‘40s cars,” he said. And he’s not alone in his affection for the PT Cruiser: “I see them all over the island.” If you have a PT Cruiser and have found a card on the windshield advertising the Deception Pass PT Cruisers, Williams probably put it there.
With membership increasing, the club is ready to dazzle islanders as they pass by en masse during their Sept. 20 cruise. For information on joining visit www.deceptionpasscruisers.com or email cruzinwithapt@yahoo.com.
