Gallery: Classic Cars Take Over the Village

No one would blame you if you stared blankly, mouth open, consumed with envy on Friday night in downtown Ridgewood. With roaring, beastly engines firing through the village night, you wouldn't have been the only one. Hundreds of classic cars from 1930's-era hot rods to mint condition T-Birds, to muscle cars of the 70's, all the way to the Ferrari's and Lamborghini's of today were on hand for the 17th Annual Car Show, presented by the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce.

There wasn't a frown there, though many debated which car was best of the significant bunch. It's all a matter of preference – some liked a yellow Callaway Corvette, described by one onlooker as "a slice of automotive heaven," while others preferred an orange 1960 VW Minibus. A cherry red 1974 Pontiac Trans Am was described as "a super hot car" by a young blonde, which was fairly...predictable.

But there was minor debate among the car owners – should these classics be held in the garage as a masterpiece of engineering, art and science, a relic of a different time that shouldn't see the roads but be preserved in its original state? Or should the vehicles be driven, 'living' art exposed to the elements and oogling of onlookers? While pondering the answer, take a look at our photo gallery. If a picture says a thousand words, we have 39,000 words for 'awe' and 'jealousy'. And there's no debate.