Chris Little and his pristine 1969 Dodge A12 Super Bee. Vroom — vintage cars that are all muscle

LIME ROCK — Chris Little has loved cars since childhood. “I started with Matchbox cars. Then I built plastic models. By middle school I was building remote-controlled models.”After a stint selling Acuras following graduation from Bates College in Maine in 2002, the New York City and Salisbury resident has been driving along the road that leads to his own bliss. His new Northwest Corner Classic cars, at 483 Lime Rock Road (the former Paradise Garage), specializes in what many connoisseurs consider to be the flower of American automaking: muscle cars with throaty engines and unabashedly masculine designs.Some classic muscle cars — the ones that are in absolutely mint condition — cost a small fortune, defined by Little as “well north of $100,000.”But others are $20,000 or less — not an insignificant amount, but inexpensive enough to get started.He fairly glows with enthusiasm as he walks around the showroom. “Yes, these cars are exotic,” he said. “They have character, individuality.”He said that while he can appreciate a Ferrari or a Porsche, “I’d rather drive one of these.”And he enjoys selling them to other enthusiasts. “These cars invoke memories, emotions. People come in and they have stories” about similar cars they had in the past.Little purchased the property last August, and began to show cars around October. But the business’s official debut will be this Memorial Day weekend. Little said he sources cars from all over the country, and depending on what kind of shape they are in, they will attract the serious (and well-heeled) collector — or someone who will actually drive the vehicle.Little and his team put the finishing touches on the cars; they don’t do ground-up restorations. He pointed to a 1972 Buick Skylark in the workshop area, which required relatively minor fixes — air conditioning recharge, fiddling with the cable on the emergency brake, replacing the fluids.When this particular car is finished, it will sell for around $30,000.Little said the business has an expanding Internet presence, and he gets a lot of word-of-mouth trade.Locals know his mechanic, Rick Peppe. And of course having a racetrack across the street doesn’t hurt.The shop is holding an open house Saturday, May 28, from 1 to 7 p.m., and everybody — not just muscle car fans — is invited to see the gleaming machines, such as the 1969 (“and a half”) Dodge A12 Super Bee, a factory racecar that is in such superb condition that the factory markings are clearly visible.Or the more prosaic Mustangs — the one muscle car that the layman inevitably picks out.Little said his goal is “to have cars for everybody.”For more information visit www.northwestcornerclassiccars.com or call 860-782-1997.Hours are Tuesday, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, 1:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday by appointment (though the shop will be open during major race weekends).

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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