Sherman Avenue between Church and Clark streets became an open-air showroom Sunday, July 19, as Downtown Evanston closed the block to traffic and filled it with vintage Buicks, classic Cadillacs, and a replica Batmobile for the second annual Cars & Coffee series.

The move from last year's library parking lot to the street itself was deliberate. Andy Vick, executive director of Downtown Evanston, the nonprofit that organizes events for the business corridor, said the group always intended to hold the show "out on the street in downtown Evanston." Last year's event in the Church Street lot served as a pilot to gauge interest before expanding to the more visible location. The City of Evanston co-sponsors the series.

The free event ran from 9:30 a.m. to noon and featured vintage classics, muscle cars, rare exotics, and limited-production performance vehicles lined up along the closed stretch of Sherman. Attendees could purchase votes for a People's Choice Award, with the winning car's owner receiving a $150 Evanston E-Gift Card. All vote proceeds benefit the Evanston Public Library and the Partners of the Evanston Public Library.

Among the standouts: Pete Jannotta's 1931 Buick five-passenger sedan, which he bought in 1973 for $400 as a 19-year-old college student after spotting it near a farmhouse in Des Plaines. He has owned the car for 53 years. Jannotta told Evanston Now that cars from the 1930s are becoming increasingly rare at shows, where most "vintage" vehicles now date to the 1960s and 1970s.

"I always liked this era of car because my dad died when I was 11-years-old and this would have been his era of car," Jannotta said. "That keeps me closer to him."

Gail Montenegro of Wilmette displayed a 1947 Cadillac Series 62 passed down through several female family members. The original owner was her great-grandmother, whose steel-baron husband gifted her the car for her 61st birthday. It featured automatic transmission and power windows, both rare for that era.

A replica of the Batmobile from the 1966 TV series, built in 1978 on a Lincoln Mark 5 chassis, drew crowds. The car is owned by Dennis Chookaszian, who also owns Double Clutch Brewery. According to Evanston Now, the car was once driven by actor Adam West. Mechanic Gus Marillo services the vehicle.

Outside Coffee, an Evanston vendor, sold coffee and donuts at the event. Garage and metered street parking are free in downtown Evanston on Sundays, and organizers directed visitors to the 1800 Maple Ave. Self Park and Sherman Plaza Self Park, both about a block away.

The series continues with two more Sunday events from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Sherman Avenue, with the final date scheduled for Sunday, September 20.