COEUR d'ALENE - Sisters Mary Bell and Teri Pratt had a blast at Car d'Lane.

The lively Coeur d'Alene duo chatted and giggled while enjoying the Car d'Lane Cruise from the Eagles Lodge downtown Friday evening.

"I close my eyes and I'm 21 again," Bell said.

They both agreed the parade of classic cars brought back countless memories from their younger days.

"They were the cars that if you wanted to be somebody, you had a muscle car," Bell said.

"Life is good in the fast lane," Pratt said.

The three-hour cruise featured a wide variety of vehicles, from Chevy Novas and Challengers to tricked-out vans, Volkswagons and Jeeps.

Jodie and Darren Jackson of St. Maries cruised in their custom, hand-crafted 1929 Essex, which has the grill of a 1938 Chevy and a chrome unicorn hood ornament, with the word "rattitude" across the front dash panel. They completed the work on the Essex last year, so this was its Car d'Lane debut.

"The most fun part of it is watching the expressions on the people who see it," Darren said. "Not everybody loves them, but most people just love them."

Moments before the cruise began, a brief but heavy rain poured on the thousands of spectators. Water ricocheted off the windshield of the Naparod as Napa Auto Parts owner Eric Waide of Coeur d'Alene and friend Greg Raft of Hayden waited on Lakeside Avenue between Sixth and Seventh streets to lead the line of vehicles. This was the third year Napa has sponsored the cruise.

"We look forward to it every year," Waide said. "It's always an exciting moment for us to hear all the reactions of fans and the viewers on the street when we drive by. It's just a great time."

Brian Shaneman of Hayden was positioned in a chair beneath a sheltering tree near the blue and yellow Naparod. He owns a 1965 Corvair mid-engine V-8 and is a self-described "car guy."

"The thing that I think is so cool is when you look at a man and his car, you can see how much his ego and his whole being are tied up in it," he said. "It's kind of like what he's saying there, 'This is me.' Very cool."

North Idaho Classic Car Club member Mike Altizer of Post Falls directed traffic on Second Street. He estimated between 500 and 600 vehicles participated in this year's cruise.

"It's a great turnout, given the rain," he said. "These Idaho car people are pretty hearty."

People were everywhere downtown during the event, soaking in the sights and sounds from local restaurants and standing along the sidewalks pointing to the cool, original and sometimes comical vehicles and their drivers. A random siren, honk, or rat-a-tat-tat from the "Lil Hellraiser 1952" U.S. Army truck could be heard above the rumble of the engines and hubbub of cheerful conversation.

"This is the most authentic car cruise I've ever seen," said Dorthy Lillis of Hayden. "It's calm and relaxed and everybody has a good time."

The Car d'Lane Cruise commenced the Car d'Lane weekend, which continues with the Show and Shine on Sherman and Lakeside avenues from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.

Car d'Lane is a fundraiser for the North Idaho Classic Car Club and is facilitated by the club in conjunction with the Coeur d'Alene Downtown Association.