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Roger Lane stands next to his 1973 Dodge Dart Sport 340, one of the last muscle cars produced before power-robbing smog control regulations kicked in. The modified engine now puts out between 350 and 400 horsepower, Lane said of the car that will be featured in this Saturday's Wheels 'N' Windmills Car Show in Solvang.

Roger Lane and the Vikings of Solvang will stage a new car show in October 2023 in downtown Solvang, raising money for the service club's many charities.

A modified Dodge 340 V-8 nestles in the engine compartment of Roger Lane's Dodge Dart Sport 340.

Roger Lane stands next to his 1973 Dodge Dart Sport 340, one of the last muscle cars produced before power-robbing smog control regulations kicked in. The modified engine now puts out between 350 and 400 horsepower, Lane said of the car that will be featured in this Saturday's Wheels 'N' Windmills Car Show in Solvang.

A modified Dodge 340 V-8 nestles in the engine compartment of Roger Lane's Dodge Dart Sport 340.

For more information about the Viking Charities Classic Car Show coming in 2023, visit www.vikingcharitiesinc.com, then click on “events” and then “Viking Classic Car Show.”

Saturday may represent the swan song for Wheels ‘N’ Windmills Car Show, but it doesn’t mean Solvang won’t have its streets filled with hundreds of classic and custom vehicles next year.

Dr. Roger Lane is joining forces with the Vikings of Solvang to bring a new show to life in October 2023.

Lane describes himself as “a relative newcomer” to the Wheels ‘N’ Windmills organization, but he’s not new to showing cars.

He’s had at least one of his classics in the Wheels ‘N’ Windmills show for several years and, in fact, two of his cars are featured on the poster for this year’s show — his 1967 Chevy Camaro RS and his 1973 Dodge Dart Sport 340.

“That’s partly because I’m the only member who hasn’t had a car on the poster,” Lane said last weekend, standing in a Santa Maria parking lot next to the Dart he’d driven down from Solvang.

He said because they’re featured cars, the Camaro and Dart will probably be parked diagonally across an intersection from each other at Saturday’s show.

As usual, the Dart drew plenty of looks while on the highway, especially from drivers with new Dodge Chargers and Challengers, who frequently pull alongside to give Lane the thumb’s-up.

Roger Lane and the Vikings of Solvang will stage a new car show in October 2023 in downtown Solvang, raising money for the service club's many charities.

“This was the last year of the 340 V-8,” he said, making the Dart one of the last muscle cars before power-sucking smog control regulations kicked in.

Lane’s enthusiasm for classic cars is evident as he talks about the Dart, which he said was originally purchased brand-new by an Air Force sergeant who had it shipped to Germany, then sold it to someone in the Sacramento area when he rotated back to the states.

Having served in the military as well, Lane said he felt a connection to the car and its first owner when he bought it fresh out of medical school.

For 10 years, it was his daily driver, and today it has more than 150,000 miles on it.

Lane said it still has the original cast-iron block, but it’s been upgraded with aluminum heads, Edelbrock carburetor and manifold and a mild cam, so its original 240 horsepower has been raised to somewhere between 350 and 400.

Factory-equipped with a 4-speed manual transmission, the Dart now has a 5-speed Lane had installed when it was restored because on the freeway the engine was revving high just adding to the wind and road noise and vibrations.

He also had it repainted from its original black with white stripes to Dodge’s Plum Crazy purple, which was popular in the late ’60s and early ’70s, with a black stripe. It also sports a gloss-black functional hood scoop and gloss-black rear wing.

It’s that enthusiasm for classic cars that prompted him to launch a new car show with the Vikings of Solvang and to add a new attraction.

The Viking Charities Classic Car Show is set for Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, in downtown Solvang.

“It will be pretty much the same as Wheels ‘N’ Windmills but in October, when the weather should be a little cooler,” Lane said, adding all the proceeds will benefit the Vikings of Solvang charities.

But he’s added a Sunday event — a garage tour and poker run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., starting at the Pirate Garage at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School and visiting six private garages and one commercial garage.

The tour will end back at the Pirate Garage for a barbecue and the revealing of the poker hands.