(This Newsday feature story – on classic car shows, including the annual Jaguar-MG event on September 13 at the Vanderbilt Museum – was published September 8, 2015.)
Exotic cars (sigh)
By JIM MERRITT, Special to Newsday
Ever wonder what a million dollars on wheels looks like? At this fall’s exotic car shows, you can gawk at luxe autos, talk with their owners and pose for selfies alongside Lamborghinis, Jaguars and even rarer one-of-a-kind rides.
Classic and exotic car shows are “the closest some people come to multimillion dollar cars,” says Joe LaPadula, owner of Martino Auto Concepts in Glen Cove, founder and host of the Gold Coast Concours / Bimmerstock car show, held Sept. 20 in Glen Cove. At the show, selfies with autos in the background are encouraged, says LaPadula, because “everybody loves to take a picture with an exotic car.”
“Chrysler’s Chrysler,” a one-of-a-kind, 1937 Imperial LeBaron Town Car, owned and restored by Howard Kroplick
Car shows are also a window into Long Island history. You can “discover the stories and the histories behind these rolling pieces of art,” says North Hempstead town historian Howard Kroplick. He’ll exhibit his newly restored “Chrysler’s Chrysler” Sunday, Sept. 13, at the 2015 Vanderbilt Jaguar Concours d’Elegance and All Marque Concours Sanitaire at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium in Centerport.
The 1937 Chrysler Imperial C-15 LeBaron Town Car known as “Chrysler’s Chrysler” was custom-built by auto magnate and onetime Kings Point resident Walter P. Chrysler. It had been sitting in disrepair inside a garage on the Vanderbilt grounds for decades when Kroplick rediscovered it four years ago and had it restored to its original condition.
“I brought a one-of-a-kind car back to life,” Kroplick says. Onlookers can see the auto’s unusual features, including spring-loaded, power-assisted windows, vanity mirrors and a tiger maple cabinet filled with cosmetic bottles.
Owner William Schieck of Bayside and Polo white 1954 Chevrolet Corvette, with 6 cylinder, fiberglass body and white wall tires. On view at the Jaguar show held the Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport, Sept. 14, 2014.
The show on the Vanderbilt estate grounds overlooking Northport Bay also features vintage and new Jaguar and MG models, international and domestic sports cars and sedans.
Vanderbilt Jaguar Concours d’Elegance and All Marque Concours Sanitaire
WHEN | WHERE 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, at Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, Centerport. Rain date Sept. 20
INFO 516-607-6074, vanderbiltmuseum.org
ADMISSION $7 ($3 ages 12 and younger)
Here are other upcoming shows where you can rev up your interest in classic and exotic rides.
Gold Coast Concours / Bimmerstock
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
WHEN | WHERE 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 20 at 1 School St., Glen Cove
INFO 516-676-8014
ADMISSION Free
THE SHOW Downtown Glen Cove becomes a showroom with 800 to 1,000 autos, including many exotic Lamborghinis, Rolls-Royces, Ferraris, Bentleys and — of course — a special section for BMWs, aka Bimmers.
RAREST OF RARITIES A 918 Porsche Spyder hybrid (retailing at $845,000), Ferrari Challenge race cars, and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Race series.
Vettes and Jets Car Show
WHEN | WHERE 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at American Airpower Museum, 1230 New Highway, East Farmingdale. Rain date Sept. 26.
INFO 516-605-5147, licoa.org
ADMISSION $10 ($5 ages 4-12) $25 show car fee.
THE SHOW More than 50 Corvettes from as far back as the 1950s will be displayed on Republic Airport’s runways alongside Vietnam-era and Persian Gulf “warbirds” — the F-105, F-111, A-6 Intruder and the Republic A-10.
RAREST OF THE RARE A 1963 “split window” coupe and top-of-the-line ZR1 and ZO6 ‘vettes.
11th annual Americana Concours D’Elegance
WHEN | WHERE 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 11 in the parking lot of the Americana Manhasset
INFO 516-627-2277, americanamanhasset.com/concours
ADMISSION Free
THE SHOW More than 200 privately owned luxury cars are entered in competition for Best in Class and Best in Show titles.
RAREST OF THE RARE A Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina. The owner, film director and writer James Glickenhaus, worked with the Italian car design firm to build a one-off, multimillion dollar sports car with a retro design as a tribute to great endurance cars of the past.
