Early Morning Train
This past weekend we took in the sights and sounds of the 4th Annual Classic Air-Cooled Car Show in Westport, CT. Now typically like most Manhattanites that brutalize themselves all week-long, I’m not a fan of getting up super early on weekends or spending any additional time on trains. But anytime there are Porsches and air-cooled Volkswagens to be had, I’m willing to make an exception.
After a 45-minute train ride up to Westport, we hopped off and made our way around to the front of the station. I’ve never been to Westport before, but I was pretty sure that this train station was original, albeit recently refurbished and now in pristine condition. As we walked around to the front of the station, we realized just how awesome the renovations had been:
Let’s Eat Donuts
I’ve gotta say if I lived in Westport and had to commute into Manhattan every morning, having Donut Crazy literally feet from the train would be a never-ending temptation I’d seriously struggle with. Anyways, after consuming two of the largest, most spectacular looking donuts I’ve ever come across, we called an Uber and within a few minutes, we were dumped in front of Veteran’s Green in downtown Westport.
Small Car Company
Veteran’s Green is a park honoring the citizens of Westport who served in the wars of the 20th century. It is very nice, but it is also very small. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting but whatever it was, I was expecting it to be somewhat larger.
Around 8 to 10 cars had already taken their positions on the grass and I was concerned there wasn’t going to be much room for a whole lot more. I remember thinking, “we spent $50 on transportation and donuts just to see a few Beetles, a couple of dune buggies, and a Type 2”? I know it was still early, but I was beginning to wonder if this was going to be more of a Volkswagen dominated show with few if any, Porsches showing up at all.
Here They Come
Within the next hour, however, the P-cars began arriving in earnest and my earlier concerns about the price of donuts and trains were subsiding.
Several long-hood 911s rolled in, then a 964, then a couple 912s and then a group of 993s joined the ranks. Soon, the place was packed; I was amazed at how the volunteers got them all in. There was a car for everyone: an extremely well-worn 911E, a stunning, low-mileage ’73T with MFI in Metallic Blue, a 912 Targa, a nice-looking RS tribute, a gorgeous Metallic Green ’73 911S, a Rod Emory 356 hot-rod, and plenty of very original Volkswagen Beetles as well as some amazing custom Beetles.
That’s A Wrap
All in all, it turned out to be a pretty nice show. We spent several hours enjoying the cars, shooting photos and chatting with some of the owners and fellow enthusiasts. I even got a lead for a gentleman who does amazing carb rebuilds for Volkswagens, in case anyone is looking.
After the show, we grabbed lunch at 190 Main Bar & Restaurant located at the South end of the park. We had an amazing lunch and a nice chat with the owner and some of the locals. Hopefully, we’ll make it back for next year’s show.
