Endless Summer
Fall has officially arrived, but with temperatures in the northeast drifting into the high 80’s last weekend, it sure didn’t feel like it. So it was a slightly different experience at this year’s 5th Annual Small Car Company’s Air-cooled Classic Car Show – mainly, it was just hot. But the heat didn’t stop car enthusiasts and the curious from filling Veteran’s Park lawn in downtown Westport, CT for another great display of cars which shun the radiator.
Sweet Craziness
Before our walk from the train station to the show, we had to make our obligatory stop at Donut Crazy to indulge in some sweet craziness. Based on the number of people we saw filtering in and out of this little bit of heaven, it must be one of the go-to places to hit on weekend mornings, at least for the locals. After fueling up on a couple of powdered jelly donuts and coffee, we were back on our way.
Onto the Show!
Upon arriving, we immediately recognized a few cars from the previous year as well as several we hadn’t seen before. As we stepped onto the lawn, we heard guest host and radio personality Peter Bush on the microphone highlighting the attributes of a daily driven 1967 red VW Beetle with some great patina. In addition to its great exterior, it was also equipped with an 8-track tape player, which is about as common as a Triceratops in today’s world. Nearby, but on the opposite end of the air-cooled spectrum was Buztigear’s track-ready white Porsche 993. If you want to give your daily driver some extra performance, give these guys a look.
Forever Cool
Nestled in the same row as the Beetle and the 993, was a black 1958 Porsche 356 Emory Outlaw with classic green dials and vintage, twin Tag Heuer stopwatches affixed to the glove compartment. Nearby, with a “4EVR COOL” license plate, was a red ‘57 Porsche 356 Speedster sporting a vintage Nardi wood steering wheel.
Across the way from the Speedster was a very nice silver recreation of a Porsche 550 Spyder similar to that of James Dean’s. And speaking of “cool” plates and Porsche’s, a personal favorite was Veteran Stu Rollin’s 1960 356B “MY-LEGCY” in Mary Kay Pink Pearl. That was not a typo. Fully restored and painted by Stu himself, he always loved the color of the pink Cadillacs by the Mary Kay company in the ’60s.
Restored, Unrestored, and Modified
As the only Citroen on the lawn, you couldn’t help but stop and peek at the oddly–shaped, unrestored class-winning 1978 Citroen 2CV in its original blue paint. That’s right, original paint! Another all original, from our hometown of California, was a 1961 Porsche 356B sporting it’s original Vasek Polak license plate frame. Sigh!
Next to the 356B, and separated by nearly four decades, was a red 2004 Beck recreation of a Porsche 550 Spyder with a 2.2L motor. A fully restored ‘53 black VW split window and a ‘65 red Beetle equipped with a period-correct drive-in speaker and food tray looked fantastic, the latter also having two Raggedy Ann dolls strapped in the back seat.
And finally, parked side-by-side, were two fully restored Gas Werks Garage 914-6’s, along with a 914 body on display which had been chemically dipped and roughly primed, highlighting one of the steps from the company’s restoration process.
Farewell Summer
While snapping photos and chatting with locals and owners, the time slipped by quickly. As the late-morning sun intensified and the show began winding down, cars began to clear the lawn to take advantage of perhaps one of the last weekends of the endless summer. We had a great time meeting new people and discovering some great cars at the Small Car Company’s Air-cooled Classic Car Show. Be sure to check out event organizers, Tom Truitt and Dave Abelow’s Facebook and Instagram pages for upcoming events and rally dates. Here’s hoping for more fall-like temperatures at next year’s event!
