Beauties In Beverly
Once we arrived at Endicott College in Beverly Massachusetts we watched car after car roll on to the field and get setup for the day. I have to say the weather did not look promising at first, but it ended up getting clear. Not long after, the blue skies shone down upon the hidden nooks and crannies in which the cars were strategically placed in.
As I was strolling through archways and stone paths leading to the different ocean-side show fields, I stumbled on a beautiful 1930 W.O. Bentley! The paint glistened in the sun, complemented by the amazing finish of the wooden trim. On top of that the dash was restored perfectly! This Bentley was a Speed Six (six and a half liter) with a generator in the front! I overheard two men discussing on what the generator was! I believe they settled upon calling it a starting motor…
Another cool car I noticed was the Ford GT40! It’s very distinctive blue color drew lots of attention, but once the beast started up, it drew ALL of the attention from the show! If it were any louder someone probably would have screamed “EARTHQUAKE!”
Another gorgeous car was the 1909 Locomobile. This car really grabbed my eye due to its pristine condition. From the fine detail of the gauges to the thousands of square tubes in the radiator, this car was absolutely stunning! I would love to meet the person restored this car!
I also really enjoyed the red 1957 Chevy 3100 Pick-up with a beautiful wooden bed along with a wooden boat attached! The boat had a period correct 18hp Johnson which would make it a perfect little fishing boat! It almost seemed as if the boat was made to match the pickup (or vise-versa)!
One of my favorites was the Mercedes 190SL with a teardrop camper in tow. The camper alone weighed around 2,500 pounds, which is dangerously close to the 3,000 pound tow limit this Mercedes offered. The camper was made by a company in Seattle, and then customized to look like Mercedes made it. It had a sink, a cooler that acted as a fridge, a radio and a couple other items in the rear of the trailer. The front, however, was just a bed, leaving just enough room for a good night’s rest on the road.
Did you know that some classics have automatic plastic sheet deployment systems? I didn’t until Sunday when a couple of rain drops fell from the heavens, plastic sheets and covers instantly blanketed most cars. The rain did put a damper on things, but for the most part, it was fun to see people huddled together under canopies, tents and in buildings to talking and sharing stories. I learned from Jon Elmendorf’s “voice of experience” that a Packard Caribbean with dual four barrel carburetors will get up to 80mph pretty easily!
We were then told, over the loud speakers, that the Awards would be held in the VIP tent! There were a lot of great awards given out to a lot of great cars! Who stole the show you ask? The 1909 Locomobile won the highest award, best in show! Like I mentioned earlier, this car is gorgeous. The owner ended up taking not only the trophy home but a cute little BMW kiddy pedal car as well!
As the open wheel racers were leaving with rooster tails, and the umbrellas were slowly vanishing; I realized how much fun I had at Misslewood and I look forward to next year!
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About The Author
Christopher DeMarey
When I was just seven years old I started judging at the world-renowned Greenwich Concours d’Elegance. Since then I have become a regular contributing author to the Classic Car Club of America New England Region magazine and I have been published nationally on multiple occasions. I am now fifteen and on the board of advisors for the Classic Car Club of America NER. From Amelia Island to the Boston Cup I have attended many car shows, tours and events along with helping in the process of planning the Classic New England CARavan for this coming September. I look forward to one day owning my very own classic and I hope to enter my vehicle in one of the various events I have attended throughout my childhood. E-mail - chris@demarey.net