23rd Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival Saturday
By Robin Vinci | Editor at June 18, 2024 | 6:00 pm | Print
It’s that time of year to go to the top of the hill and view some of the best motor vehicles you will ever see.
The 23rd Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival will kick-off Saturday with more than 300 antique cars on display.
“Thanks to our sponsors, scores of volunteers and more than 300 antique car owners that will show their works of art, not only will this be an exciting event to attend but it will raise significant funds in support of our work with children and families,” said the event website. “We will again focus on the important role dads play in the lives of their families, making this event a wonderful way to celebrate Father’s Day weekend. Grand Marshals Wayne and Bob Carini will be joined this year by one of Wayne’s daughters, Lindsay Cushing, making this a real family celebration.”
The 2014 award for “Best in Show” went to an 1896 Armstrong. Manufactured in Bridgeport, CT, the Armstrong has highly sophisticated features including an electric self-starter, automatic ignition timing, an automatic clutch and a 6.5 liter engine. This car represents the very earliest, pioneering design known as the horseless carriage. Throughout the day you would see groups of several guys on their knees checking out the underpinnings of this truly vintage car. The Armstrong is scheduled to return again in 2015.
“Our devotion to acknowledging the early days of U.S. automotive history attracted the attention of the National Geographic Channel, who came to film for a two-hour special called “Driving America” set to air in May just before our 2015 Festival,” according to the site. “The producer and a film crew from Wayne Carini’s show “Chasing Classic Cars” were also on hand gathering footage for a 2015 season episode.”
Two episodes of “Chasing Classic Cars”, produced by Essex Television Group, were filmed at the Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival, one in 2011 and another in 2014.
Wayne’s passion for cars started when he was a child working alongside his dad on such classics as Duesenbergs, Lincolns, Packards and Ford Model A’s. Then, at just 9 years of age, he experienced a life altering event: he went for a ride in his first Ferrari. This set him on a career journey dealing with all types of vintage automobile collectors throughout the world.
The show offers the viewer a look into Wayne’s circle of clients as he searches out and uncovers the world’s most rare and exotic cars. “Chasing Classic Cars” introduces the viewer to the world of car restorers and collectors as Wayne buys, restores and sells vintage automobiles.
With a lifetime of experience in automobile restoration under his belt, master car restorer Wayne Carini has a resume that includes body and paint work on rare car collections owned by the likes of David Letterman, tennis great Ivan Lendl and the DuPont family. He’s been featured in the New York Times as well as numerous automobile magazines, and starred in two one-hour television specials, for Discovery’s HD Theater Channel: Monterey Week and The World’s Most Expensive Cars.
Several new features will make this show particularly exciting. First of all, it will feature a Concorso, a display of classic and exotic automobiles. In addition, there will be some of the very early Connecticut-made automobiles such as the Columbia, Pope-Hartford and Corbin and steam automobiles.
This is an event for the whole family featuring an exciting new variety of activities for children to enjoy, drama by street actors, dancers dancing to vintage music, along with great food, including Avery’s Old-fashioned Soda in collectible bottles.
“There are 7 street actors in total,” said Amy Kirby of the New Britain Historical Society. “They will be at the very old classic cars for set skits and then will be roaming around the show, interacting with visitors. My son is one. The years for which their skits are set are 1904 - 1910. There is even an African American limo driver who educates people about coming to New York from the South to make a better life and driving a limo was one job that allowed that. Their dresses are to die for because three of them are from the Vanderbilt family, which really was America’s royal family in that day.”
Spectator parking is free and located at the New Britain Rock Cats Stadium at Willow Brook Park. Enjoy the convenient shuttle compliments of DATTCO. This also includes a specially equipped van for persons who may be in a wheelchair or scooter. Please be aware that certain areas of our festival are not accessible for persons with physical limitations.
Show hours: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. General Admission $15; Seniors 65 and older $10; Children 12 and younger free.
