Klingberg Auto Show

The Auto Restoration Program at Klingberg Family Centers is the recipient of a 1962 King Midget. Advertised in Popular Mechanics and Boy’s Life during the 1950’s, the King Midget is a small, two seater car,  with an eight horsepower motor and two speeds forward and a reverse. It brags of a top speed of 50 miles per hour and fuel economy of 50 miles per gallon. It is in need of restoration and because of its simplicity; it is an ideal car for the start of the Restoration Program with the students in the Raymond Hill School Auto Restoration Program.

Long time Klingberg donor, Robert Story from Story Brothers Automobile Repair, purchased the King Midget for the program and also transported it to New Britain from Rhode Island.  Tom Laferriere, of Laferriere Classic Cars, owned the King Midget and donated a portion of the price to become a Bronze Sponsor of the Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival June 19^th. Robert Story was also a donor of a 1914 Ford Model T Depot Hack the first Klingberg antique car.

The Klingberg Antique Auto Show has been an annual event for 17 years. There are many types of auto shows and I have thought about how our show fits into this array.  On one hand, we have the typical auto show:  antique car owners  who have worked on their antique and/or classic automobile, their pride and joy, come to our show to show it off and spend time with others with like interest.  This adds fun and mystery to our show because we never know what owners will bring until they arrive the day of the show. If you are like me, many of these automobiles bring back memories like the car in which I learned to drive, my first car, our family station wagon we took across the country in 1955, etc. From the very beginning, I have enjoyed watching parents and grandparents telling auto-related stories to their children.

Beyond the traditional auto show, we bring some unique elements to the event: Vintage music and dancing, museum displays and a children’s play area. We also add special touches by serving home-cooked food including our own New England clam chowder recipe.  The food is literally cooked fresh in our own kitchen the day before the show.

But apart from being a typical car show, one aspect of our event is most like a Concours d’Elegance. A Concours features very rare and elegant automobiles with interesting histories, some in their original, untouched condition and others restored to be pristine and flawless. Owners compete at the top Concours d’Elegance around the world and many have won prestigious honors.  There seems to be a proliferation of car shows throughout Connecticut; there are auto shows every weekend. I even saw seven auto shows listed for one weekend in the Hartford Courant. However, there are only four true Concours d’Elegance events in all New England.   

The Auto Show and the Concours d’Elegance are really two very different kinds of shows and are rarely ever part of the same event. I know it would be much easier to plan and hold an event that would clearly be one or the other.

However, beginning in 2010, we are going to blend the two styles. We are keeping the general structure of the traditional auto show, but it will surround a Concours d’Elegance.  I have met with Concours collectors and they have accepted our special invitation to join us at the Klingberg Antique Auto Show in 2010.  With the help of some of the top collectors and antique auto restorers, we will gather rare and pristine automobiles on the athletic field in the center of our event. Most of these automobiles have six-figure values and are transported by enclosed trucks and trailers over a considerable distance. We will rearrange our layout to accommodate this.  Ancillary events usually surround a Concours, so we will work with resources in the communities neighboring our show to create an attractive weekend package for our out of town guests and our longtime supporters.

The major difference between our event and the standard national Concours d’Elegance events will be our focus on children and families. We want to change the heart of the usual Concours event from the competition between collectors and winning of prestigious trophies to helping children how have experienced  child abuse  and other forms of trauma. Our show will be a Concours d’Elegance where those who usually compete against one another come together on a beautiful hilltop and share a good time while significantly helping children in need. 

I suppose we could say it is a Concours with a Cause. With the blending of the two types of events and the major focus on children we are renaming the Klingberg Antique Auto Show the Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival.

Mark your calanders now for our new Motorcar Festival date: June 19th, Father’s Day Weekend.

We welcome your comments and feedback at markj@klingberg.org

On Saturday October 17th,  the date of the 17th Annual Klingberg Antique Auto Show, it was a cold but a beautiful morning in our big field that should be filled with antique automobiles. It was a sad morning because we have heard from many, many people disappointed over the cancellation of the show due to the ominous predictions of a two punch nor’easter coming up the east coast. The forecasters were 60% -70% sure, so on Thursday morning I was forced cancelled it. 

I have been moved by countless people who expressed the same disappointment my staff and I felt, as we realized there would be no show this fall. Every caller told us how important and meaningful it is to them.  One man wrote an email telling me he brings his 85 year old mother in his 1965 Corvair because she enjoys our show so much. Many friends have been struggling with us with as to how we could still have the show or to better insure that it happens despite the weather. We appreciate all the suggestions and the creative ideas. Know that we struggle with this literally day and night. 

I am thankful to many people, particularly at a time like this, who have worked hard toward a goal and now will not be able to see the fruits of their labor;

*the Development Staff have given time and energy way beyond expectations;

 *Klingberg staff in general who bear with us as we commandeer time and space;

*Volunteer organizers from businesses and the community who gather teams to come and setup and run the show year after year;

*The army of volunteers who cleared their schedules to be here working at the show;

*Antique auto owners who have worked preparing their cars and went to the great effort to transport some of the oldest antiques a long distance to make our show unique among shows;

*Spectators who gather groups of people to come and enjoy the day and at the same time help troubled kids and families;

*And most importantly, our sponsors, we are so thankful for your generosity and your investment in our programs for troubled children and families even as the show is cancelled.

The show has been reschuled for June 19th, 2010, Father’s Day weekend and will be better than ever!

Mark H. johnson

It is Monday morning before theKlingberg Auto Show and the preparations begin to ready our hilltop campus. We have 15 Connecticut-made Automobiles scheduled to come. I had two interesting communications from collectors in the past 24 hours that I want to share with you. Roberto Rodriques, Executive Director of the Seal Cove Automobile Museum in Maine, sent an email announcing that their 1909 Corbin, made in New Britain, has been successfully started after years of sitting idle. He sent this photograph of Cordell Snow and Richard Fox congratulating each other after the successful start. This Corbin will be displayed with the other five remaining Corbins.

The second call I received was from Howard O’Gorman from New Jersey who just learned of our gathering of CT-made automobiles from the Horseless Carriage Club Members at the national auto show  in Hershey, Pennsylvania last week. He owns a 1907 Cameron made in Beverly, Massachusetts and at the same time were being manufactured in New London and Stamford, Connecticut. The invitation has been extended to him and he is seeing if he can make it with such short notice.

Ride an early 1900’s bicycle, win a  potato sack race, walk on stilts, meet a racecar driver, take in the hilltop views, have a slice of homemade apple pie,  choose your favorite penny candy, browse our Antique Shoppe, sample Vermont cheeses, shop for unique jewelry…read about Colonel Pope, tune a vintage radio, vote for a winning show car.

 A little something for children, ladies and gentlemen…Klingberg Antique Auto show offers exclusive shopping and entertainment experience…

 On June 19th, visitors to the Klingberg Antique Autos Show will be able to experience more than great clam chowder, chili stuffed potatoes and seeing acres of classic and antique cars. Added to the show, is the Euphoria Events Unique Pop Up Top tent, featuring our sponsor showcase, an opportunity to meet some our supporters, shop for gifts,  or to find a special antique item to match the era of a favorite show car.

Celebrating the best from the past is not just reserved for the rarely scene Connecticut made cars on display be sure to check out old fashioned kids games, face painting,  collections on display by the New Britain Industrial Museum and the CT Vintage Radio and Communications Museum. Artist Dr. John M. Fitzsimmons will share his artwork of the Corbin Automobile and nostalgic scenes from our area. Local Author Stephen Goddard will be available for a book signing and to share stories from his book, Colonel Pope and His American Dream Machines. Sing along to your Oldies Favorites played by DJ Dave Salonia, then take a swing on our Webster Bank dance floor with the Fred Astaire dancers. Enter to win a Westfarms gift basket and LegoKidsfest tickets or other raffle prizes.

Great Fun for Everyone. We are looking forward to sharing the day with you! For a preview of our entertainment visit: www.thewheelmen.org, http://artofnewengland.org/

The 1954 Kaiser Darrin,  first fiberglass automobile ever made, will be on display at the Klingberg Auto Show on June 19th.  Designed by Howard Darrin, it was a sports car created to compete with the Corvette and preceded it by one month. This car featured the first sliding doors retracting into the front fenders. Its wheel base was only 100 inches and it was powered by a 161 cubic inch six cylinder engine. The very stylish but short lived Kaiser Darrin was in production only nine months and only 435 were made. Today, these sports cars average over $100,000 at auction. This entry is part of the Pray Collection.

Emile Delahaye began his automobile manufacturing company in 1894 in Tours, France. He continued to make very elegant automobiles and reliable trucks until 1954.

The Delahaye 135M  was one of only nine short-bodied models designed by French coatchbuilder Figoni et Falashi along with artist Goe Hamm. This is just one of two left in the world today. Present owner, Malcolm Pray, as a young man visiting the 1939 New York World’s Fair, saw this very automobile in the French Pavilion. In 1964, he purchased it only found out later that it was the automobile he saw as a youngster.

The Delahaye 135M has been honored at concours all over the world because of it beauty and elegance. FedEx Custom Critical Automobile Transport will be bringing it for display at the Klingberg Antique Auto Show in October.

The Rockwell Public Service Cab was one of several automobiles built by the New Departure Company in Bristol at the turn of the 20th Century. Started by Albert and Edward Rockwell, they manufactured all sorts of bells for houses and bicycles then added metal bed springs. They invented the coaster brake for bicycles which enabled the rider to keep their hands on the handlebars yet stop more effectively. They became the largest manufacturer of ball bearings for automobiles so it was a natural step to enter the automobile manufacturing industry themselves.

In 1900 New Departure produced their first vehicle, a public service vehicle. It had large wire spoke bicycle type wheels on the rear and smaller ones on the front. It had electric motors for each rear wheel and electricity was generated by a four-cylinder gas motor between the front wheels. The body was like the traditional horse drawn cabs of the day. The driver sat in the open at the front and passengers were in a comfortable enclosed seating area. A later gas powered car model was developed and drew much attention at the 1908 New York Automobile Show. Influenced by his wife Nettie, Albert Rockwell began painting the cabs yellow because it was her favorite color and she thought it would be easily identified in the city.

Out the the great success in the development of the well designed tax cab, Rockwell started the Connecticut Cab Company, serving cities across the state. He then started the Yellow Taxi Cab Company in New York City and gained 60% of the taxi business. With growing competition, his competitors were gaining a increasing portion of the market and in 1911 decited to get out of the taxi cab and automobile manufacturing business altogether. All in all, Rockwell had a great influence creating a well designed public service vehilcle and leaving a legacy of “yellow cabs”.

In our search for Connecticut-made automobiles for the Klingberg Antique Auto Show, we have been tracing a 1900 Rockwell Hansom Cab, like the one in the top  photograph, that we know exisits but have not located it yet. I would appreciate any information that would help us find this car and get it to our show. markj@klingberg.org

“Hartford does not claim to have made the first automobile but does claim to have started the automotive industry,”  This statement was made by auto designer and engineer,  Henry Cave,  who worked with Daimler Motor Company, Locomobile and with George B. Seldon to design, develop and demonstrate the first Seldon patent car. (that is another story coming soon)

The very first  Hartford company to work in the automobile industry was the National Machine Company in 1891. Located at Capital Ave and Woodbine Street, they made motors for Steinway-Daimler, the engine that established the auto industry in Europe. But five years later in 1895,  the Pope Manufacturing Company established the Motor Carriage Department and experimented with gas powered automobiles. Their conclusion was that these cars were very noisy, vibrating,  greasy and complicated to operate. They also believed that  the wealthiest citizens, the only ones who could afford such a vehicle, would not be interested in such a car.

The Pope Manufacturing Company concentrated their efforts into designing and developing electric engines and in 1897 formally offered to the public the Electric Phaeton for a price of $3,000. Henry Cave reports, “Under the direction of the production experts, these handsome vehicles were the first to be made in this country on anything like a substantial basis.’ The Hartford Times wrote,” Its cost of maintenance and operation should be much less than that of a pair of horses…never found anyone so stupid that they could not run the carriage but there are many who can’t handle a horse…6 or 8 inches of snow “no obvious obstacle”".

The Hartford Courant wrote under the title, ” HORSELESS ERA COMES”, the electric vehicle was managed and turned about with as much comfort and success as you would have in driving the gentlest horse…The idea of sitting in a rolling carriage, nothing in front of  the dashboard but space…is something exhilarating and fascinating.”

The first vehicles made were made under the Columbia name. Pictured here is a Columbia Mark III Standhope, an advertising post card produced by the Pope Manufacturing Company. The vehicle was quite simple with four bicycle wheels and seating for two. It had a gong (forerunner to the horn) and four electric lights to illuminate the way at night. One of the first well known owners was Andrew Carnegie.

The Klingberg Antique Auto Show, October 17, 2009, will be featuring the automobiles made in Connecticut. so far I have located 41 automobiles representing 10 of the 184 Connecticut manufacturers.

1911 Corbin, Photo Thanks to National Automotive History Collection, Detroit Public Library

The history of Connecticut automobile manufacturing is virtually hidden to most of it’s citizens. It has only been through researching many obscure sources, that I have found how prolific the automobile industry really was in our state. Quite a bit of information has been found on the major companies like Pope-Hartford, Locomobile and Corbin where there are still representative automobiles in existence various collections around the world. I found many photographs and advertising brochures which show their beauty and describe their great workmanship. Numerous vintage photographs show these cars in the early 2oth Century Vanderbilt Cup Races, competing against the major European manufactures all to prove the durability of the automobile. In fact, several of the races were won by the CT cars, the most famous  Locomobile,  Number 16.

So, how many other automobiles were manufactured in Connecticut?  My list kept growing as  my research progressed but it was not until I talked with  Tom Tkacz Sr. about the subject that he gave me the most complete list. Amazingly, his list contains 184 Connecticut auto manufactures and including the automobile name, the town and year in which it was built. All made before 1920, most of them before 1910.

Most of the CT automobiles are known only by name  but nine makes still have automobiles in existence. They include the Corbin from New Britain; Pope-Hartford, Columbia and Kelsey-Motorette from Hartford; Locomobile and Trumbull from Bridgeport;  Frisbe and Compound from Middletown and the Cameron from New London and Stamford. I have been following leads on still others but we hope to have at least twenty Connecticut made automobiles on display at the 2009 Klingberg Antique Auto Show. If anyone has information about these cars please contact me, Mark Johnson, at markj@klingberg.org or 860 832-5526