Klingberg Auto Show

The oldest car at Klingberg Family Centers is a red and black 1914 Model T Ford Depot Hack.  It was given by two of our longtime and generous donors, Morande Ford of Berlin and Story Brothers Auto Service Center of New Britain. It is main vehicile in the Klingberg  Auto Restoration Program and serves as a mascot of the Antique Auto Show. Purchased in Florida, it was purple withwhite trim, not exactly what Henry Ford had in mind back in 1914. In fact, that was the year you could no longer buy a Model T in one of six original colors but only in a quick drying black used to keep the assembly line moving fast.

One of our residents, living in the Boy’s Unit and attending the Raymond Hill School, helped work on the Klingberg Model T, first taking it apart for painting and reassembling it , then stripping and polishing the brass and doing routine maintenance and repair. He developed a love for car restoration. His family is now restored also,  so he is home and involved in an automotive program in a technical school. Often at Klingberg, the Model T can be seen in our garage with young budding mechanics learning and working around it.

The Model T is also a mascot for the Klingberg’s Annual Antique Auto Show so it  makes public appearances, sometimes in some very unusual places. Mohegan Sun was the location of the Model T’s first appearance in 2008. Dattco Bus of New Britain, held an expo and requested our Model T be on display in the  lobby outside the ballroom where the expo was being held. The very elegant wood paneled lobby , with it’s high ceilings and brightly colored carpet, made the Model T seem very small.

On May 17th the Model T was on display in front of the New Britain City Hall (see photo above) at the second annual New Britain Downtown District Auto Show. Dispite the threat of rain, over 100 antique and classic automobiles were on display around Central Park in the middle of the downtown . Several of the local restaurants set up tents and provided a “taste of New Britain”.

West Hartford Downtown Cruse Night was held on May 21st and the Model T was there for  the second year. We had a grand entrance as we were escorted through the show  the length of LaSalle Street by a West Hartford police motorcycle. We took our place at the front of the line at Farmington Ave.  The event had the feeling of a home town festival and we spent the whole time in conversation with many great folks. The frosting on the cake came when the Klingberg Model T was awarded the “Best in Show” trophy.

On June 5th the Model T will be the center of the Klingberg Family Centers display at the Connecticut Expo for Business at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. Two goals for participating in this event are to become better know among the business community in Hartford and Central Connecticut and to requit business sponsors for the Klingberg Antique Auto Show in October. 

Our auto show will produce it’s first Klingberg Autique Auto Show Program Magazine for the 2008 event. It will contain information about the various auto show activities, some of the best photographs from past shows, stories about antique automobiles and their owners, and information about Klingberg Family Centers’ programs. Designed to give our sponsors much greater exposure, it will contain ads exclusive to major auto show sponsors and  listings of all other sponsors It will be available to all attending the event on October 18th and through distribution outlets beyond the event. The program will replace the banners that were hung on the fences and backstop on the ball field which had limited exposure to attendees and became difficult to manage especially in windy conditions. We believe that the Program Magazine will be much more effective in providing specific marketing messages from sponsors and raise the Klingberg Auto Show to a new level. For more information contact Mark Johnson at 860.832.5526 or markj@klingberg.org

    We always feature a particular car at other Klingberg show, like a show within a show. Some of the most memorable feature cars were; the Corbins from New Britain, Pope-Hartfords and Locomobiles, all Connecticut made cars. We also featured particular makes of car like the Cadillac, Packard, Roll Royce and of course the Ford Model T. Two very memorable years, we gathered steam cars and last year it was the American Classic the Woodies. ( the Woody owners had such a great time, they have asked for space to gather together again this year!)

This is the year of the big classics of the late 1920’s and 1930’s. You know the cars, some are so long they take up two to three parking spaces, one windshield is not enough, they need two and the driver gets to the destination a minute before the passengers in the rear seat! These are the special feature automobiles for this years show. The only place you see these incredible automobiles is at a Concours d ’ Elegance or a museum. Many have come to the Klingberg show over the years because we have evolved to an unusual combination of auto show and Concours d ’ Elegance. We are personally inviting owners of these automobiles to come. If you have one of these car and have not been invited, please contact me, Mark H. Johnson, 860.832.5526 or markj@klingberg.org, so I can personally invite you and plan space for your classic. Please include the following information;

1. Your name, address, and contact information
2. Your e-mail address
3. The year, make and model of the classic automobile you are bringing.
4. And any special story or information about your car.

*We are calling these cars the “classics of the 1930s” but realize that there were many made in the 1920s that should be and will be included.