NEW BRITAIN — Somewhere between the Caspian blue metallic 1964-and-a-half Mustang and the candy apple red and white “Starsky and Hutch” 1975 Torino, it occurs to guests and drivers at the Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival that it’s not just about shiny chrome and a slick paint job.

“It’s about the past and our childhood,” said Christine Kelly as she stood next to her red 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible on display along with hundreds of other vintage, classic and antique during Klingberg’s annual show Saturday. “My brother had one when I was growing up and I always wanted one too.”

The annual event offers auto aficionados and those seeking to remember the past the chance to view hundreds of glistening cars from the turn of the 20th century on up while helping to raise funds for the nearly two dozen programs Klingberg Family Centers provides for youth in trauma and their families throughout the area.

This year’s show was held for the first time in the spring on Father’s Day weekend and appeared to already be drawing a larger crowd by noon than the 5,000 visitors that were anticipated, said Mark Johnson, Klingberg’s vice president of development who along with his staff organizes the show.

“I’m thrilled, it’s tremendous,” Johnson said as he watched thousands of visitors stroll among hundreds of glistening cars, live entertainment and booths by local sponsors. “There are a lot of people, it sure seems like suddenly the cars were buried with people. I’m getting a lot of positive feedback.”

Meanwhile New Britain Mayor Timothy Stewart was viewing the cars to make his annual selection for the Mayor’s Choice award. He admitted that he’s partial to the 1960s and 1970s American muscle cars but the entire event represented the best the city has to offer.

“The majority of folks that are here are from out of town,” Stewart said. “It’s a great event that brings people in from all over and showcases all the good things in the community.”

Kelly’s Bel Air was parked in the new “Concours d’Elegance” exhibit showcasing pristine vintage cars including several “Corbins” made in New Britain circa 1901 — 1910, at least five Pope Hartford’s also built in Connecticut and 1929 Rolls Royce driven up from Stonington that morning.

Kelly was dressed to match her blazing red automobile in a poodle skirt and saddle shoes. The car donned a “take out try” like those in 1950s drive up restaurants and a speaker from a drive-in movie. “I call her (the Bel Air) the picture and I’m the frame,” she said. “It’s a total look.”

The Concours also included a show-stopping Caspian blue metallic 1964-and-a-half Mustang convertible — one of the first off the production line — lovingly restored by Bob Urban of Waterbury. “I had a 1965 coupe and a 1966 convertible in high school as a teen,” Urban said. “It took a year and a half to restore. I have it out almost every day.”

Many of the cars come with a history, Johnson said, which adds to the ambiance and the attraction of the show. “We have a Trumbull, also built in the state in Bridgeport,” Johnson said. “Issac Trumbull took many of his cars on the Lusitania to bring them to be sold when it was hit by a torpedo. He died and that was the end of the company. There are just a few Trumbull’s left.”

Other exhibits featured a solar powered car created by New Britain High School students and several Ford Cobras — all replicas made by the New Britain-based company ERA. “The cars are made in New Britain and sold all over the world,” said Johnson, who regularly scours car shows in other states to find Connecticut car owners who would be willing to bring their pristine vintage autos to Klingberg’s annual show. “We asked them, as a Connecticut company, to be a part of the show.”

But for the Shurack’s of Wethersfield, one of the best attractions was a link to their past and a recent movie shared with the entire family.

“I’m going to go see if the keys are in it,” said 13-year-old Jarod Shurack as he surveyed the 1975 candy apple red and white Torino painted the same colors as the famed Ford used in the Starsky and Hutch television show and recent movie with Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller. “It has the siren on the windshield,” Jarod’s 15-year-old brother Nate said. “It looks just like the one in the movie. The paint looks really nice too.”

“I drove a 1974 Torino,” their father Mike said as he explained the family had attended the show a few years ago. “It seemed like a fun thing to do today. This is an awesome show.”

Klingberg's Peter Burk & Rob Metz loading Avery's soda into the Klingberg Model T Ford

“We sell nostalgia” said Rob Metz, owner of Avery’s Beverages, the legendary 106 year old soft drink company, located on Corbin Avenue, within sight of Klingberg Family Centers.  This year Avery’s Beverages will be a Bronze Sponsor of the Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival (KVMF), serving as the official soft drink vendor of the annual fundraising event, which raises vital funds for programs serving troubled and traumatized children. A special Motorcar Festival label is being design. 

We agree that the partnership between Klingberg and Avery’s is a great match!  Both organizations are all about children and families, Rev John Klingberg founded the Klingberg Children’s Home in 1903, Sherman F. Avery began making soda in the red barn on Corbin Avenue in the summer of 1904, and both organizations have left an indelible mark on the city of New Britain.  

Since purchasing Avery’s Beverages in 1999, Rob has used creative marketing and an instinct for retailing, to grow the company locally, nationally and even internationally.  In addition to Avery’s classic sodas [Birch Beer, Cream, Root Beer, Orange and Grape are top sellers] Rob, with the help of visiting students from local schools, introduced such new flavors as Swamp Juice, Bug Barf and Dog Drool soda!  Not surprisingly, these ‘Totally Gross Sodas’ are especially popular among Avery’s younger customers!  Rob has also produced ‘designer’ sodas such as Barakoberry and John McCream, which drew worldwide attention during the 2008 presidential election race.   

Klingberg's 1914 Model T Ford Depot Hack at Avery's Barn

Just as Avery’s Beverages stands out from most other soda makers, the KVMF stands out from most other auto shows!  The event includes 450-500 vintage and collectible show-cars spread out over the sprawling 40-acre Klingberg Family Centers campus.  In addition to the incredible automobiles, this nostalgic ‘trip down memory lane’ includes old-time music, ragtime dancers, vintage clothing vendors, spectators and car owners dressed in period-costumes, vintage games and activities for kids, as well as homemade foods reminiscent of a giant backyard cookout. This year’s show will feature a collection of rarely seen autos: motorcars manufactured right here in Connecticut at the close of the 19^th century and the early years of the 20^th century.    

The American Locomotive Company (ALCO), established in 1901, became the second-largest manufactured steam locomotives in the country, producing over 75,000. ALCO was headquartered in Schenectady, NY with a division in Providence, RI where they produced the automobiles. They manufactured approximately 5,000 automobiles from 1908-1913. The Alco-6 Racer in the only racer among 12 Alco automobiles that exist today.

Howard Kroplick has lectured extensively on the Vanderbilt Cup Races following comprehensive research, gathering 20,000 imagines and accumulating race memorabilia. Howard has authored two books on the races and also has an excellent and informative website at www.vanderbiltcupraces.com. So, come to the Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival; see the Black Beast and meet Howard Kroplick.

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 in the Biondi Concours Field  at the Klingberg Vintage motorcar Festival in June.

Thanks to Double A Charter Servcies of Rocky Hill,  Old “Bus Number 10” will return to to the City where it spent all of its years of service. . It was scheduled for the 2008 show but it would not start so it has been rescheduled for 2010. This1953 General Motors first arrived in New Britain purchased by the Oak Street Bus Company. It was one of the first diesel buses in Connecticut, the shiny, new maroon and green 36-passenger bus is considered small by today’s standards. The Oak Street Bus Company was purchased by the Agostini Family who changed the name to New Britain Transportation Company (NBT), and the color to green and cream.

For years, Number 10 faithfully transported its riders from Eddy Glover Boulevard to Main Street downtown, stopping at Grants—the current location of Amato’s Toy and Hobby Store. It would also travel up Arch Street to the base of the hill where Klingberg Family Centers is located. To this day, youngsters who grew up at the Klingberg Children’s Home in the 50’s and 60’s recall fondly their trips downtown on Old Number 10.

Number 10 now makes its home in Rocky Hill and is owned by Double A Charter Services.  Recently, it flew by in a chase scene in the latest Indiana Jones movie. We are delighted to have Number 10 back in her hometown for a special appearance at the 2010 Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival

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.

Pope-Hartford, Thanks to National Automotive History Collection, Detroit Public Library

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 2010 Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival. If anyone has information about these cars please contact me, Mark Johnson, at markj@klingberg.org or 860 832-5526

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 Vintage Motorcar Festival, June 19th, 2010, will be featuring the automobiles made in Connecticut. so far I have located 41 automobiles representing 10 of the 184 Connecticut manufacturers.

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

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