British cars on the field in the early morning. Photos by author.
August in New York State can be a roll of the dice; despite the latitude, the weather can still be hot and humid, or worse yet, wet. Last Saturday’s Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car Show began with a shower, but by mid-morning the clouds had parted to reveal bright sun, comfortable temperatures and even a pleasant breeze, ideal weather for an outdoor car show. That surely helped boost turnout, and the grounds of Saratoga Spa State Park soon filled with an impressive variety of fine automobiles.
Michael Waring’s 2015 Porsche 911 GT3 took second place honors in the Late Model Exotic class.
From a prewar MG to a 2015 Porsche 911 GT3, the show offered something for everyone who appreciates automobiles from abroad. Roughly 95 entrants pre-registered ahead of the show, and early morning rain kept a few gate entries away, but by late morning the field was populated with nearly double that many cars. Even as late 1:30, half an hour before the awards ceremony kicked off, entrants continued to trickle in.
Don Schwartzkopf’s 1967 Lancia Flaminia Touring convertible.
Every category had stand-outs, which made choosing a Best in Show that much more difficult. In the end it came down to a spectacularly restored 1967 Lancia Flaminia Touring convertible, owned by Don Schwartzkopf of Old Bennington, Vermont, pitted against the 1957 Jaguar XK140 SE of Ray and Judy Ricker of Rochester, New York. The Jaguar won by a nose, in horse racing parlance, but not without a lengthy debate among the editorial staff.
Christopher Turner’s 1954 Jaguar XK1.
Other crowd favorites included a 1964 Morgan Plus 4 (in bright turquoise) and 1954 Jaguar XK1, both owned by Christopher Turner of New Canaan, Connecticut; the 1957 Volkswagen Type 1 owned by Rich Anderson of Lake George, New York; the 1958 Lancia Furgoncino owned by Michael Kristick of Wellsville, Pennsylvania; the much-loved and never-restored 1974 Lotus Super Seven owned by Sean Hartnett of Block Island, Rhode Island; and the 1936 MG PB owned by Philip Rader and David Ferst of Briarcliff, New York.
Sean Hartnett arrives in his 1974 Lotus Super Seven.
Thanks to all who brought their cars on Saturday, and thanks again to those who attended the show. Our next event at Saratoga Spa State Park will be on Saturday, September 26, when the Hemmings Cruise-In Spectacular hits the park’s greens, followed by the 2015 Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, September 27. We hope to see you there.
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