Hot sun + hot cars equals golden trophies

AMENIA — The sun was high and bright at the Four Brothers Drive-in Theatre on Sunday, Sept. 17, beating down on 76 show cars competing in the Amenia Lions Club annual Classic Car Show.

Three judges walked the lines of entries, deciding winners in categories that spanned years from 1942 and earlier and up to the present. There also was a category for trucks and a People’s Choice.

Alex Dumond of Gardiner, New York, won the People’s Choice trophy for his 1979 Chevy C10 pickup, which was hauling a 1980 Yamaha GT80 bike in the truck bed and was fitted with a hitch-mounted two-seater hanging chair stand.

Troy Brazee, 17, a senior at Webutuck High School, won second place in his category for his 2005 Corvette, which has an air suspension system.Photo by John Coston

Car shows can draw the whole family and Sunday’s event at the Four Brothers Drive In was no exception. The intergenerational parade of car buffs ranged from babes in strollers to seniors with walkers.

The generation that grew up yearning for an Edelbrock manifold for their V8 could be overheard explaining how it could make a difference in performance to an unsure onlooker. Same with MAG wheels, a common treatment for Sixties muscle cars.

“You know you’re old when you go to a car show and you see a 40-year old car that you sold to someone when it was brand new,” Al Benson of Pine Plains said, pointing to a vintage Cadillac convertible.

Troy Brazee, 17, a Webutuck High School senior from Amenia, entered his 2005 Chevrolet Corvette in the show. Troy couldn’t be at the beginning of the show because he had to work at Daisy Hill Farm in Millerton.

His Corvette drew attention because it appeared to sit right on the ground, due to an air suspension he had installed. General Motor came up with the name Corvette to liken it to a small warship, and Troy’s ride — squatted on the ground — did look lethal.
The judges awarded him Second Place in the 2001-2023 category, and he arrived in time to receive his trophy.

For Troy, the day started picking crops on a 80-degree Sunday and culminated as he received his trophy to everyone’s applause. A victory lunch followed with his family at Four Brothers.

In 2023, the Club raised $3,500 from the car show that benefited our local fire companies and expects to do as well this year thanks to community support from car enthusiasts and sponsors like Associated Lightning Rod, Jack’s Auto Service, GK Electric, Wes’ Autobody, Maplebrook School, Interstate Batteries, BCI Generator Sales & Service, Boardman Generators, J. Andrighetti Remodeling, Welsh Sanitation, Car Quest, Hufcut Funeral Home and Four Brothers Drive-in and Pizza

A Ford with the all-steel dash in red and white. Photo by John Coston

Category winners:

1942 & earlier: 1st - Mark Thomas from LaGrangeville with his 1934 Ford Model 40 Roadster; 2nd - Arthur Coleman from Hillsdale with his 1933 Pontiac 2;

1943 - 1960: 1st - Tony D. Gian from Wappingers Falls with his 1955 Studebaker President Speedster; 2nd - Richard Taylor from Sharon, with his 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air;

1961 - 1980: 1st - Megan Chamberlin from Amenia with her 1971 Dodge Demon 340; 2nd - Walter Robinson from Pawling with his 1965 Ford Mustang;

1981 - 2000: 1st - Gary Nielsen from Hillsdale with his Ford Bronco; 2nd Terry Dunne from Lime Rock, CT with her 1990 Mosler Consulier GTP;

2001 - Present: 1st - Denny Smith from Pleasant Valley with his 2002 Chevy Impala LS Sport; 2nd - Troy Brazee from Millerton with his 2005 Chevy Corvette.

Trucks: 1st - Alex Dumond from Gardiner with his 1979 Chevrolet C-10; 2nd - Tony Lasko from Poughkeepsie with his 1936 Chevy Pick up;

Motorcycles: - Tommy Alexander from Poughkeepsie with his 1939 Ural Patrol

Best Car Club Representation: Harlem Valley Car Club

Best in Show: Russell McRoberts from Amenia with his 1969 Ford F-100