NYC Weekend Daytrip: Drool over classic Italian sports cars, including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo and Maserati, at the annual Caffeine & Carburetors FREE vintage car show this weekend, including several retired racecars.
The vroomers take over several blocks of downtown New Canaan, Conn., just steps from the MetroNorth station, on Sunday, April 22, turning it into a Strada Italiana.
If you are a fan of classic and vintage horsepower, including motorcycles – as I am – this FREE show is a great way to spend a Sunday morning, including because the owners are on hand to talk about their beautiful babies. And it’s family-friendly.
Even if you are not a vintage car fan, there’s still much to appreciate about cutting edge design, and the power of engineering.
Simply, these vehicles are sculptures with an engine. And, they are cutting-edge technology with a steering wheel.
Also on display on April 22 are such lesser-known exotics as Bizzarrini, Cisitalia, Iso Grifo, Lancia, Moretti and Pagani.
Here are a four of the vehicles you’ll see, and their significance:
1951 Lancia Aurelia B10 Berlina promised by Santo Spadaro. Innovation is packed into this This was the world’s first production V6 engine and standard radial tires on its four-door, pillar-less saloon body.
1958 Alfa Giulietta Sprint Veloce VSCCA race car confortavole – pictured above – is one of fewer than 200 produced, and will be on display. This model is even more rare for its heritage of racing successfully at Watkins Glen, Lime Rock Park and in the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, among others.
1966 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 that has been owned by the same family since 1976. This stunning car still sports its original Blu Sera paint and remains in unrestored condition since Frank, Santo and father Domenick Spadaro discovered it under an olive tree in Messina, Sicily.
Domenick is one of the owners of European Car Repair, so he knows something about vintage – and modern – vehicle repair and restoration.
This festival of Italian machines includes a rare 1952 Moto Guzzi Falcone Sport motorcycle, owned by Buzz Kanter, renowned collector, racer and American Ironmagazine Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, and not a relative of NYC on the Cheap Editor Evelyn Kanter, that we know.
Falcone production was very limited with less than 2,000 made between 1950-1967. Only a few hundred of them were the Sport high-performance model, featuring higher compression pistons, larger cam and carburetor, and more expensive shouldered alloy wheels.
Caffeine & Carburetors is held in New Canaan, Conn., four times a year: twice on Downtown’s Pine and Elm Streets and twice at the Town’s Waveny Park.
Owners also will be bringing such non-Italian vintage cars, trucks and motorcycles named Arnolt-Bristol, Austin-Healey, Aston Martin, BMW, Bugatti, Jaguar, MG, Morgan, Porsche and Triumph as well as Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford and Pontiac.
The vintage vehicle show is 8am to 11am. Make a day of it by enjoying brunch at one of New Canaan’s restaurants and cafes.
There’s also
- Munich Fest: The Ultimate BMW Gathering on June 17 at Waveny Park
- All-Original Sole Survivors Show of barn finds and family-legacy cars on September 16 on Pine and Elm Streets;
- Gatsby at Waveny: ‘20s and ‘30s Grand Classics on October 21 at Waveny Park.
Caffeine & Carburetors is sponsored by Bankwell; Blackbridge Motors; Elm Restaurant, N ew Canaan, CT; Jaguar Darien; Land Rover Darien;Meccanic Shop of North Salem, NY; Mercedes-Benz of Greenwich and Penske Automotive CT.
What do you think about this? We welcome your comments.