The first weekend in May is when we see the Tomyang.net/Radcliffe Spring Car Show, and this year I got a call from Richard Garre who owns Radcliffe Motorcars in MD. He was concerned about the weather forecast and was thinking about cancelling. I insisted we not consider this an option and absolutely go on with the show! I know that people look forward to this event all year, and our only job is insure that this show will always be there for them, Rain or Shine! Besides, what do the weathermen know!?

Putting on a car show is always a challenge, and I tip my hat to anyone who organizes a car show larger than ours. With about 80-90 attendees to our show, it takes months of preparation by Richard and Patty, and a lot of last minute work. One of the jobs I’ve taken over is to organize the order of the parking. Although the people to come to this car show are very understanding, I try my best to arrange the cars in a logical sequence and grouping. That is why we try to insist people register early to get parked correctly. If you don’t pre-register, you really can’t complain if you get parked away from everyone else!

With the parking assignments in place, we all spend the early morning scrambling to get the cars placed. There are always last minute additions, and juggling, but luckily, everyone is accommodating.

By mid-morning, we had ourselves a car show! With mostly Italian cars in attendance, we didn’t turn anything away that was less than exotic like that 300SL!

Alfas were in strong attendance as usual, with newer cars too!

What I love about this event is the camaraderie I see in all the sections of cars. Old friends unite, and new ones are made parked next to one another, and yet there is still mutual appreciation among the marques.

I am surrounded by Vintage Ferraris in my work, but always have to remember most people don’t have access to these types of cars everyday. I often overheard during the show, “I’ve never seen a ‘Gullwing’ in person!” or, “I’ve only seen a ‘McLaren’ in magazines!” Having all the Ferraris lined up really gave everyone a chance to see the changes in design and power. I was so proud and lucky to have owners and enthusiasts all in one place sharing their passion and interests at our show.

This year, Radcliffe Jewelers (no direct relation to Radcliffe Motorcars except for their enthusiasm for Ferraris!) provided a “Radcliffe Cup” for the winner of the “People’s Choice” award. Not surprisingly, a dark blue Ferrari 275GTB/4 won this inaugural award. Thanks Radcliffe Jewelers and everyone who attended this year, and guess what, I didn’t feel a drop of rain until the end of the show!

See everyone next year!