Restored 1957 Golden Hawk Studebacher Wins Best Of Show In Newtown

NEWTOWN BOROUGH, PA — More than 170 cars and trucks rolled into Newtown on Sunday for this year’s Antique and Classic Car Show staged by the Newtown Business Association.

Sunny, dry, but warm weather conditions greeted the show which unfolded along State Street between Centre Avenue and Jefferson Street.

Between 5,000 and 7,000 people attended Sunday’s show, which featured a century’s worth of automotive history parked on the street.

Throughout the morning and into the early afternoon young and old enjoyed the display, which included a mix of classic antique cars, trucks and specialty vehicles.

The highlight of the day came in the afternoon as show chairman Dan Petty stepped to the microphone in front of the Newtown Borough Hall to announce the winners of this year's show.

Capturing the coveted St. Mary Medical Best of Show Award was a 1957 Golden Hawk Studebacher owned by Jerry Rakes of Churchville.

“This car is unbelievable. It’s in amazing shape,” said Petty. “We could barely find anything wrong with this car from top to bottom. You see the restore that he did and it’s just an unbelievable story of how you take something that’s basically ashes and bones and you breathed life into it.”

Rakes restored the vehicle over a number of years while still operating his auto body shop in Trevose. The vehicle, he laughed, used to be a "landmark" at the shop.

Before selling the shop two years ago, he worked on restoring the vehicle to its glory. "I figured let me build it and see what it comes out like."

He had previously won Best of Show at the Newtown event a decade ago for his 1955 Thunderbird. "But I never expected this," he said of winning the Best of Show award a second time. "This was really a surprise."

The show's other top awards went to a 1972 Porsche 911 and a 1940 Lincoln Continental.

The Mayor’s Trophy was given to Victor Morgado of Lansdale for his Porsche. Mayor John Burke was on hand to make the presentation.

Rounding out the top three trophies was the Best in Show Emeritus Award which went to local car collector and philanthropist Gene Epstein for “Rhapsody in Blue.” The 1940 Lincoln Continental stood out from the rest for its museum-like quality and its vibrant blue coloring.

Earlier, Epstein had his own trophy to hand out. He took a moment to honor the longtime involvement of Paul Salvatore in the car show with a "Tip of the Hat" award. Salvatore has been helping to organized the show for more than 40 years.

"Gene is somebody who gives back to the community," said Salvatore in accepting the recognition. "Time and time again he reaches into his pocket and has even sold his classic cars to raise money to give away to foundations. I've known Gene for more than 40 years. I'm proud to call him my friend."

Always looking for opportunities to give back, Epstein used his appearance at the auto show to raise money for the Sunshine Foundation. At one point during the event, he offered to match - dollar for dollar - donations up to $10,000 for the foundation, which makes dreams and wishes come true for children with severe illnesses.

The Best in Show Emeritus Award went to local car collector and philanthropist Gene Epstein for “Rhapsody in Blue.” The car was once owned by American bandleader Paul Whiteman of Doylestown whose orchestra premiered the George Gershwin song in 1924.

Mayor John Burke presents the Mayor's Trophy to Victor Morgado for his 1972 Porsche 911.

Gene Epstein presents a "Tip of the Hat" trophy to Paul Salvatore in recognition of his more than 30 years of involvement with the show. (Photo by Jeff Werner)

The first, second and third place winners at this year's show. (Photo by Jeff Werner)

(Photos by Jeff Werner)

One of the show’s more unique entries was a replica of the Batmobile from the original 1966 Batman TV Series starring Adam West.

It took owner Paul Curtis of Wrightstown 3 1/2 years to modify the 1979 Lincoln into a Batmobile, which features a working bat phone, bat scanner, bat computer, retractable license plate, bat beam and Bat-O-Scope. It even has fire in the back, powered by propane, although he doesn’t drive around with it firing.

“I just bring it out to watch people smile,” said Curtis adding that every time he takes it out, at a red light people get out of their cars to take pictures or when he pulls into a gas station, people gather around.

“Getting gas is usually a half hour event,” he says.

The turnout of vehicles, coupled with the typical July weather, brought out the crowds who spent a leisurely day taking in the automotive history parked along the street.

"What stands out to me is the amount of love these owners have for their cars," said Petty. "It's always a difficult task for the judges because we have a ton of really nice cars. Looking up and
down the street, you can see that people have poured their hearts and souls into their vehicles."