Antique and Collectible Auto Show on Long Island

Elegance will be on display and in some instances in motion on June 4 at the 51st Annual Antique and Collectible Auto Show at Old Westbury Gardens. The daylong event, sponsored by the Greater New York Region Antique Automobile Club of America, features cars from every decade between the turn of the 20th century and the 1990s. This year, cars made by Ransom Eli Olds will be highlighted.

People look forward to the annual show for its whip appeal as much as they do for the lavish grounds where it is held, organizers say.

“Long Island has some of the nicest antique, classic and collector cars,” says Michael Sussman, the group’s president. “Cars play such an important role in the lives of Long Islanders and are truly part of our personality.”

The driving force for antiques lovers is in the inner workings of the vehicles.

“People are fascinated by machinery: how it works, how to keep it running, the speed and the mobility,” Sussman says. “Cars check off all of the boxes.”

The auto club asked this year’s participants to enter original vehicles — foreign and domestic — that are at least 25 years old.

Sunday’s show promises plenty of Ford Model T’s and A’s, Packards, Nash, Hudson, Studebaker, Case and Simplex cars, as well as an original Good Humor ice cream truck. The event typically features about 500 vehicles each year: classics, muscle cars, collector rides, mass-produced cars and trucks.

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The show enables audiences to see automotive history in an interactive and engaging way, Sussman says.

Awards will be distributed for first, second and third place across 23 classes. Best in Show Pre-War and Post-War awards will also be handed out.

The judges will look for originality in their selections.

Says Sussman, “We look for vehicles that look as if they just left the factory.”