Thousands enjoy car, bike show at civic center
It was a day for classic rides, old rides, new rides and unusual rides of the two-wheel and four-wheel variety as thousands came to the Lee Civic Center on Sunday for the annual Florida Hot Rods and Hogs Show.
More than 1,000 vehicles of all kinds lined up inside the outside the Civic Center in hopes of earning awards for best in show.
Tony Allen, event organizer and chief editor for Florida Hot Rods and Hogs magazine, said this would be the biggest one-day car show in the state, and judging by the nearly 100 acres of cars and bikes on display, with hoods open so the nearly 15,000 aficionados could see what’s under it, he wasn’t kidding.
“There are beautiful rides both inside the arena and out. We have a lot of clubs here, so there’s an opportunity to see a lot of cars,” Allen said. “It’s everything you’d want to do as far as motorsports.”
And with the weather a little soggy in the morning, many took a gander at what was inside, and they weren’t disappointed.
Jim Marino, of Matlacha, brought a 1937 Ford two-door sedan, the body was the original steel, while the inside was all buckskin leather.
“It also has a high-performance engine in it, with 500 horsepower. It’s a street rod, classic, but modernized and super fast,” Marino said. “I take it to about six shows a year and almost every time I win a trophy.”
While some keep their cars under wraps except for shows and the occasional cruise night, others get their use out of them.
“My car isn’t a garage queen. I take it everywhere. We do 20 to 30 shows a year. We have fun with it,” said Don Berube, who drives his 1974 Kenworth truck between North Fort Myers and New Hampshire. “I wanted a little big truck, and that’s what it is. A big truck cab on a little truck frame.”
Those who paid admission were especially impressed. Glenda Sparnroft of Lehigh Acres, said she was overwhelmed by the volume of great cars.
“The GT-40 is my top pick. It’s my dream car. I’d like to buy it, but I can’t afford it,” Sparnroft said. “I have a 1971 Mustang Mach 1. I’ve always been enthusiastic about cars. I started working on them at age 14.”
Among the celebrities were Reality TV stars David Kindig, Dennis Gage, Billy Lane, and Bubba and Tom Lloyd with Layla Von Athey, and the Zig Zag Girlz of the Seminole Casino in Immokalee.
The Lloyds, who host a reality show and have a syndicated radio show airing weekly, were thrilled to come to a show of this magnitude.
“We get to enjoy the fans and all the great people and cars,” Tom said. “It’s a great time out here. We’re working on a new show, and we expect to make a big announcement about it on Jan. 5.”
Outside was where many of the car clubs hung out. The local Jeep Club, with more than 200 members, had more than 20 vehicles circled just outside the arena.
“We had a member who knows Tony and he wrote an article on how the Jeepers wound up in a hot rod magazine,” said Phil Godbold, president of the Caloosa Jeepers. “The same care that goes into the hot rods go into the Jeeps.”
There was also plenty of great food and better music from Kate and the Keys, Mike Imbasciani, Stolen Fruit and Maiden Cane, who all performed at the Tinsley Pavilion.
But the stars were the cars and those who own them. For many, it was an opportunity to brag up their rides and meet new people.
“With this car, everyone talks to you. You meet people from everywhere. At a show, I don’t sit with the people I know, I’m by myself so I can meet people from different walks of life,” Berube said.