Priceless cars race at Lime Rock

LAKEVILLE, Conn. (AP) - Think of a cruise night that lasts a long weekend with millions of dollars of cars, many racing rather than staying parked. That is what Historic Festival 29 presented by Jaguar at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville Connecticut on Labor Day weekend is all about. Racing wasn't a requirement for Historic Festival 29. Arlo Guthrie's 1954 Mercedes Benz 220A Cabriolet (For Sale on consignment at $220,000) never hit the road course, instead it was safely parked on the midway area. But for those who dared close to 400 cars were put into 10 groups for 15 minute races on the 1.5 miles of lefts and rights. Truth be told this was not Saturday night short track racing. However as respectful as the competition might have been there was still enough speed and enough cars in close quarters to do some damage. Group 6 was "Wild, wild horses-American Iron against the E-types." The mix included Mustangs, Corvettes, Cobras, and a Camaro with Jaguars, Porsches, as well as a Lotus, a Mazda, and a Sunbeam Tiger.

It can be challenging finding the right used car, Now think about the much more limited vintage and historic car market. Brian Donovan is the owner of Donovan Motorcar Service in Lenox, Massachusetts. The Berkshire County business does service & restoration for classics and vintage racing. Donovan told 22News a lot of people get emotional with a car. And there are those who start with what they thought was their dream car only to find they now have a money pit. According to Brian Donovan, "We see that quite often especially at auctions where people buy a car, They're not sure exactly what the car condition is like. They get it home then bring it to a good restoration shop and find out the car needs a lot of work. So we'll advise customers to be able to learn as much as they can before they make a purchase. Talk to an expert about the car. If they're serious and they really like the car have an expert shop check it before they complete the purchase." There are collectors who chase cars in parts of the country where winter is not a factor. Donovan told 22 News, "It's more likely to find a good car in a dry state versus a rust bucket car in the rusty states, the Northeast. But the cars move around a lot. So you don't know for sure if the car has always been there or what the history was. We've had some cars that came from dry states that are excellent. We've had some come that were not. So you really have to be careful."

There was no shortage of emotion for many of these special rides in Lime Rock's paddock area. Roger Noble told 22News he's from both New York and Connecticut. He was there with his 1930 4.5 liter supercharged racing Bentley, explaining it is 1 of the original 50 that was built, and the 30th in the sequence of production. Like so many collectors Noble has a special bond with this car. He told 22News, "My father and mother were both English. When my dad was a teenager and adolescent he used to press his nose against the glass of the Jack Barclay showroom in London at the LeMans winning Bentleys. And he said to himself 'One day I'm going to have one.' He ended up with a few. So this is one of them. I no longer have my dad with me but every time I'm out in it I feel a connection to him."

As strange as some of these cars may look, it's worth remembering that these were the vehicles of their day and era. They were contemporary in their time and seen the same way as we look at our cars today. At some point in the future a handful of select vehicles from the present will be part of that special elite to share the spotlight when enthusiasts go back in time even if for only Labor Day weekend each year.