Antique and Classic Car Show about ‘engaging with people’

Weston’s Town Green filled with conversation and camera phones, Saturday, Sept. 27, as the 28th Weston & Wayland Rotary Club Antique and Classic Car Show brought out rows of polished vehicles and a steady stream of families and car enthusiasts.

By midday, organizers estimated more than 210 vehicles on the field and about 1,500 attendees.

The car show is the Rotary Club’s primary fundraiser, according to organizer Richard DeVito Jr., with proceeds benefitting Weston and Wayland educational scholarships and other Rotary projects, including conservation, food security, international initiatives, and clean-water work.

 “Over 27 years, we raised $642,000 for scholarships,” he said. “We give away virtually everything we make.”

All makes and models

Near the curb, a white 1985 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS sat high on a 1979 Chevy Blazer 4×4 frame. Owner Mike Diesi said the build took four years and won first place at Boston’s World of Wheels in 2017 and 2018.

Diesi rebuilt a small-block V-8 from a 1971 pickup, originally a 350 four-bolt main, into a 383-cubic-inch stroker he estimates at about 450 horsepower. He painted the engine white to fit the ghost-rider theme and seats Mr.  and Mrs. Bones in front — two skeleton “drivers” grinning through the glass.

“I wanted to be different from everybody else,” he said. 

As the first mass-produced American rear-mid-engine car, the Pontiac Fiero drew plenty of attention. A pair on display belonged to Kerri and Chuck Fiumara:  Kerri’s 1988 Fiero Formula “1 of 436 factory yellow,”and Chuck’s red 1988 Fiero GT. 

“One of the first shows was at the GM Nationals in Pennsylvania, I won first place, and I almost died,” Kerri said, laughing. 

Kerri said her interest started with Chuck’s high school model. 

“I bought it because of him,” she said.

Elsewhere on the Green, visitors weighed in. Christian Delbert, a Ferrari 308 QV owner, put it this way: “There are two different car owners… the ones who use their cars, and the ones who just have showpieces.”

For DeVito, the event is about the people.

 He said that it’s important to engage the younger generation to keep the hobby and the community gathering alive. 

“This is really about being face-to-face and engaging with people,” he said.