Muscle Couldn’t Beat Classics At Lockwood Car Show

By John Voket

They might have been louder, faster and certainly had fancier paint jobs, but the phalanx of muscle cars from the late 1950s, 60s and early 70s couldn’t outmuscle the popularity of the fully restored and customized classics going back to the 1930s. The variety of meticulously restored vehicles drew the attention of dozens of Lockwood Lodge and Ashlar of Newtown residents and staff last Saturday for a classic car extravaganza in the facility’s parking lot.

Several residents’ eyes widened at the sight of vehicles reminding them of days gone by as they relived the heyday of certain classic models, which were outnumbered by the crop of more recent hotrods and sedans at the event. Standing out among them at the center of the lot was Newtown resident Sebastian Miraglia, who proudly displayed his 1951 Willys Army Jeep, which he only displays “on clear sunny days.”

Mr Miraglia was intimately familiar with the vehicle, having served in the 547 Army Engineer Corps himself between 1958 and 1960. The local car enthusiast split his duty Saturday between fielding questions and reminiscing about his days in service, and socializing with the dozens of other collectors who rolled into the festivities.

While volunteers including John and Ann Manley, Aldo Coppi, and 7-year-old Daniel Gruber tended to adopted greyhounds while distributing info about the local rescue effort, DJs Seth Carley and Dennis Young took requests from Classic Knights car club president Greg Loulis.

With sock-hop sounds blaring, visitors and collectors alike chatted and tapped their feet as the bright warm sun gleamed off the mirrored chrome and shiny paint jobs.

The display not only drew residents from Ashlar and Lockwood Lodge, many who were escorted by visiting sons and daughters, but three generations of Newtown’s Fattibene family. While grandfather Rick divided his time between polishing his 1934 Ford Roadster and his son Rick Jr’s Shelby Mustang, 3-year-old R.J. III appeared somewhat out of character dressed up in a pirate costume complete with bandanna and eye patch.

While he watched his grandfather lovingly apply the chamois treatment, his dad talked about an interesting turn of events regarding the Roadster. Apparently, as a youngster, Rick Jr marveled at the beautiful classic car that was owned and driven by his school bus driver, George Mattegat.

For years, he wondered what it would be like to own such a classic. Then one day, his dad announced that he had lucked into the purchase of a beautiful collectable vehicle, which coincidentally, turned out to be Mr Mattegat’s Ford Roadster.

Now the father’s Roadster sits beside the son’s Shelby whenever the opportunity presents itself at local car shows.