Car Lovers Motor into "Muscle Mania"

By Rachel Kurlantzick
Contributing Writer

The sign on the hood of the yellow 1957 Chevy read, "One man’s car is like another man’s wife — admire, but do not touch."

The third annual Middletown car show, dubbed "Muscle Mania ’98: Downtown Showdown," was a cross between a museum and a party.

On Sunday afternoon, children, families, and car-owners crowded the Tuscany Grill parking lot to talk, eat, and admire the shiny, brightly colored classic automobiles. The show’s flyer beckoned, "Great food, entertainment, and raffles!" The car owners stood proud and possessive next to their automobiles, intently watching as fingers and hands grazed the hoods of their carefully restored vehicles.

"Muscle Mania" began in 1995 as the brainchild of Joe Lastrina, manager of Tuscany Grill and organizer of the show. A car-lover himself, Lastrina said he thought that "a car show would be a great idea for Middletown and for the restaurant because Middletown doesn’t have any events like this one, and cars attract people of all ages."

Lastrina designed the show as a fund-raiser and asked the United Way to be the beneficiary of the proceeds from the event. The United Way publicizes the event and brings volunteers to register the cars and sell the tickets and T-shirts. Lastrina recruits sponsors, hires a DJ, and travels to car shows around the state giving out leaflets to bring in cars.

"It requires a tremendous amount of work," Lastrina said, "but I enjoy putting it together."

"The show is very successful," he continued, "and it makes more money every year. This year we expect to make upward of $4000." The proceeds come from the two dollar admission fee, the five dollar registration fee for cars, and the sale of T-shirts.

"People in the general public don’t see this kind of thing very often," said Kevin Wilhelm, director of the Middlesex County United Way. "It’s great for Middletown and the restaurant because it brings people downtown."

Over 500 people attended "Muscle Mania" this year to see upward of 100 classic cars . A 25 year-old car qualifies as classic among antique car experts, and therefore cars were required to be 25 years old or older to enter the show. The parking lot was dotted with Mustangs, Cameros and trucks, some dating back as far as 1932.

Regarding the abundance of sports cars on display, Lastrina explained, "In the 50s and 60s car companies like GM and Ford were competing for the sportier, faster cars. Racing was the fun thing to do then."

Six automobile experts served as judges and awarded trophies in three categories: muscle cars, street rods, and custom cars.

"The more money you put into your car and the cleaner you keep it, the better your chances are of winning," said Middletown resident Guy Barrett.

The car owners, like proud parents, were eager to exhibit and talk about their autos. Steve Shaw, a Middletown mechanic, showed off his yellow 1955 Chevy Bel Air. He has owned it for 11 years and affectionately calls it Old Yeller "because it’s old and it’s yellow." He hand-painted the orange flames that leap off the hood of his car.

"I’ve always wanted this car, ever since I was a kid," Shaw said. "My next door neighbor had one and I used to get up early just to watch him drive it."

Many of the car owners bought their vehicles in poor condition and restored them.

"It requires a lot of upkeep and cleaning," said Al Barranco, owner of a 1960 Chevy Corvette convertible. "But I love driving it. It gets people’s attention. And if you take care of it, it will last forever."

Bruce Gray, like many of the car owners, is not even interested in winning trophies. For him, the show is simply a social event.

"I like to just hang out with friends and their cars," he said.

The spectators enjoyed themselves as much as the car owners.

Marc Linares, an eight year-old Middletown resident, loves car shows. He explained, "I’m a gear head. I like looking at shiny, loud cars. When I’m a grown-up I’m gonna be rich so I can own all these cars."