Classics on show for Melissa

The Jamaica Classic Car Club (JCCC) held its first car show in seven years at the Jamaica Horticultural Society, Hope Pastures, St Andrew, on Sunday, November 16.

“The event was a success, even better than we expected given the circumstances and the uncertainty,” Naresh Potopsingh, president, JCCC, told the Jamaica Observer’s weekly Auto magazine.

The JCCC originally planned to hold the event to aid their own efforts; however, in the shadow of Hurricane Melissa, the administration pivoted to the relief efforts.

Potopsingh was happy with the outcome and is now assessing the income the show generated and will then work out how to convert that into assistance for those affected by the hurricane.

“I was pleased generally by the attendance. We estimated over 500 people attended based on ticket sales. We are still auditing to get more accurate numbers,” he said.

Those in attendance had a wider range of classics to peruse than the club’s usual monthly outings. Classics ranged from modern, exotic, JDM, to near unicorns to local shores. Between the rows of cars, patrons were treated to music, prizes, and a fashion show by the Phusion Models International.

“Based on the responses I received, the patrons enjoyed the show. They loved the types, variety and arrangements of cars. Some said they felt nostalgic seeing some of the older cars, and some were glad to see their friends,” said Potopsingh.

He was also pleased by the synergy of the calibre of cars, the patrons, the sponsors, and the participants in the show, the fashion models, and DJ Audley.

The venue saw a nice rotation of eye candy as participants came and left throughout the day. Such an example was the 1995 Toyota LandCruiser of Kevin Murray. Bought over four years ago, he has been slowly and meticulously restoring this iconic off-roader. In the last two years the pace of restoration increased, turning it from an ex-police service vehicle to a clean example.

Murray described the difficulty of getting the LandCruiser to its current state.

“Well, the body work and the task to get it rolling were a major challenge. I had to source a new differential, but thank God, Toyota shares parts on different platforms. Toyota Jamaica did the body work, paint, while a few of the technicians helped with the mechanicals and engine. I did the interior and ran through the electrics,” said Murray.

— Rory Daley

Ferrari, always a classic no matter the year.(Photo: Rory Daley)

The club has continued to embrace modern classics from the land of the rising sun. (Photo: Rory Daley)