By Donald Wittkowski
Ron Schweizer peeked inside a 1962 Austin-Healey MK II, smiled broadly and gave one of those “they sure don’t make them like this anymore” looks at the stunning sportscar.
The British-made convertible, resplendent in gleaming white paint, a burgundy-colored cloth top and wire wheels, was a throwback to the 72-year-old Schweizer’s youth.
“I like old cars. Anything old,” said Schweizer, who lives in Holland, Pa., and has a summer home in Sea Isle.
Schweizer and other vintage car buffs spent Sunday afternoon marveling over 45 antique trucks and automobiles lining the oceanfront Promenade during Sea Isle City’s annual classic car show.
After leaving their display area on the Promenade, the old cars paraded around town to bring Sea Isle’s Fall Family Festival weekend celebration to a head-turning close. The two-day festival is Sea Isle’s top fall event, drawing thousands of visitors to the beach resort for an array of family-friendly amusements and entertainment.
Although he admired the Austin-Healey, Schweizer noted that his dream car is a 1938 Packard, an American luxury brand from a bygone era. If there was only one car in the world that he could have, the Packard would be it, he explained.
“It reminds me of my great uncle, who used to buy his son a Packard every two years,” Schweizer said.
Schweizer recalled that his great uncle was a bakery owner whose customers included the Philadelphia hotels. Since he was able to buy his son a new Packard every two years, you might say Schweizer’s great uncle was rolling in dough.
No Packards were in the car show on Sunday, but there were plenty of other classics. A bright red 1957 Ford Thunderbird convertible owned by Nick and Lisa Careyote had quite a few vintage car fans stopping by to get a closer look.
Nick Careyote, who lives in Columbus, Burlington County, bought the T-Bird last year for $30,000 after spotting it in Cape May County.
“I asked the owner, ‘If you ever want to sell it, let me know,’’’ Careyote said, adding that they were able to work out a deal only a couple of weeks later.
Careyote bought the car knowing that his wife would like it, too. Both of them love the color scheme, known as “flame red.” The T-Bird also features a black convertible top, big white-wall tires and wire wheels.
“What’s amazing is that people of all ages like it – young, old, even little kids,” Lisa Careyote said.
In a touch of whimsy, Lisa Careyote attached a dinner tray, holding a fake hamburger and glass of Coke, to the T-Bird’s passenger-side window, as if the car had just pulled up to the drive-in restaurants or theaters that were popular in the 1950s.
Giving their car even more 1950-ish flair, the Careyotes keep a leather “T Birds” jacket in the back seat. The jacket is a replica of the one worn by John Travolta’s bad boy character in the movie “Grease,” the popular musical set in the late 1950s.
Another classic car drawing attention Sunday was Joe Satkosky’s 1959 Edsel Corsair, sporting a stately “star blue metallic” paint job.
“This car is exactly the way it came out of the manufacturer’s factory,” Satkosky said.
Satkosky bought the Edsel Corsair in 1999 from an 85-year-old man for $4,200. He values the car now in the upper $40,000s.
“You don’t see many Edsels around anymore,” he said.
You may not see many of them out on the road, but a glimpse inside Satkosky’s six-car garage at his Sea Isle summer home would reveal four Edsels, including the one he had on display at the car show.
Altogether, Satkosky owns six Edsels, including two that he keeps at his home in Fort Meyers, Fla. Satkosky, 71, a retired pharmacist, said he enjoys owning so many cars that were synonymous with automotive failure. Edsels were a huge sales flop in the 1950s.
“I wanted something different,” Satkosky said.
One of the judges for the classic car show was Sea Isle Mayor Leonard Desiderio, who owns three vintage cars of his own, plus a 1953 Mack fire truck.
“They’re all beautiful,” Desiderio said while strolling along the Promenade, looking at the old cars. “The owners of these cars are a different breed. They’re keeping history alive.”
Desiderio and the other judges picked a 1965 Lincoln Continental, owned by Brian Bennett, of Newtown, Pa., as the “Best in Show.”
The “Mayor’s Choice” winning car was a 1957 Austin-Healey Model 100-6 roadster owned by Pamela Fine of Cape May Court House.
