July 2, 2024
Dear automotive enthusiasts, restorers, collectors, and investors,
Just before the weekend of June 1st-2nd, I received a call from my good friend at Hagerty Insurance, Jeff DeMarey, asking me if I was entering a car at this year’s Greenwich Concours d’Elegance in Greenwich, Connecticut. Initially, I declined. I explained to Jeff that my schedule was packed this time of year with other out-of-town commitments in the coming weeks and months. Despite this, the Greewich Concours has always held a special place for me; I’ve attended numerous times and always found it immensely enjoyable.
Most people underestimate the time and effort involved in preparing and transporting a show car for events like this. After much deliberation and a firm decision not to participate, another call changed my mind. Wayne Carinni, another good friend known from “Chasing Classic Cars,” persuaded me with his charm to reconsider attending. Now, I had to choose which car from my collection of over fifty vehicles to prepare for the show. It had to be one that had never been shown at Greenwich before and was in impeccable running and show condition.
It didn’t take me long to settle on the 1932 V16 Cadillac Madame X Imperial Cabriolet. My team spent several days meticulously detailing and ensuring everything from the headlights to the wipers were in perfect working order. We loaded the car into the trailer the day before the event to ensure we arrived on the show field well before the 8:00 AM cutoff time.
In order to make the 8:00 AM deadline, I had to rise at 3:30 AM, shower, have a quick breakfast, and be ready to roll. Brock showed up on time, and we were ready to roll, but there was no sign of John. Rather than wait, I decided to call him, and I am glad that I did because my call woke him from a deep sleep. Brock and I left, and told John to meet us at a 'Park and Ride' stop on the highway. This put us off schedule by about fifteen minutes, but I figured we would still be able to arrive on time as long as nothing else went wrong.
As luck would have it, we were approximately two hours into the trip when we heard a pop and immediately learned that a tire on the trailer carrying the Madame X had blown out. What we had initially thought would be an easy spare tire change turned into additional problems. It was now apparent that we would not make the 8:00 AM deadline, potentially facing being turned away. I immediately called Jeff DeMarey from Hagerty and explained my situation. He then took charge and, I must say, saved the day. He alerted the necessary people at the meet and arranged for our late entry. A golf cart was even provided for me to ease the stress that I was experiencing, and it was all uphill from there. We enjoyed a great show and a great day. These shows really are quite a chore.
