New England Region Cadillac LaSalle Club (NERCLC) Show

At the Residence of Dick Shappy August 20, 2023

Since mid May this year, it seems to have rained every weekend hindering all scheduled outdoor activities. Well, the rain gods were good to us this past Sunday (Aug­ust 20th) as the temperature was a low humid-free eighty degrees with a mild breeze here on Narragansett Bay. This was a great day and, based on the feedback that I am receiving, a good time was had by all. Cars and people attended from as far away as Vermont to the north and New York and Penn­syl­vania to the south. The videographer company "Left Of Creative" from Los Angeles was in town filming a reality TV show and was available to record this years show.

See full article and photos here.

See the video here (15 minute video).

Posted by Dick Shappy September 12, 2023

Audrain Motorsport Veteran Car Tour April 30, 2023

Sixteen early brass era cars assembled at the La Forge casino restaurant on Belview Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island to participate in a 26 mile trip to The Aquidneck Club in Bristol for lunch. Our entry, the 1903 De Dion-Bouton completed the trip in cold windy conditions to Bristol without any mishaps.

This same car is featured in the 2nd annual Audrain Motorsport Newport-Bristol-Newport Veteran Car Tour on April 30, 2023. All eleven 100 year old cars survived the wind and rain without a hitch. See the 2023 tour here (26 minute video).

Posted by Dick Shappy May 1, 2023

New England Region Cadillac LaSalle Club (NERCLC) Show 2022

For the past 12 years, I have been hosting the New England Region Cadillac LaSalle Club (NERCLC) show at my residence. In the eighties and nineties this show was held at the Portsmouth Abbey in Portsmouth, RI but, since the grounds were needed for an addition to the abbey school, the show has been held on my waterfront back lawn in Warwick Neck, Rhode Island.

On Sunday, August 7th, approximately sixty Cadillacs and twelve other makes and a half dozen motorcycles assembled on my back lawn to display the vehicles and to enjoy the sounds of The Teledyne Band with special guest vocalist, Gianpaolo DiGrazia. Some potential attendees may have been put off by the ninety plus degree temperature but those who attended enjoyed the day.

Sixteen trophies were awarded. Frank Nickedemus from New York won Best of Show with his gorgeously restored 1959 Cadillac. I hope you enjoy this short video and please stay in touch and plan on attending our show next year.

Posted by Dick Shappy October 13, 2022

1917 Locomobile 48 Sportif Victoria

In 1997, John McAlpin from upstate New York took on an enormous restoration project that would take approximately twenty two years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to complete. Enjoy this video with John as he is interviewed in Newal, Minnesota at the 2021 Antique Automobile Club of America Zenith Awards show where his efforts earned his 1917 Locomobile Model 48 Dual Cowl Sportif Body By Farnham & Nelson the prestigious Zenith Award. "The Best Restored Automobile In America".

This car also won Best in Show at the Klingberg Motor Series show in New Britain, Connecticut on June 18, 2022.

Posted by Two Guys and a Ride April 6, 2022

See the full article about the award.

1917 Locomobile Model 48 Dual Cowl Sportif Body By Farnham & Nelson Won Best in Show

Grand Marshal Wayne Carini presents the "Best in Show" award to Dick Shapy at the Klingberg Motor Series show in New Britain, Connecticut on June 18th. This show attracts the finest collector cars in the region.with 375 cars participating in this year's event.

See the full article about the award.

1931 Cadillac Wins Best in Class At Concours d'Elegance

The 1931 Cadillac V-16 Model 4235 Convertible Coupe won Best in Class for Pre-War American cars at the 2022 Greenwich Concours d'Elegance which was held on June 4th and 5th at Greenwich, Connecticut. A seven year restoration was recently completed on Dick Shappy's 1931 Cadillac V-16 Model 4235 Convertible Coupe. The car was finished in actual factory colors which were taken from the original build sheet for this car. Only 94 of these cars were produced and only a handful exist today.

After close inspection by the expert judges, this car was awarded the Best in Class trophy over the many cars in the class. It is an honor to receive this prestigious award at this great show with such high end restorations.

Posted by Dick Shappy June 6, 2022. Used with permission.

See the full article about the award.

First Annual Newport To Bristol Antique Car Tour

The annual London to Brighton, England car tour was first run in November of 1896 and it has continued to the present day. Noted car historian Donald Osborne, who is associated with the Audrain Auto Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, came up with the idea to present a similar tour here in the United States. On March 27, 2022, approximately thirty cars lined up at the Ochre Court Mansion on Bellevue Avenue in Newport to participate in the First Annual Newport to Bristol, Rhode Island Tour.

The event was very well received with viewers cheering us along the 40 mile route. My 1909 Pierce Arrow UU 36 completed the tour flawlessly. This is destined to become an important annual event.

Posted by Dick Shappy May 14, 2022

On The Road (OTR) Sizzle

A short clip that brings you into the everyday world of Dick Shappy with Tara Haywood as they venture out into the vintage car and motorcycle world and buy, sell, trade, and play with the "big boy" toys.

Posted by Tara Haywood August 19, 2021

Shappy Motorcycles, Cruisin' New England

Many car collectors are familiar with what is involved in the restoration of vintage automobiles, and the lengths that a restorer goes through to find that certain part to finish a years long restoration. Well, the same applies to vintage motorcycle restoration and collecting. This video shows how similar a vintage motorcycle swap meet is to a vintage auto swap meet and it also shares the joy of finding that "impossible" one of a kind rare piece that is needed to complete a restoration.

Posted by Paul Mennett, "Cruisin' New England"- Season 8, Episode 6 June 1, 2017

Pierce Arrow, Cruisin' New England

In 2013, The Pierce Arrow Society had its annual show in Warwick, Rhode Island. Naturally, being a resident of Warwick RI and a Pierce Arrow collector, I was super happy to show four vehicles and meet and greet other Pierce Arrow enthusiasts from all over the country. Check out some of the great cars and other Pierce items that were displayed in Warwick for three days in 2013.

Posted by Paul Mennett, "Cruisin' New England"- Season 8, Episode 2 June 1, 2017

Cadillac LaSalle, Cruisin' New England

The Cadillac LaSalle Club holds its national meet in a different city in the United States each year and, in 2014, the city of Boston hosted the meet. Check out some of the beautiful Cadillacs that attended along with my entry which was a 1930 Cadillac V-16 Model 4380 All Weather Phaeton.

Posted by Paul Mennett, "Cruisin' New England"- Season 7, Episode 3 May 31, 2017

Dick Shappy," King of the Rhode"

Kelly Garner, production manager of a Los Angeles based film production company, filmed the activities of Dick Shappy and his assistant, Ashley, as they scoured the countryside in search of rare cars and parts for cars that were being restored in Rhode Island. This video takes you from Rhode Island to northern Maine to Bakersfield, California. You will get insight into the inner workings of what was happening at Dick Shappy Vintage Auto Sales in the Spring of 2012.

Dick Shappy, "Classic Car Rock Star"

Dick Shappy has been an avid collector and restorer of classic cars and motorcycles for over 40 years.

Get a brief glimpse of his collection including his racing a rare 1934 Duesenberg J-505 Convertible Sedan and winning best of show in one of many regional and national vintage auto shows.

Check out the many awards Dick's restorations have won over the years.

"Duesenberg Exhibition Of Speed"

(Short Snippet)

Chris Clyne, Dick Shappy, and other Duesenberg owners from across the United States brought 53 vintage Duesenbergs to the annual Auburn Cord Duesenberg meet held in Auburn, Indiana on September 3, 2010. This historic event was the largest gathering of Duesenberg cars ever. During the three day event, 43 of these great cars drove over 50 miles, under police escort, to the Kendallville Municipal Airport to stage the "Duesenberg Exhibition Of Speed" drag races. Greg McDermott is at the wheel with Dick Shappy in Dick's 1934 J-505 Convertible Duesenberg sedan.

"Duesenberg Exhibition Of Speed"

(Full Version)

Full version (42 minutes) of the "Duesenberg Exhibition Of Speed" drag races held at the annual Auburn Cord Duesenberg meet in Auburn, Indiana on September 3-5, 2010.

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club was founded in 1952 to promote the restoration and preservation of original ACD automobiles.

Racing Duesenberg J-505

Racing Dick Shappy's J-505 Duesenberg at the Duesenberg Thunder Run, Goshen, Indiana.

Dick Shappy in right front passenger seat, Greg McDermott driving, and Tom Laferriere in the back seat filming. They won by a mile!

Posted by Tom Laferriere October 1, 2015

Warwick collector's Flying Merkel: 100 years old, and still ticking

Providence Journal video by Steve Szydlowski, May 2, 2011

Richard Shappy, of Warwick, a collector of vintage cars and motorcycles, talks about the 1911 Flying Merkel motorcycles he owns. Sean Brayton, of Richmond, tells the story of riding in the first Motorcycle Cannonball Run, from Kitty Hawk, N.C., to Santa Monica, Calif.

"We were test riding this 1911 Merkel Single in preparation for the "Race Of Gentleman" on the beach in New Jersey which was held one week after this video was taken."

Leno and Shappy discover two dusty Duesenbergs

By Angelo Van Bogart

Every automobile enthusiast dreams of finding a rare or desirable car forgotten in a remote barn, scooping it up for a paltry sum, dusting off 50 years of neglect, and having a great story to tell at club meets and car shows.

For collectors around the world, the Duesenberg is the ultimate American car, and to locate one of these ultra-rare, powerful, and justifiably desirable cars hidden in a building is the ultimate find.

For the full article, click here.

Robi On The Road

Dick Shappy being interviewed at home with his just completed 1933 V-16 convertible coupe by David Robichaud from UPN 38 "Robi on the Road". The segment was aired Tuesday July 5th, 2005 at 7:00 AM also with a live portion from the Shappy garage showing the many restoration projects now in progress.

1912 Henderson 4 First Run

By Dick Shappy

My 1912 Henderson 4-cylinder bike is shown in its first run since the engine was reassembled by Mark Hill of 4th Coast Fours in Waddington, New York. The people seen in the clip are Mark Hill, Evan Kunes, Vernon Akers (beard), and John Dumas (wheel chair). The bike was being prepared for its first test drive. It ran flawlessly 150 miles that day. As of today, September 5th, Mark's crew has put another 500 miles on it.

The mechanics who performed the work under the direction of Mark Hill are Tanner Whitton, Mike Sockler and Evan Kunes.

See Motorcycle Cannonball - 2016 here.