By DOUGLAS W. MOTLEY
Senior Writer
The Most Exotic car trophy went to Michael Moore for his 1923 “T-Bucket” Model T Ford.
Oscar Munoz brought his 1968 Pontiac Firebird to the show.
This 1964 Amphicar, owned by James Zuliana of San Pedro, is capable of being driven on both paved roads and on water.
Capturing the Best Motorcycle Award was this three-wheeled Polaris Slingshot owned by Craig Slape.
Lake Arrowhead resident Art Clark entered his rare 1955 Powell Sports Wagon, which came with a fishing rod holder.
John Manzaro captured the Best Interior award for his 1939 Plymouth Deluxe Road King.
This Volkswagen crew cab pickup owned by Ron Adler won the best pickup award.
The 12th annual Lake Arrowhead Classic Car and Motorcycle Show, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lake Arrowhead, lured 56 classic vehicle owners, as well as hundreds of spectators, to Lake Arrowhead Village on Saturday, July 27.
According to Rotary Club President Jay Rynda, all proceeds from the event will go back to the community in the form of services the club provides, such as peace and conflict prevention, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy and economic and community development.
The classic vehicles were parked along the paved, pedestrian pathway from McDonald’s restaurant, past the Belgian Waffle Works and out to the peninsula, with judges inspecting each and every vehicle for consideration for one of the 10 trophies to be awarded at the 2 p.m. awards ceremony at Center Stage. In the meantime, the Alpine Mountaineer interviewed entrants to get details on how and why they acquired their vehicles and what was involved in restoring their car or motorcycle.
One particularly unusual vehicle was a blue, 1964 Amphicar, owned by James Zuliani from San Pedro, capable of driving both on the street or on water. Zuliani explained that he owns property in Lake Arrowhead and thus has lake rights. “I come up here about once a month and drive it across the lake. I’ve also had it on Puddingstone reservoir and other lakes around Southern California,” explained Zuliani.
Another exotic vehicle that was attracting a lot of attention was a silver, 1957 Porsche Speedster, owned by Carlos Panuco, similar to the 1955 speedster that 24-year-old actor James Dean died in, later that same year.
Lake Arrowhead resident Art Clark entered his particularly unusual and rare 1955 Powell Sports Wagon. Clark explained that the car, which was only in production for about three years, took him seven years to restore. “It had a Plymouth drivetrain, but I replaced it with a Caprice drivetrain with a 305 Chevy engine.” One unusual feature, he said, is a fishing rod holder attached to side of the vehicle. “It’s a stock item that comes with every Powell,” he said.
When 2 p.m. rolled around, participants waited on benches in front of Center Stage, eager to learn whether they had won a trophy. The results were:
A purple Ford Master Deluxe, owned by Larry Tribe, won the Best Engine trophy.
• Rotary Best of Show: 1949 Mercury Coupe owned by Ronnie Ayal
• Most Exotic Vehicle: 1923 Ford T, Michael Moore
• Best Interior: 1939 Plymouth, John Manzaro
• Most Original: 1979 Pontiac Trans Am, Michael Buscemi
• Most Modified: 1965 VW Pickup, Ron Adler
• Movie Ready: 1967 Ford Mustang, Jerry Markin
• Best Paint: 1936 Ford, Frank Marquez
• Best Engine: 1940 Ford Master, Larry Tribe
• Best Motorcycle: 2020 Polaris, Craig Slape
• President’s Award: 1957 Porsche Speedster, Carlos Panuco
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