Inaugural Concours at Monticello Motor Club "Art In Motion"
I hear it, the annoying sound my alarm makes every morning saying, “Josh, get out of bed”. I look over to see it flashing at 3:30 am. Rolling my eyes I contemplate getting out of my warm comfy bed, because who only gets 3 hours of sleep, this guy? Walking towards the shower, I hop in letting the warm pellets of water hit my face and wash away my weird funk. 4 am chimes on my clock and it’s time to hit the road, making my way to Monticello, NY. What’s happening in Monticello you ask? It’s a very special car event being held at Monticello Motor Club. Early mornings are the best because there’s zero traffic, which makes my ride enjoyable. Cruising down 84 in my Mini Cooper, something just doesn’t feel right. I get to my exit when I notice that my car won’t change gears. Of course, this happens to me when I’m already running on 3 hours of sleep. My car only has 12k miles on it and wasn’t expecting something like this to happen, but of course, it did. Here goes nothing, I think to myself. I slowly put my car into 3rd gear since apparently, the first two gears seem to be grinding. I rev my engine, pick up speed, and make my way down the street towards the event. Phew, I made it. This event is so important to me that no car trouble is going to slow me down. Let’s just say my poor mini is currently stuck in 3rd gear, but let’s get back to the more interesting and important things…car shows and their sex appeal.
Art in Motion is a very elegant invite-only car show similar to Concours D’Elegance. First off, it’s an honor to be given this opportunity as some of the most exquisite automobiles are at this show. From 5-point show cars that you could eat off of the undercarriage, to race cars that rip up the pavement just to get to the front. The fog starts to set in, making the scene something out of a movie. I stood there watching closely as they moved some of their beautiful race Porsches from the clubhouse to the front stage to be shown off. Closing my eyes I listen to that sexy sound of the Porsche engine rev. Close your eyes and picture yourself sitting in a Porsche Carrera 6 (Just go with me) and all of a sudden the driver steps on the gas and you hear the engine roar making your heart drop. Do you have that image? Now picture about 100 cars making similar sounds, my heart drops every time I hear it and I’m used to it.
As a photographer, some people don’t realize that the best lighting or the perfect day for us is when it’s cloudy and a bit windy. On a cloudy day you get more texture with photos and setting the mode for a beautiful background because sometimes even though the car is in the foreground, the background sets the mood. I make my way over to the Paddocks to see some of the cars unload off the trailers, and of course, capture the in-between moments. It’s not always about the cars, but it’s also the combination of the feel of the event.
This event had so much going on. Not only is it all about cars, but you get a cool Jaguar experience (Monticello test drivers who took you around the track in an F-Type), the ultimate Land Rover experience, the car show itself, and even yummy food in their tent from breakfast food to delicious desserts. Let’s get back into the car show itself.
Canepa Motorsports brought eight of their Porsches that pretty much stole the show, but of course, the beautiful Porsche 917K won Best in Show. One look at this beauty tearing up the corners of the track and your heart flutters, well at least mine did. Another Best in Show was the gorgeous Ferrari 250 Tour De France. Words can’t even describe how gorgeous this car is.
All the cars attending this show were separated by country of origin, which I think is very clever and helps me out as a photographer. Spectators must have been in their glory because here I am as a photographer drooling over these cars and all 800 spectators must be saying, “Holy crap, look at this baby. Honey, can we look at this one next?” I like to catch those moments. Some cars that I didn’t mention were present such as the Jaguar XK180, BMW 507, James Glickenhaus SCG2004, 2 singer outlaws, Carerra 2.7 RS Lightweight and so much more.
This event had just about everything from great sponsors, David Gooding the CEO of Gooding and Company Auctions was there auctioning off their Jaguar XK140, to beautiful artwork and wristwatches. All the money raised went to the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. Going to these events is a blast and bumping into people that you’ve met along the way is an even better feeling. I ran into Evan Cygler with Miller Motorcars, who had previously invited me to his McLaren event where his client’s McLaren P1s were. Overall I’m glad that I got up at 330am to make my way to this wonderful event.
Oh and about my Mini Cooper, I left it and Mini Roadside Assistance brought it to the closest Mini dealership where the transmission and clutch were replaced. I just tell myself that I was a rally driver and that’s why I needed to replace my clutch…makes me feel cooler. So I should give a huge thanks to Morgan Duffy, who rescued me at the event and brought me back to my house.
A little lesson for you and me, even though getting 3 hours of sleep and not wanting to get up so early in the morning, it’s worth it and you don’t want to miss out on the best moments. So get up and make the day even better than what you pictured in your head. In the end, photographing cars makes me happy, and surrounding myself with people I can relate to and make me laugh is all that matters. What’s that saying, Carpe Diem?
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