Smith Haven Mall Car Show, Lake Grove, NY, August 9, 2026 Pt 1

Mario on Aug 16, 2026 said:

A great car show at the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove NY. Lots and lots of classic cars showed up again for charity. I had to make this Page in 2 parts so enjoy Part 1. Part 2 to follow.

Enjoy the show, Mario

azmuscle on Aug 17, 2026 said:

Good morning Mario, Wow and this is only part 1? Awesome. I'll start off with the 1952 Chevy with the Buick Port holes in the hood. Loved seeing it before, still loving it today.

The two yellow hot rod offerings at first remind me of what else???? ZZ TOP......iconic.

Let's see as I scan the car candy case, oh look a 1961 Bubble Top in my favorite color rendition. What graceful flowing lines.

I could live with that 1969 Ford Shelby Cobra in my favorite color combo. Some say too many scoops and spoilers. I say BAH HUMBUG.....put it under the tree and I'll drive it.

Oddly enough that 1996 Impala SS caught my eye as I had a 1995 in the burgundy color. The AZ sun had tried to remove all evidence of clear coat leaving the base pretty much the only defender left to claim the color. I bought it as a cruiser and it drove extremely well with a new LT1 fresh engine thanks to a Jiffy Lube failure to refill the old engine with oil after what was to be service. The seller I bought it from gave me a good deal since it was no longer a matching numbers car. That was unimportant to me. The comfy gray leather interior felt great on my trip from Tucson, to Omaha, to Pa and back to Tucson. Not one issue...even providing a nice large backseat for mandatory naps on the trip.

That's quite a gathering of nice rides. And this is only part 1!!! It hasn't been since I lived in Carlisle PA that I was able to attend such a gathering of cars this numerous and of such different makes and models.

I'm appreciative your weather cooperated, and the results of photos of several different angles is a nice way to show the true nature of the rides.

So kindly refill your next pallet of offerings from the show and let's see what eye candy it offers.

The temps here in the desert have finally deserted, get it, DESERTED, the three digit zone and soon, next month some car shows here will begin to appear like the desert blossoms in the spring. I still don't have any offering of my own to the shows other than my attendance. It's difficult to see the cars and not have one to drive home and park in the empty garage. So life as an owner of some beautiful renditions must be made vicariously.

The rumble of a GTX exhaust gets the hairs to stand up on the arms. The smell of Sonoco 93 Octane is the perfume of the muscle car era. The high whine of a starter motor on a MOPAR still brings back the memory of my grandmothers 65 Fury.

I'm glad God has allowed me to retain my five senses being able to appreciate and most of all recall the memories even at my old age. A time being immersed in it up to my youthful eyeballs, would now become an even greater appreciation of what was, and to have what it is with this hobby.

Life is still like a true trip back over over 60 years, to a car show like this, being able to see most of it, just by sitting on Main Street or going to a local car dealer. Who knew?

Well done Mario.....and now for part II Rob

Mario on Aug 17, 2026 said:

Thank you Rob for all your comments, insights and wonderful stories from your younger years. I always look forward to hearing from you and it makes my work on posting the car shows much more enjoyable.

You seemed to have liked so many cars in this week's show like the 52 Chevy with Buick Port Holes, the two yellow hot rods, the 61 Chevy Bubbletop (a favorite of mine too), the 69 Shelby Cobra, and the 1996 Chevy Impala SS.

I owned a 1994 Chevy Caprice Classic and it was one smooth riding car with a lot of power. I had the 5.7L 350 CI 260 HP Fuel Injected V8 with a 4‑speed automatic transmission. It was such a great family vacation car. The last of the big full size cars that I owned and one of the first to have 2 front air bags, one for the driver and one for the front passengers. It was Maroon with a Grey velour interior. After 5 years I gave it to my son who needed a car to drive to college.

I then bought a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4 X 4 and loved it, especially in NY with all the snow storms. My first of many Jeeps since then. They are the best in snow and ice.

Glad to hear your AZ temps are calming down and maybe you can go to some car shows. Not having a classic car and going to a car show is really a good thing. I don't have to stay with my car keeping an eye on it and I get to walk around and see all the nice cars while taking pictures. You should try it. I still would like to see some AZ classics cars. With your low humidity the cars I hear are no rust beauties.

Well I have to get to arranging Part 2 of this car show so I can post it. I'm looking to have Part 2 out this week. So stay tuned! Best Regards, Mario.