Old and New Cars at the Sands Point Preserve

You don't have to be in the market for a cream puff to enjoy a classic car show. That was evident on Sunday, at the New York AutoFest at Sands Point Preserve. There, car enthusiasts showed off their classic cars with original and rebuilt parts. And others perused the polished eye-candy on display.

The man behind the New York AutoFest is Leo Cerruti of Muttontown. But if you thought showing off vintage autos was the sole purpose behind the show, you'd be missing the point. 

"I started the show about three or four years ago as a fundraiser for the Knights of Columbus in Brookville, and it grew from there," Cerruti said. "This year we have four shows all over Long Island, possibly six."

Nestled between two historic  Guggenheim homes, and with a panoramic view of Long Island Sound, the AutoFest provided even more beauty to the already scenic preserve. 

John Adams, a former 1st sergeant in the Army during Vietnam, showcased his 2007 Pontiac Solstice and its unique mural on the inside of the hood.

"There's always a lot of painting on the hood, I wanted to do something different," Adams said, referring to his mural that is painted on the inside of the hood, paying tribute to our armed forces.

While new cars like the Solstice are at car shows, classic cars still reign supreme, such as John Brewer's 1936 Coupe. This car is still in pristine condition and ready to rule the road. Brewer attends auto shows for pleasure. 

"I've been coming to shows for about eight years now and I come to enjoy myself, not win awards," Brewer said.

Bob Ilardi, of UltraRidesTV.com, has enjoyed these shows since the early 1980s. Ilardi and his team also help out with the contest judging, and speak highly of AutoFest's founder, Cerruti.

"Leo does an amazing job," Ilardi said. "It's like a labor of love, we're all car guys who started this because we didn't like just sitting in our cars all day."

Cerruti gets assistance from Steve Arons, who co-produces the event. Auto shows seem to be in his DNA. "I've been doing these car shows since before I was even born, my family has been running custom car shows since 1955," Arons said.

Like most car shows, the AutoFest doesn't simply feature polished chrome to ogle. There are vendor booths to explore, too. 

"This is actually our first car show," Linda Penna of Glen Cove's Final Inspection said. "We've been in the business for 12 years and this is really fun. We're doing good, people are coming to our booth."