Malba’s Field & Marine Club hosts more 135 hot rods, customs, muscle cars, classics and exotics at its 11th Annual Waterfront Hot Dog Party & Fall
Classic Car Show.
There are traditional block parties and then there are block parties that go way beyond hamburgers, hot dogs and games for children. In Malba, the sleepy Queens, NYC community in the shadows of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge that most New Yorkers wouldn’t know how to get to, its annual block party showcases hot rods, classics, customs and sports cars plus charcoal-grilled goodies, a live DJ, kids games and this year, a real Good Humor ice cream truck dispensing free frozen treats! Including Malba resident and show sponsor Ricky Manetta’s ice cream truck, a total of 135 cars packed the winding narrow streets along the waterfront.
Started by Bill Maggio in 1958, the event has had a number of names over the decades, starting with Weeenie Roast, then Annual Children’s Hot Dog Party in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1984 it was renamed after the founder passed away, Bill Maggio Hot Dog Party. In 2001 “Car Show” was added to the title. Bill’s son continues to be involved with the Retro Garage and the annual event: Malba Field & Marine Club’s Annual Hot Dog Party and Car Show at the Beach. Malba, a tranquil green oasis with a 17-acre waterfront on the East River just 10 miles from Manhattan, was incorporated as part of New York City in the borough of Queens in 1898.
This year, show goers made their way to Malba in cars, a boat and even an airplane, above. One guy flew in on his seaplane, taxied up to the beach and walked right over to the Good Humor truck for some ice cream!
Last Sunday marked the 11th anniversary of the event being held as a combined children’s festival and specialty car show. Bright sunshine and warm temperatures made for a great day for children of all ages, including those who brought their favorite cars! Attendees included local-area residents, car guys from the Tri-State area, and representatives of local churches.
Family and childhood friends of show chairman (and friend of the Car Guy Chronicles), Retro Garage Group’s Bill Giaccio, above, ran the car show again this year. And they did an outstanding job of staging 135 vehicles, judging, organizing a DJ and children’s activities, and keeping everything running like a fine-tuned Ferrari!
What really makes this event special is the eclectic field of cars (and motorcycles), with something for everyone. Some of the highlights this year included heavily modified Pro Street cars, like a tubbed and caged ’69 Camaro with a blown 427 sticking thru its hood, above. There were also some vintage Gasser-style machines, the wildest being a blue Pontiac Tempest coupe, above, jacked up on a straight axle front end and powered by a tunnel ram big-block Chevy with fenderwell header dumps. Plus an assortment of old-school hot rods (Chevy & Flathead powered, above), Willys gasser-style coupes (one with a GMC blown motor with a Nitrous bottle in the trunk!), above, a really-slammed pickup truck, old & new Corvettes and a beautifully restored ’48 Dodge Business coupe, below.
Bobby Valente showed his show-ready Rolls-Royce hot rod, above, that he had built in the late-1950s, early-1960s. I hadn’t seen Bobby in 50 years! For those fans of small cars, there was a pair of vintage Fiat 500s, one with right-hand-drive, above. And, muscle car enthusiasts weren’t disappointed thanks to a Buick Grand National, Stage I Buick Gran Sport, 426 Street Hemi Plymouth GTX, above, and other popular models.
The Corvette community was well represented with stock and modified street & show cars, including some hot Z06s. Sergio Fernandez, who owns Vette Works in neighboring College Point, had a great display of rare mid-series Sting Rays plus a C3 Corvette chassis, above, fitted with a 662-horsepower 434-inch small-block, trick auto trans (with paddle controls) and completely prepared front and rear suspensions and chassis modifications. It’s part of a Resto Mod project he’s doing and will be fitted with a ’77 Corvette body. Sergio specializes in restorations and chassis-powertrain upgrades.
Malba’s Ricky Manetta, a collector of very special Corvettes and muscle cars, took the top award, the Commodore’s Trophy, for his crowd-pleasing Good Humor ice cream truck, above. In its previous life, the truck was used at Belmont Raceway and Ricky bought it for his and partner’s Guido DiRe’s MCD Group collection. I got to present the trophy to Ricky, below, and then went for a special tour of his collection which includes nine L-88 Corvettes and a Baldwin-Motion 427 Phase III GT Corvette!
Like the hobby itself, the annual Malba Show is as much about people as it is about the cars. What’s noticeably missing from this show is attitude, often an undesirable component of competitive automotive events. Bill Giaccio and his Retro Garage crew run a tight ship, from early morning check-in until the last car has left, yet have time to enjoy themselves, make sure everyone is having a good time and even play with some of the kids.
This was my first year as Guest of Honor and I had a ball signing old CARS and VETTE magazines, copies of my MOTION book, above, and bench racing with rodders and racers I haven’t seen since my early days of shooting cars and writing stories for Custom Rodder and CAR, Speed & Style magazines. I hadn’t seen Danny Schlitten since I did a cover story on his ’59 Ford custom. He later went on in the mid-1960s to set the NHRA B/Dragster national record. It was like coming to a 50th High School reunion with a parking lot full of rods and customs!
It was also great seeing my pals Ray Guarino and Chris Switzer, above, the hardcore car guys who masquerade as stand-up comedians hosting Motor Mouth Radio twice a week. It’s a must-listen-to show, broadcast live (Noon to 1:00 PM) on Sundays & Thursdays on WHRC-FM (90.3). These guys are definitely ready for Prime time!
Photos by Marty Schorr & Ray Cruz.
To see photographer Ray Cruz’s complete coverage of the show, check out his albums at http://cruz21105.zenfolio.com/f286681696
For the lowdown on MotorMouth Radio, please visit http://motormouthradio.com/
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