Happy at Heritage
When my father and I arrived at the wonders of the cape, I properly put him in his place by making 7 hole-in-ones at mini golf! The pirates at Pirates Cove were good to me! After a great ice cream and some wandering around Sandwich MA, it was time for dinner at the Daniel Webster Inn with my Classic Car Club friends. There were many stories told as the evening progressed. They consisted of some rather entertaining collage antics that included cherry bombs and metal coat hangers. I happened to take some very detailed notes that my father wasn’t too happy about! I don’t want reveal my sources, but I would like to personally thank Frank Wemple for sitting at my table! ;) We then enjoyed many delicious dishes such as, sword fish, salmon, and what I chowed- down on; prime rib! However, I was very envious of Fred Jackson’s anchovy-filled Cesar salad! It started to get late so my father and I decided to head back to our room at the Sandwich Lodge!
After a well needed rest and a couple bowls of cereal, we headed to heritage plantation. When we arrived, we found Jon busily working to prepare everything. The first car I noticed was Jon’s 1932 Packard which had a beautiful, dark blue, glossy finish! The wide white walls and the polished chrome really enhanced the classic look of this car. Later in the day, when venders were giving their tech talks, I learned a lot about manufacturing specialty parts for Pierce-Arrows, the meticulous detail needed for filing 11,200 individual radiator honeycombs, what it takes to put a Packard back on the road, and what it takes to insure the Packard that you put back on the road! I also learned that Chuck Niles’s new nickname is Mr. Cool, courtesy of my dad.
Then we headed to one of the exhibits dedicated to cars, Driven to Collect. It happened to consist of Packards, Rolls Royces, Auburns and many more beautiful classics! One that really stood out to me was the 1909 white steam car. This caught my eye because of its unique double steering wheel, one inside the other. The outer wheel was for steering as most steering wheels are, but the inner was the throttle. Instead of turning the inner wheel, you lift it for more steam, making you gain speed, and push it away for less steam.
Once my father and I stopped drooling at the gorgeous works of art in the Driven to Collect exhibit, we headed to the storage room. The cars there were literally stacked on top of one another, thanks to garage lifts! From an unusual Pope Hartford to a bright yellow Ford Model T pickup, this place had everything! Their youngest car, a 1962 “NCRS winner” Fawn colored corvette, happened to also be stored here! The unique part about this car was the license plate which was 1, literally, just one digit, one number, 1!
When Jon and a couple others asked who was going on the flower tour, my inner woman jumped out and quickly replied “ME!” So, that’s what I did, I went to go sniff some flowers, while my friends back home were probably working out. SHH! Don’t tell anyone it will ruin my reputation! The story is, I just went to a car museum! I have to say, Heritage did have beautiful flowers!
We then said our good byes and headed home. On the way we stopped by Charlie Wallace’s, a friend of mine’s house and garage where he kept his three Packards, including the beautiful pond Packard. Three guesses for how it got that name, and the newly restored 1941 Packard wood-bodied wagon!
I had a lot fun on this trip, and let me tell you, I was definitely
HAPPY AT HERITAGE PLANTATION!
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About The Author
Christopher DeMarey
When I was just seven years old I started judging at the world-renowned Greenwich Concours d’Elegance. Since then I have become a regular contributing author to the Classic Car Club of America New England Region magazine and I have been published nationally on multiple occasions. I am now fifteen and on the board of advisors for the Classic Car Club of America NER. From Amelia Island to the Boston Cup I have attended many car shows, tours and events along with helping in the process of planning the Classic New England CARavan for this coming September. I look forward to one day owning my very own classic and I hope to enter my vehicle in one of the various events I have attended throughout my childhood. E-mail - chris@demarey.net