Our members, never a group to dwell on the past, began to congregate early that Saturday morning at the Spinning Wheel Dinner on Route 22. It seems this past winter our very industrious Joe Manna, while taking breaks from shoveling snow, decided that an early spring trip to Automotive Restorations would be the perfect way to cast off the woes of winter.

For those who may not know, Steve Babinsky is the proud proprietor of Automotive Restorations of Lebanon, NJ, a celebrated restorer of classic automobiles. Many of Steve‘s clients have gone on to win highly prestigious awards at events such as Pebble Beach.

With the date set and the wheels set in motion it was decided we would start the day off with a good breakfast at the Spinning Wheel Dinner. Early that morning classic Cadillacs began to filter into the parking lot. Roger & Marilyn Love made a spectacular entrance with their very classic 1931 Cadillac Town Sedan, Dave Carney‘s newly acquired 1970 Coupe DeVille, a very pristine and classic motorcar was a "must-see" with both our members and diners alike. Joe Puleo arrived in style with his white 1959 Fleetwood with an entourage of members including Bernie Cooney, Jay Raskin and Ray Koziol. Nick Medici and his grandson were the talk of the town, arriving with the top down on his 1978 two-door Seville San Remo convertible. This was the first time most of our members had the opportunity to view one of these rare cars in person. Also delighting diners and members alike were Joe Manna and his luxurious 1991 Fleetwood Brougham, his Dad John with a ‘53 Chevy, Rich Nalavany and his ‘38 LaSalle, Tony Latino with his '76 Eldorado convertible and Jack & Nancy Hotz with their 1998 Seville. Also attending were Jeff & Mary Hookway, Aaron & Helen Newman, Al Papetti and Howard Strober.

After quite some time of "tire kicking" and car talk we moved inside for breakfast, and naturally, more car talk. With breakfast over, a quick left turn and then a right we arrived at Automotive Restorations. Our congenial host, Steve Babinsky cordially invited us in to what has to be one of the biggest "toy stores" any car nut can ever imagine. Eyes wide and mouths open we did not know where to focus first. There were classics everywhere. Cadillacs, Packards, Bentleys, Pierce Arrows, even a Bugatti carefully tucked away in a corner and a Mercedes-Benz Gulling Wing Coupe stripped to bare metal awaiting paint. A concentration of classics of this type can only be seen in places like Pebble Beach, which is where many of these cars will be this August.