By all accounts, the 2019 Turtle Invitational was a resounding success. We were blessed with great people, stunning cars, and perfect weather! A very special thanks to all our sponsors: Porsche Danbury, Audi Danbury, Collier Auto Media, Meccanic Shop, Hagerty, Sports Car Market, and Hollow Brook Wealth Management. We are grateful for everyone who contributed to making this special event possible: Our sponsors, our volunteers, our exhibitors, our spectators, and local law enforcement.
Festivities began with a welcome dinner at the Pray Achievement Center in Bedford New York. Sunday opened with an early tour complete with New York State Trooper escort. A breakfast pit stop at Happiness Is Catering in Banksville New York before returning cars to the show field for judging. The awards ceremony was held at 1pm. This year we honored the life and career of Judy Stropus. A champagne after party took place inside the twelve bays of Turtle Garage.
About the Turtle Invitational: Every two years, the Turtle Invitational brings together a group of passionate auto enthusiasts for a weekend of camaraderie, cars, cocktails, and conversations. A stunning roster of classic vehicles fill the show field. The Turtle Invitational does not aim to be just another stop on the crowded and stale Concours de’ Elegance tour. Our goal is to put on a spectacular weekend gathering where old friends are seen and new ones are made. The Turtle Invitational blends the gravitas of Davos, the beauty of Amelia Island, and the intellectual stimulation of a 19th century Chautauqua. The goal of the Turtle Invitational is to raise awareness of the Malcolm Pray Achievement Center. All profits go to this highly worthwhile charity.
2019 Award Winners:
- Danbury Porsche/Audi Best in Show Award — Presented by Danbury Porsche/Audi and won by Scuderia N.E.’s 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport Spyder Scaglietti V12
- Best Pre-War Car — Presented by Collier Auto Media and won by Peter Boyle and his 1928 Isotta Fraschini 8A SS
- The Malcolm Pray Judge’s Choice Award — Presented by the Pray and Richter families and won by Jonathan Asch and his original 1956 VW Beetle sold new at Blanchard-Pray Automobile
- The PJN Award for Best Race Car —Presented by Clea Newman, daughter of Paul Newman and won by John Justo with his 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Coupe
- Best Italian Sportscar — Presented by our rescue dog, Luigi Chinetti and won by Howard Keenan and his 1967 Ferrari GTC by Pininfarina
- Best German car — Presented by Meccanic Shop and won by Andrew Norris and his 1964 Porsche 356 SC Coupe
- Best British car — Presented by Turtle Garage and won by Brian Beni and his 1935 Jaguar SS 100 Tourer
- The Pursuit of Passion Award — Presented by Sports Car Market and won by Hershel Zelcer and his 1994 Bugatti EB 110.
- The Robert Freeman Best Motorcycle Award — Presented by Robert Freeman and won by Steve Bauer and his BMW 1955 R50/TR500 Special
- The Young Enthusiast Passion Award—Presented by Turtle Garage and won by Carter Kelly Kramer and his modified 1976 BMW 2002
Be sure to join us September 25th and 26th 2021 for the 3rd biennial Turtle Invitational. More information at www.turtleinvitational.com
Photographs from the 2019 Turtle Invitational (All photographs by Bearded Mug Media)
Peter Sachs was awarded Best in Show for his stunning 1957 Ferrari Scaglietti V12
Peter Boyle took Best Pre-War Car with his 1928 Isotta Fraschini 8A SS
The Young Enthusiast Award was won by Carter Kramer Kelly and his stunning and tastefully modified BMW 2002
There was no shortage of prancing horses at the Turtle Invitational!
Throughout the day there was lots of discussion about the history and provenance of cars on the show field.
Live music set a great tone of celebration.
The 1964 BMW R69S with a rare Hoske gas tank.
The tour began at 7am and the lineup was long!
We were fortunate to have State Trooper escort for the tour!
Judy Stropus was our honoree for the 2019 Turtle Invitational and received the highly coveted Golden Turtle Award!
Judy Richter and Philip Richter enjoy a moment to kick off the awards ceremony
Heading out for the tour in the Turtle Garage AMG Black Series SL65
Miles Collier sent his rare Osca that Sterling Moss piloted to victory at Seabring in 1954!
We had several very special race cars on the show field.
The Turtle Garage collection was on display.
We had some incredible Japanese entrants and will be creating a new award for this growing class in 2021!
There was also time for relaxing…
We love seeing young kids interested in collector cars!
Some youngsters got into the drivers’ seat!
Arrival on the show field
Cars entered the show field through a row of feather banners
Dicky Riegel with his stunning DuPont!
Peter Boyle’s 1937 Steyr was a show stopper.
Robert Freeman flew all the way from England to present the Robert Freeman Award to the best motorcycle.
The entire Turtle Invitational team is very grateful for all the hard work and planning by Alan Keeley!
Old friends were seen and new ones were made….
Best in Show
The Bugatti generated a ton of interest from modern classic enthusiasts!
The after party was a ton of fun!
More after party cheer!
Old friends…and new ones.
Our young volunteers with Malcolm Pray Achievement Center Executive Director Marikay Satyrano.
The Board of the Turtle Invitational
Pebble Beach has the Quail. Bedford has the Turtle….our S550 was pressed into service for airport runs….
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