2025 was another banner year at Turtle Garage. We evolved. We changed. We sold several cars. We added some new ones. We revisited our youth by acquiring a lightly used totally original Honda Pilot unicorn. We showed at the Delray Concours and attended the Greenwich Concours. Most importantly, we held the Turtle Invitational V and it was a smashing success with perfect weather, fabulous cars, and happy people. It was an honor to partner with @1600 Veloce and Hollow Brook Wealth Management as our title sponsors. Special thanks to our supporting sponsor Pray Body Shop for underwriting our premium weekend events! The mood and spirit of the weekend was brilliantly captured by our photographer Bryan McCathy of Bearded Mug Media and the media team at 1600 Veloce.
Philip Richter and Anthony Serra founder of @1600 Veloce
A brilliantly produced 60 second montage of the Turtle 5 by @1600 Veloce.
1990 Honda Pilot
After over a year of waiting and production delays, we took delivery of a new BMW M2 and we acquired a vey low-mile original investment grade 1988 BMW E24 M6.
BMW M2 in Brooklyn Gray to match the barns of Coker Farm
1988 US E24 M6. A one owner ultra-low mile investment-grade unicorn
In April, our 1933 Packard V12 Dietrich Victoria took Best in Class at the Delray Concours. The Delray Concours is growing due to good management, April sunshine in South Florida, and the demise of Rick Case’s Boca Raton Concours.
Thank you to the team at Parker’s Packards for bringing home the big Best of Class win at Hilton Head in late 2024 and again at Delray in 2025!
Best in Class at Delray!
A great evening at the Greenwich Concours with Lowell Paddock, Leigh Brent, and the incredibly talented GM designer Ed Welburn.
A great celebration at Greenwich for famed Packard collector and all around great guy Ralph Marano—We also honored his fabulous wife Adeline. Wayne Carini, Leigh Brent, and Ken Gross all came back to the northeast for the Turtle 5 later in September.
Most importantly, 2025 was an “on year” for the Turtle Invitational. 2025 represented the 5th installation of the biennial Turtle Invitational. By all measures, the Turtle V was a huge success and has grown from a small local show in 2017 into one of the top northeast events on the collector car calendar. Special thanks to our team and our board and all our volunteers for making the impossible happen.
Ferrari photo shoot by @1600 Veloce for the Turtle 5
Below is an outstanding article about Turtle V published by Hemmings Motor News and written by Bryan McCarthy.
The Turtle Invitational is Fiving and Thriving
Strategic partnership and newly introduced auctions aid in boosting donations to the Malcolm Pray Achievement Center
Turtle Invitational Showcases Automobiles of Distinction
Written by: Bryan McCarthy
Photography by: Bryan McCarthy (Instagram @beardedmugmedia)
The Turtle Invitational is a lot like Halley’s comet. It doesn’t come around every year, but when it does, it’s spectacular. This year’s Turtle V might have shone the brightest. With three days packed with socialization, forums, and automotive constellations – it was a weekend not to be missed. First off, the only public part of the show is on Sunday. The other two days are reserved for guests and car owners. Keep that in mind when registration for 2027 rolls around.
The fun began on Friday night, when Turtle Garage at Coker Farm in Bedford, New York welcomed over 100 guests to enjoy a relaxing gathering amongst friends. It was a light affair, with delicious food and crisp drinks. The backdrop was the meadow that would serve as Sunday’s venue, amping up excitement as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon. Darkness didn’t just move the party inside the literal Turtle Garage, but it signaled the start of a casual discussion of the future of the hobby. The panel consisted of some Canis Majors, including Ken Gross (noted author and automotive legend), Alex von Mózer (Very Superior Old Cars owner out of the Netherlands), Jonathan Witmer (President and CEO of the Revs Institute), Tom Cotter (he found the Cobra in the Barn), and Matt Miller (Bloomberg TV and podcast host). It was moderated by Lowell Paddock, the executive director of Sunday in the Park, the Lime Rock Concours and Philip Richter, founder of the Turtle Invitational. The discussion was lively and insightful, while being humorous and hopeful for the next generation of car enthusiasts.
Saturday brought sunshine and smiles as participants gathered at 1600Veloce’s Treehouse headquarters for an afternoon driving tour. Lunch was served while drivers and navigators absorbed their surroundings. The parking lot was filled with all kinds of beautiful machinery, from a pair of newer Ford GTs down to a 1955 Packard Caribbean. There was everything in between and beyond. It was a fantastic lineup. I hit the road prior to the drivers retreating to their cars in order to get a good spot on the roadway to capture some panning shots.
There is nothing like hearing the singing combination of carburetors, exhausts, and all things mechanical when a parade of classic cars passes you. From my vantage point on a bridge, the sweet sound is shared with the surrounding nature. I’m almost certain squirrels and chipmunks were fawning over the way the likes of a Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spider or a 1957 Thunderbird made the ground hum, while simultaneously trying to avoid the wrath of their bias plies.
The tour concluded at the event’s beneficiary, the Malcolm Pray Achievement Center in Bedford, NY. Once again, Tom Cotter took the proverbial stage after Philip interviewed driver Martin Pazzani about his interest in the car hobby and his 1986 Alfa Romeo GTV6. All the while the courtyard was filled with exercised machines ripe for the picturing. Additional funds were raised for the Pray Center by way of auctions, including a Day at the Revs Institute, a Member for a Day with the Lime Rock Driver’s Club, or a private garage tour with Wayne Carini. The biggest one was a Ford 289 HIPO tribute motor built and donated by Fitzgerald Automotive. It sold for $8,100 on Bring a Trailer, with all proceeds including the BaT buyer’s fee.
The weekend’s wonderful weather continued into Sunday’s show, showering everything in spectacular sunshine. The scenery at Coker Farm was peaceful and surreal, with the morning mist rising over the grassy fields and enveloping the buildings and trees. Dalman Jump Company crafted an impressive sign welcoming everyone as came up the dirt driveway. As the show cars rolled into one of two areas – The Turtle Meadow or the Grand Prix Field – they were assisted by a class host. It was a well coordinated effort that made quick work of the setup. Once the show opened to the public, people were greeted by a magnificent balloon archway created by the talented Caryn Cannova, the Hudson Valley Balloon Girl. The path to the field then took them to another display, this time it was a red E24 M6 with hundreds of red balloons spilling from the trunk. It was giving off real enchanted forest vibes with the morning light breaking through the trees. On top of all that, equestrians were doing their thing because it’s still a working horse farm.
The Turtle Meadow had an array of classes, ranging from Fire Trucks to V12 Motorcars, to classes honoring Bruno Sacco and Turtle Alumni. The Ferrari Dinos class had nine Dinos of various flavors and colors. It was exceptional. Peter Sachs, who never trailers his cars, drove his candy orange McLaren F1 (chassis 038) onto the field with nary a flock of photographers in tow. That was refreshing. Alan Keeley, a volunteer on the board of directors for the event, did a great job wrangling the crew from each fire apparatus for a group photo. Two troopers from the New York State Police, who brought along the “Convincer” crash simulator, also found their way into the first responder picture.
The Grand Prix field was filled with show adjacent material. Standouts included an Eagle Low Drag GT, a 1982 Toyota Celica used in the Long Beach Grand Prix, and a gnarly creamsicle inspired first-gen Ford Bronco. The Turtle’s Premium Sponsor, 1600Veloce, had an enviable display, including a 1975 Ferrari 365 GT4 BB in Verde Germoglio. The Winner’s Circle Project is a group of seven schools building seven Factory Five racing cars. The large group of students scoured the show field, eventually choosing the 1964 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special of Leif Waller to receive their award. An impromptu photoshoot placed the imposing ‘XTRALARG’ between two BMW Isettas in the most unlikely of scenarios.
At the end of the day, traditional class awards were chucked in favor of introducing a new concept. The members of the panel each selected a car for an Award of Distinction. The car then drove up onto the elevated landscaping created especially for the Turtle Invitational and the owner told the story of the car and what it meant to them. They then received their award in the form of a silver turtle and drove off. Tom Cotter selected the 1960 Corvette of Jan Hyde. Jan’s owned the car since 1964 and is the co-founder of the Registry of Corvette Race Cars. Jonathan Witmer chose the 1954 Austin Healey 100M of John Engel. The 1954 Jaguar XK120 of Mile Morris caught Alex von Mózer’s attention. Lowell Paddock didn’t get off scot-free either, being presented with the Golden Plunger for exceptional dedication. Other award winners can be found in the captioned images.
Try as I may to confer just how special the Turtle Invitational is, it’s an event best experienced in person. The sounds, the smells, the smiles – they’ll reinforce why you became a car enthusiast in the first place. And since it’s biannual, mark your 2027 calendar for Turtle VI. Because while it’s no rabbit, it will be here before you know it.
Photos/Captions:
Jay Harman has known this Opel GT since he was nine years old. His dad bought it brand new in 1972 after trading in his Opel Cadett. Young Jay successfully talked him out of buying a Plymouth Gold Duster and instead pointed him towards the GT. Shortly after its purchase, his father’s company cars relegated the GT to storage and there it sat until Jay got his driver’s license. He took the wheel of the Rallye Gold Opel throughout high school, college, and post school life, being sure to take the utmost care of the German coupe. It was resprayed in 1995, but is otherwise mostly original and currently shows under 60K miles. Sadly, Jay’s father passed away earlier this year, but the car is a rolling memory of him and all the good times spent together. As a surprise to Jay, his Opel was chosen out of nearly 200 entrants to receive an Award of Distinction. It was judged by a panel of industry experts, including Ken Gross, who called it up on stage to tell everyone within earshot just how special this car really was. “It was surreal,” says Jay. “The award was not just for the GT, but for my dad.”
Tom Cotter was the Honored Guest. Along with his Cobra, CSX 2490, The Barn Find Hunter brought knowledge, humor, and his disarming smile to the 3-day event. He mingled with guests at the Friday night cocktail party and later spoke in a panel discussion. On Saturday, after driving his Cobra in the Turtle Rally, he recounted core memories to attendees at the Malcolm Pray Achievement Center and even used a PowerPoint pictorial to bring those memories to the big[ger] screen. Finally, on Sunday he walked the show field and selected a car that really caught his attention – a 1960 Corvette owned by Jan Hyde. The weekend concluded on a high note after he received the coveted Golden Turtle award.
Brian Beni is somewhat of an SS Cars guru. He had three on the show field and easily another three dozen back home. If not more. He gets calls all the time from people looking to pick his encyclopedic brain on the marque. For this one, his phone rang at 3 a.m. (why it wasn’t on Do Not Disturb is beyond me). Thinking someone had died, he picked it up only to be greeted by an Aussie with a wild accent on the other end of the line – and the globe. They were looking to confirm the authenticity of a 1936 SS100 2 1/2 litre. The car was a very early car, chassis 24, and had been missing for a long time. The owner at the time owned an antique store. It was tucked away under blankets behind the store and had mannequins over it. But despite the faux drivers laying on top, the car had an amazing race history, winning at Brooklands in 1937. After negotiations with the family, Brian had it sent over to a shop he works with in New Zealand for a full mechanical restoration, but kept all the dirt on the car as found. That’s how it was presented on the field.
James Clements was sitting peacefully by his 1960 Morgan +4 when I interrupted to ask him a few questions about it. Turns out, he’s owned it 20 years and it’s “hilarious” to drive, as he described it. Younger James had an MG TD, so when the time came he was searching for a TF because he liked the way it looked. The Morgan fit the bill. According to James, the second owner was from St. Louis and had an ashtray installed to the left of the steering wheel. Mechanically, It has a Ford 5-speed and the original TR3 engine. He says it’s never broken down on him except for the time he hit a pothole in Connecticut and the connection on a coil fell off. But can we really hold that against the Morgan? The top’s only been up in a torrential rain storm, but normally it and the windshield are found in the down position. James has taken the Morgan up to Maine for a lobster mob and Williams College, Massachusetts. James told his wife he’d be buried in the car, but the question remains – will the top then be put up? How did he find out about the Turtle though? Tom Champion, a huge supporter and volunteer for the Turtle, his son bought the house next door to James. When Tom saw the Morgan in the driveway, he ran down in telling James he needed to sign up.
This group has a great reason to smile. Not only are they standing around Nick Soprano’s Maserati 450 S (s/n 4508), but they’re connecting with a car their national hero, Juan Manual Fangio. Fangio was supposed to race this exact car in the 1958 Cuban Grand Prix, had he not been kidnapped by two members of Fidel Castro’s 26th of July movement. He replacement driver, Maurice Trintignant, would go on to 11th overall. He would be replaced less than 30 hours later unharmed. Fangio did drive a 450 S (s/n 4503) to first overall in the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring. Nick’s car at the Turtle brought everyone to attention from the moment he rumbled into the meadow, to every time he started it up. Shown here with Nick, from left to right, is Mariano Lozano, Leo Biagini, Nico Ferrario (in the back), Daniel Bara, Arturo Poire, Ale Belinky, Juampi Rocca, Eze Santos and Gustavo Valle. They all signed up for the Turtle together, and being that Mariano is not only the Museo Fangio Ambassador in the US, but he also represents Suixtil, a vintage clothing brand that was Fangio’s first sponsor. At the end of the day, the Maserati was ultimately presented with the Lime Rock Award by Lowell Paddock.
Yale Evelev’s 1964 Abarth Bialbero has a great story of how it arrived in his care. It’s a Japanese market car he’s owned for five years after buying it from the island nation. He spoke about Al Consentino and how he married a Japanese woman named Fumiko, creating a huge Abarth presence in Japan. For those in the Fiat know, Cosentino’s name should not be unknown. After Simca was sold to Chrysler, Abarth was left with 30 bodies which ultimately became Radbornes. Back in 2018, Yale was over in Japan and saw an old Honda S800 dropping someone off. He caught the driver before he took off and asked what it was like to drive an old car in Japan. Turns out, he and the driver, Kozaburo, had a mutual friend – Bradley Price. End scene. Later, as Yale was fighting off an Abarth bug, he found a Radborne for sale in Japan. This was during Covid and exporting a car from Japan to the US was a tricky endeavor. Bradley suggested that Yale reach out to Kozaburo as he had helped another friend export a few kei trucks. The Radborne turned out to be in less than desirable shape, but when Yale mentioned the Instagram page of K.I.Mobile, where he saw a Fiat Abarth in the background, Kozaburo that long-nose Bialbero was actually for sale. Because the seller might not do business with a non-Japanese person, Kozaburo offered to buy the car on Yale’s behalf and arrange for export. And that is how this beautiful Bialbero ended up on the Turtle show field.
This is the second time that Jeff Wong has sent a trailer full of his cars across the country to attend the Turtle Invitational. This year, in celebration of Bruno Sacco, he loaded up six Mercedes-Benzes to put on display. A 1985 and a 1986 190E 2.3-16 couldn’t be more different. The Obsidian black 1986 had undergone a full restoration. Jeff said he disassembled countless 190s to get all the parts needed. The Pearl Black is a hotrodded version, the slick tires giving a little away to menace within. His 1996 E60 AMG was originally ordered by the late Domingos Piedade, a prominent figure for AMG during his 27 year tenor there. A 1997 Brabus 6.5 was based off the W210 E420 with an enlarged V8 and a stomping 450 horsepower. The Polar White 1995 E320 Wagon was fitted with H&R springs over Koni shocks and is rolling on BBS LM wheels, a favorite of Jeff’s. His Euro-market 1996 E290 diesel with a manual transmission acted as their taxi for the weekend.
Leigh Brent has been chasing this 1932 Packard Twin Six for nearly ten years before the previous owner sold it to him. That was five years ago. The stately V12 5-passenger Phaeton sat proudly on the field at the Turtle Invitational on Martin Tires, including the twin side mounted spares. The car, originally owned by Jack Kelly (father of Grace Kelly) is thought to be mostly original, save for the diner booth red interior. With so few built in this style, it had presence and prominence despite not being a restored classic.
Rich Myers is a pleasure to talk to. He’s a skilled conversationalist who can recall the back story of each car in his modest, but outstanding collection. His Allard J2X (shown) is a joy to take in, with more details emerging the longer you look at it. It’s powered by a Cadillac 331 ci V8 and he’s owned it for 38 years. As he told me, he bought all his cars when they were affordable. He also has a Shelby Cobra 289, CSX 2539, that he’s owned for 50+ years. The one-off car, with unique fender flares, was purchased for just under $5k.
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